Did you ever want to give Dragon Boating a go?

A dragon boat is a race over a clearly defined unobstructed course in the shortest possible time. There are two classes that compete in this discipline, 10-seater, and 20-seater referring to the number of paddlers in the boat. Paddlers sit in twos side-by-side and use a single-bladed paddle. Both classes will also have a drummer and a steerer, with everybody in the boat paddling to the rhythm of the drum.

Dragon boat has ancient Chinese origins and dates back more than 2,000 years. The first participants were Chinese villagers who held races on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month of the Chinese calendar in the belief it would show worship to the dragon, a traditional symbol of water in Asia, and so encourage the rains needed for prosperity and to avert misfortune. Dragon boat took on further prominence following the death of great poet Qu Yuan in 278 BC. He committed suicide in the Miluo River in a protest against corruption. Local people went in their fishing boats to try and save him, and beat drums and splashed oars in the water to keep fish away from his body. His death is marked by a dragon boat festival (Duanwu Festival) each year.

Dragon boats are designed to resemble the classic dragon that had the head of an ox, antler of a deer, mane of a horse, body of a python, claws of a hawk, and fins and tail of a fish, so the bow is crafted as the head of a dragon with the stern the tail, the hull painted with scales and the paddles symbolically representing the claws. A modern dragon boat is generally recognized as having its origins in the Hong Kong International Races, first held in 1976.

The official race distances recognized by the International Dragon Boat Federation (IDBF) are 200m, 250m, 500m and 1000m. Events are held for men’s team, women’s team and mixed team. The mixed team must include a minimum of eight women (four in the 10-seater class).