Stanley Dragon Boat Races
Racing Manual
(English version)
To ensure the Race a smooth and joyful one, please pay attention to instructions in this Manual which should be read in conjunction with the Rules |
This document can be downloaded from our web site.
All participants should have a chance to circulate & read it in advance.
Prepared by：Stanley Residents Association
96 Stanley Main Street, Hong Kong (Tel :[852]28130564, fax :28135704)
Email: dragonboat@hongkong.com
https://www.angelfire.com/on/dragonboat
| updated
2001/2/3 . |
A. General
| 1. Race Day | Dragonboat Festival Day Proper (2001/6/25 Monday...) |
| 2. Venue | Stanley Main Beach, Hong Kong (see Site Plan fig. 1) |
| 3. Time | 08:00
- 18:30 (please refer to Race Schedule for details),
provisionally: 1st
round Expat Men Cup 08:00-10:00 |
| 4. Ceremonies | Eye-dotting
and Ribbon-cutting Ceremony will be held at 13:30, Prize
presentation at 18:30 |
| 5. Land Transport | There
will be a huge crowd on race day and normal to see a
serious shortage of parking space. Bus companies will
provide extra service. Except Race Officials & the
press, parking space will not be allocated. Please use
public transport & prepare for some traffic
congestion afterwards. |
| 6. Sea Transport | 6.1
Team member(s) and their companion(s) traveling to and
returning from pleasure boats moored outside the buffer
zone should always keep away from the race course. No
unauthorized entry into the race course and buffer zone.
Otherwise the wave and the blocking caused by these
shuttle boats not only lead to delay, or become a
nuisance, but also endanger both the rowers and their own
passengers. Any one intentionally deny the rules &/or
disobey proper instructions of designated official(s)
will, perhaps accompanied by the whole team, be
disqualified at once or, be classified as stand-by entry,
or even suspended in future events. Every year such
motor boats cause a great trouble for race management and
lead to delay, so please be cooperative 6.2 Anyone opting for such "unofficial" boat ride are at their own risk and should avoid overloading. |
| 7. Security and Safety | 7.1
Temporary Police Command Post & First Aid post will
be set up at the Grand Stand. The organizer take no
responsibility for safety of any personal belongings 7.2 It is the responsibility of the person or organisation making the entry to satisfy himself or itself that all crew members are physically fit and are able to swim. The organizer recommends wearing buoyancy aid (conforming to British Standard BSI 3595) at all time. 7.3 Practice should be restricted to the official racing area (i.e. 400m radius from the Main Beach). Race course is 350m long. |
| 8. Cleanness | Please exercise self-restraint to keep the beach clean. Each team manager should claim a garbage bag from the Enquiry Booth and take care of cleanness of the team. |
| 9 Resting Booths | For
hiring resting Booths (tents), please contact the
secretariat in advance ( $2000 for a W10' x L12' x H12’
Booth ). The team banner should be put inside the booth/
tent only for identification purpose and should not
exceed 8' x 2' in size. Otherwise a fee of HK$3000 will
be charged as for advertisements. |
| 10. Weather | As
it is in early Summer and wind and rain condition is
unpredictable, for safety reasons in undesirable
conditions, or under instruction of the police to finish
it before dusk, the race may , partially or otherwise, be
terminated, canceled, combined or shortened. No appeal or
request for refund will be entertained if such decision
is made due to such weather. (For practice sessions read
also 4.4 of part B) |
| 11. Enquiry | 11.1
Team Managers and Team Captains should familiarize
themselves with this Information Pack, Race Rules and
details of the draw sheets as printed in the programme.
Important information should be shared with and conveyed
to members of the team. This information booklet should
be circulated in the team. 11.2 Most important messages will be post up in the Race web page. The Secretariat is extremely busy. Once information is dispatched by post, we will not entertain any request of sending it again by e-mail or otherwise. 11.3. On the event day, do NOT swamp the Umpires' Desk with questions or irrelevant requests and hamper their work. All enquiries should be directed to the Information Desk [which is to be set up in front of the Official Stand]. |
| 12. Trophies | Each of the 6 finalists in Plate and Cup Competitions will receive a trophy (unless otherwise announced). To further enhance the lively atmosphere and your enjoyment, we will again set a trophy for the “Most-Outstanding-Outfit Team” |
| 13. Souvenirs | T-shirts
and other souvenirs can be found in our special booth.
Team Managers should also come forth to the Information
Desk to claim a souvenir for the team before their own
first race with your Membership Card shown. |
| 14. Payment | 14.1
NO TEAM SHOULD MAKE PERSONAL ARRANGEMENT WITH THE
OFFICIAL STEERSMAN &/or TRAINER OR PAY THEM DIRECTLY
and bypass the proper booking procedure. It may cause
difficulties in accounting and other serious problems. 14.2 All pre-race payment must be settled at least one day before the race. |
B. Practice & Race
| 1. Steersmen | 1.1
Due to risk of injury to competitors, damage to boats and
disruption to the racing progamme caused by inexperienced
steersman not holding a proper course, the Organiser has
introduced a system of testing and registering steersman.
Only a Registered one can steer the boat on the race
day. 1.2 Each steersman can only race for the team he/she is registered for in that year as shown in the card. 1.3 Any request of booking an official steersman on the race day should be made direct at the special booth half an hour before the race with a charge of HK$150 per race. Please keep the receipt for verification. 1.4 To hire a steersman for practice sessions should pay by cheque and send it to the Stanley Residents Association Ltd . 1.5 A steersman not steering the boat properly or competently and cause collision regardless of his /her own mistake or caused by effects of alcohol or drugs, will have his/her registration and Steersman Identity Card suspended at once. 1.6 It is the responsibility of the steersman to tie up the boa at the beach after practice. New candidates need to demonstrate this skill in the assessment. 1.7 Starting from year 2001, a registered steersman need to be on duty on each boat even during practice sessions |
| 2. Braking / Stop | To
avoid accident or unnecessary damages to dragon-boats, we
request your co-operation and self-restraint, during
practice and the race, to stop the boats immediately
after crossing the finishing line. Please avoid running
them ashore. Both rower and drummer should also always
stay alert in water and prepare for stopping the boat any
time if necessary. |
| 3.Bailers & Drum Sticks | 3.1
Please bring your own spare plastic bailer(s) as well as
spare drum-sticks. Both ends of the sticks must be made
blunt and round (in the shape of small hemisphere). 3.2 All equipment must be returned in good order promptly after use |
| 4.Practice | 4..1
Any team canceling the booked practice should inform the
organiser in advance and early, so as to allow for
arrangement of substitution and save resources. 4.2 Boats and all accessories should be returned on time after practice and race. 4.3 Even in calm sea condition, practice should be restricted to the official racing area (i.e. 400m radius from the Main Beach)., so as to avoid accident and difficulties in rescue and monitoring. (N.B. the shortest way to go from the Main Beach to the straight line between Turtle Cove Beach and the quarters of the Stanley Prison nearest to the Main Street is approximately 500m already.) 4.4 To facilitate punctuality and to remind your crew to return the boats on time, we have arranged that at the official area there will be a horn signal at 25 minutes past and also 5 minutes to the hour during your practice. Any teams returning the boats late, intentionally or otherwise, will need to pay a fine of HK$500 on each occasion. 4.5 In case of bad weather or when strong easterly or north-easterly wind is blowing, or when the thunderstorm warning is hoisted, all practice will be canceled. A substitute session is to be arranged if possible. (When the red flag is hoisted on Stanley Main Beach. NO PRACTICES WILL BE PERMITTED. Before starting for practices, please phone Stanley Beach Office. ( Tel: 2813 0217 ) 4.6. Practice will stop one week before the race day so as to allow for repair and maintenance. 4.7 All teams should practise the "side-strokes" (refer to text below) |
| 5. Starting Procedure | 5.1
To align the boat for ready position, ALL teams at the
starting line should have one (at least) paddler pick
up and hold the “Bow-rope” AND the steersman pick up
and hold the “Stern-rope”. If your team is
instructed to do so by the Starter or other water umpires
but fail to do so, it is ground for disqualification. The
bow-rope action has becomes compulsory since l998. It
actually [a] stabilize the boat at the starting line
where the sea is very rough; and [b] more importantly, it
greatly speed up the maneuver of aligning the boats
straight to its course. (See diagram) 5.2 To get into ready position, “side stokes” by athletes on one side to move the boat sideways are sometimes much more effective than relying only on the steersman. Besides, such team action can also avoid turning the boats at the rough sea of outer area and thus minimize the risk of capsizing. Hence each crews should practise such maneuver. |
| 6.Race Conduct | 6.1
All participants should demonstrate high level of
sportsmanship and should race in the best ability with
high respect to race officials 6.2 In consideration of the tight schedule, no team should capsize a boat deliberately. |
| 7. System of Play | 7.1
The"Draw Sheets" indicating the system of play
are shown in The Programme. Basically the first 3 teams
in the First Round will advance to the 2nd Round of the
Cup Competition and the rest will be invited to the Plate
Competition ( Consolation Races ). 7.2 Since 1999: Boat allocation of the first round will be done by random draw. But allocation in subsequent rounds all be determined by finishing places in previous rounds. Please pay attention to the Score Board and "Draw Sheets" for details of the next round. |
| 8. Marshalling | Teams
need only get onto the dragon boats according to Race
Schedule as announced on the score board and get to the
Start Line on time. There is no other procedure for
marshalling. |
| 9. Crew composition | 9.1
Each boat may carry up to 20 paddlers, 1 steersman and 1
drummer. No men may participate in the Ladies crew except
as steersman or drummer. For expatriate teams, over half
of the crew must be Non-Chinese. For the Chinese teams,
over half of the crew must be ethnic Chinese. 9.2 The Judge Panel may, in case of unfavourable weather and sea condition, announce it mandatory to lower the number of rowers on each boat. |
(THE END)
Race