"They were fabulous," said coach Crystal Cameron, who was among members who steered the dragon boat they have owned for several years. "They were a lot less tired than I thought they would be. "Mayor Joe Hawes of Pictou was among those who greeted the dragon boat team's arrival. "It's great," said Mayor Hawes, whose wife was among the paddlers. "This is what paddling for these women is all about." Mayor Hawes also noted some of the proceeds for purchasing the dragon boat Women Alike have owned for the past several years were contributed by the Sutherland Harris Foundation. It has allowed the team to race in the past four Race on the River dragon boat racing events in New Glasgow, as well as other parts of Canada.

They have also paddled last fall and won silver and bronze medals during world dragon boat championships in China and previously won top honours in a previous event hosted by Windsor, Ont. in 2003 on the Detroit River. "The odyssey across Pictou Harbour meant a great deal to each paddler and took on many dimensions. It was documented for a future film and carried with it the memories of breast cancer survivors who were with the team in spirit. The dragon boaters also had an escort, the Passagemaker helmed by Angus and Pearle MacIsaac, who dock their pleasure cruiser during the summer at the Marina. Numerous paddlers referred to the times they ventured as far as the lift bridge at the Trenton Connector.

While the paddlers embarked on calm water toward the mouth of the East River, side winds picked up as they passed the connector. They also encountered some precarious wave action from passing speedboats, but dexterously steered into the swells to avoid being capsized in the tippy craft. By the time they passed Abercrombie Point and pointed the dragon head toward Pictou, the team was paddling downwind.

Despite less calm conditions as the voyage progressed, Phyllis Parker, who preceded Mel Swarbrick as current Women Alike A Breast A River president, said the crew viewed passing the connector as a booster. "After we got past the connector, we got a head of steam on," she said. "It was a great morale builder," Ms. Cameron added. "We were on a roll."

Sherry Devanney-MacVicor has been gathering film over the past five years for a documentary on women who have seized dragon boating as a means to get fitter and healthier and commune with fellow breast cancer survivors. Ms. Devanney-MacVicor, who taped the embarkment from the dock and on the Passagemaker, has until Sept. 6 to complete the project and submit it for airing Sept. 24 at Park Lane Cinemas in Halifax in conjunction with the Atlantic Film Festival. "I want to jam as much into the film as I can," she says. "It's great being with them." Ms. Devanney-MacVicor comes by her passion for film making honestly. She remembers her father recording family activities on a Super 8 movie camera from a young age, but it had no sound.  "We kids did our own voice overs," she recalls. "It was such a family event. Then my father gave me a Super 8 camera. He has inspired me so much."

She also convinced herself film making would be a life-long profession while on a trip to Cuba. "It was a free trip," she says. ÒWe had these big professional cameras."

Completing the passage to Pictou meant something more to Dr. Rosann Seviour, the 2005 team captain who leaves Thursday with her family for a one-year hiatus in France. "We had such a good time," she said, pointing to her watch indicting a finishing time of one hour, 56 minutes, 18 seconds. "Not for a second did I doubt we'd make it. It was a wonderful experience." Dr. Seviour, who contracted breast cancer when she was 36 years of age, is among the youngest team members to have been diagnosed with the disease. "You think your whole life has changed, but everyone's story is different," she said. "You think you'll never get through it. But if this hadn't happened to us, we wouldn't have been in that boat. We're not sure what we'll be doing after our year in France, but one big reason I would come back is this team."