The Piranhas got off to a strong start to their season with a second place finish at the Milton Dragon Boat Festival behind the PDBC's X-Paddling Collective. While the Piranhas won the first two preliminary heats, they were unable to hold their lead in the final and lost by a margin of 0.07 seconds. In addition, the Piranhas also won the recreational 250m over X-Paddling, while the 2000m was won by X-Paddling. The event's five races were clearly used as a low-key training tool by the festival's two top teams. However, racing with another competitive team provided just enough pressure to push the teams to work hard.

In terms of the quality of the festival, Kelso Conservation Area is an excellent venue for racing. The park is surronded by the scenic backdrop of the Niagara Escarpment, a pristine race course which was both deep and calm, and lanes that were possibly even wider than those in Welland which prevented any washriding. The event did run a couple hours behind due to a lack of coordination with the Conservation Area's staff, but despite the growing pains associated with running a new event, the event organizers should be congratulated for being very accomodating and patient with the concerns of those competing in Milton that day.