More than 80 boats filled the Barkers Island Bay Saturday for the seventh annual Dragon Boat Festival.
Now, people in the Northland may be more familiar with Canoes, but let me tell you dragon boats are nothing like them.
Each boat carries around 20 paddlers, a drummer, and a person that steers.
They race through the water to the beat of the drum, hoping to finish before the other three teams.
Some of the boats carry experienced paddlers looking to win the big race, while others such as Team Survivor Sistership is made up of all women who have survived breast cancer.

"In order to get on to the survivors sistership you need to have had breast cancer that's good and bad, bad because you have had breast cancer but good in the respect that you are a survivor, so no matter what we've done here today, we are all survivors. "

The Dragon Boat Festival is run by an all volunteer group, and all proceeds from the event go to the SMDC Foundation Breast Cancer and Health Fund.
One of the event organizers Jim Kehoe says he never thought the festival would be as big as it is today, but he says festival organizers haven't forgot about the true goal of the event.

"Although we would like to see things get larger it's really about raising cash revenue for the charities and having a good time and making it free and affordable to our residents of Duluth and Superior."

Lorraine also hasn't lost sight of the goal of the Dragon Boat Festival.

710"it is very emotional because of people that have had breast cancer and have not survived, our hearts and everything goes out to their families and friends, but for everyone that is a survivor it's one more year, one more day one more second of being here on this earth with your family and friends and that to me is fantastic."

The event finishes up this evening after 2 days of racing.
Organizers say it looks like a record breaking year.