Nicole Arbour and Skygrass Shock Crowd Winning Silvers and Bronze at Dragon Boat Festival

Nicole Arbour and fiancé (reggae artist Skygrass) thrilled crowds as they competed (and placed) in the Jamaica Dragon Boat Festival and Caribbean Cup- Port Royal, Jamaica.
June 4 2025, Published 2:00 a.m. ET
Nicole Arbour and Skygrass shock crowd winning silvers and bronze at Dragon Boat Festival
Nicole Arbour and fiancé (reggae artist Skygrass) thrilled crowds as they competed (and placed) in the Jamaica Dragon Boat Festival and Caribbean Cup- Port Royal, Jamaica.
The event marked the first Dragon Boat Federation competition held on the island hosting athletes, delegates, and political ambassadors from China, Canada, Philippines, Japan, Portugal, America, and across the Caribbean.
Skygrass, (a life-long martial artist) had been recruited to compete with the Generals in the Co-ed competition, while Nicole initially went to cheer him on. But on finals day when the women’s open division needed a sub athlete, Arbour known for her #GOTEAM attitude and side quests threw on a jersey and jumped in the competition to the crowds delight.
“It’s been on my bucket list to try dragon boating since I saw the athletes train in Toronto Harbour during college. I started doing canoe races as a Girl Guide so Dragon Boating seemed like a blast. I couldn’t say yes fast enough.” -Nicole Arbour.

Nicole’s team qualified in the first heat, then the second, moving on to the Women’s Championships where they took home the Silver Medal.
“It was hilarious. This wasn’t some celebrity softball game, it was official competition with a crowd and people who trained for this. I jumped in and went full cheer captain on everyone: We’re here to win. One race at a time. We got this girls! Positive only.…I was so proud of us honestly. We pushed hard till the end,” said Arbour.


Skygrass was seen celebrating on stage after he took home both the silver in Mens Open division, and bronze in Co-ed.
“Shout out to the Jamaica Dragon Boat Federation and our sponsor General Food for taking such amazing care of us. There’s really something so special about competing in an ancient sport with over 2,000 years of history and following the drummer. It was an incredible experience and I apparently have an official spot on the team so maybe you’ll see me at a future event!”