by DONNA COCHRAN
Spirit Point Dragons
Salt Spring’s dragon boat members wanted to show our love and respect for Nils and Sheila Christensen who sponsored the team from its start in 2006.
Their home was located on Spirit Point, Long Harbour and the team adopted the name Spirit Point Dragons in their honour. For over a decade the Dragons had seasonal mooring at the Christensen dock for bi-weekly practices and dryland storage space during the off-season. Nils and Sheila were our biggest fans and supporters, travelling to many regattas with us over the years. Their daughter, Marit Christensen, was a valued member of the team until the family sold the property and she moved with her parents to Abbotsford in 2016.
Sadly, Nils passed away in 2017 and Sheila in 2020. Spirit Point Dragons got permission to plant a beautiful Japanese maple in Rotary Marine Park in their memory. On Friday, the Salt Spring Parks and Recreation crew invited the team to help with the planting. A commemorative plaque will be added at a later date.
The team hasn’t been able to paddle since March 2020, but when we can get back on the water we will do an honourary “paddles up” for Nils, Sheila and Marit Christensen, whom we miss and love so much.