Brad Pennington and Joost Zeegers in boat 21, first photo, were the first to paddle furiously into Franklin for the Saturday finish line of Tour du Teche III. Though a few miles of water hyacinth lilies slowed the racers around Irish Bend, the course to the finish at Parc sur la Teche was clear, and the last boat arrived shortly before midnight, compared to slightly before 6 a.m. the following day in last year’s race due to the congestion of water lilies. Second photo, a volunteer with the Franklin Fire Department helps Pennington and Zeegers at the landing, while one of the paddlers takes a cooling-off dip in Bayou Teche. The racers took off again at 7:10 a.m. Sunday with a brisk north wind, heading for the finish at Berwick. Results will be announced soon.