Dragon boat festival returns to Windsor's Sandpoint Beach

Sandpoint Beach is once again home to the region's international dragon boat festival after city council agree to have the international event return to the site after eight years.

The Windsor Essex Dragon Boat Festival for the Cure originally launched at Sandpoint in 2003. A city worker strike in 2009 nearly cancelled the event, so the organizers moved to Tecumseh, according to Beth Noakes, one of the festival's founders.

Moving to Tecumseh saved the festival, but changes to the site at Lakewood Park created issues for paddlers. Noakes said dragon boat teams were separated from the competition, making it difficult to watch the races.

Some teams even missed out on their races because they couldn't hear announcements from where they were located.

"I don't want to disappoint the paddlers," Noakes said of the planned return to Windsor. "They work so hard, raising money, and I'm not going to disappoint them. I'm just not."

Windsor city council easily agreed Monday, voting to bring the festival back to Sandpoint Beach.