Posts under ‘News’

I am delighted to announce that Dan Gill has been elected as our new Men’s Captain.

I am sure you will join with me in wishing Dan every success in his new role and give him every support.  Thanks also to both candidates for agreeing to stand and also to all of you who took part in our very first electronic poll – we had a high turnout and the poll ran very smoothly indeed.

Here is a message that our Team Manager has asked me to share with you:

“I personally have to thank both Andy and Nicky for their 6 and 2 years hard work for the team, respectively.  They were both great captains and contributed tirelessly to better the team, both on and off the water.  Thank you both also for your advice, support and friendship over these past years.

Now please welcome both Dan as your new Men’s Captain, and Pam as your new Ladie’s Captain. I wish them well and look forward to their enthusiasm, passion and input to keep this amazing group of people moving ever forward and upward.

Let’s go get those other teams British Dragons!  Your friend and Captain, Paul.”

 

2) DBS MARINA REGATTA 2013 RACE GUIDE

Here is your complete guide to the DBS Marina Regatta 2013.  Please read this guide carefully.

Date:…..Weekend of 18th and 19th May 2013
Reporting Time:…..Saturday at 08.30am (don’t be late – new security checks implemented!)
Location:….. Promontory @ Marina Bay (in front of the Marina Bay Financial District)
Map:….. Map
Getting there:….. Raffles Place MRT on the East/West and North/South lines (about 15 minutes walk) or Bayfront MRT on the Circle Line (about 15 minutes walk via Marina Bay Sands).

Do note that as part of the security measures, there will only be 5 entry points with security checks into the DBS Marina Regatta area. You’re strongly encouraged to wear your participant tags (which you’ll get from the Treasurers on Saturday) which will help to facilitate your re-entry. If your families and friends are coming to support you, do advise them to travel light.

Upon arrival please report to Mel or Fabien and pay your $50 (if you haven’t already).  This fee covers race entries, personal registration race tag, water and 100 Plus drinks on both days, lunch sandwiches on the Saturday and the team dinner at London (Boat Quay) on the Sunday evening.

All team members must be wearing a team racing shirt and team bandana (or cap) in order to race.  No other shirts or headwear are acceptable.  Please wear British Dragons shorts or dark blue or black shorts.  Remember that footwear is compulsory in the boats.

If you need to buy kit for the race urgently then email Gill at kit@britishdragonboat.com so that she can bring your order along to the race. Pay in cash on the day.

Please limit valuables to essentials for the weekend and travel light as our marquee will not be fully secure and many thousands of spectators are expected.

Times and line-ups for races are subject to constant change so always:

• Know which event you’re competing in (look at the posted team boat layouts);
• Stay close to the team marquee;
• Let the Committee know your whereabouts at all times when NOT close to the team marquee.

If you are new to racing don’t be tempted to wander off to get a coffee or whatever if you think that you are not in a race – things can quickly change and you might find that you are needed in a boat RIGHT NOW!  Plus you will want to attend all the warm-ups, briefings and visualisations so that you are ready to race if you are suddenly called upon (and also to gain valuable experience about what racing entails).  If you do need to go anywhere – even for a couple of minutes – then tell the Captains or a committee member.  And of course if you are part of the racing team you are expected to remain on hand for the whole weekend.

Please eat well in the days leading up to the race.  Carb load the night before the race (pasta, rice, etc.), get plenty of protein and make sure you bring along your choice of Berocca, Hydration Salts, Energy Gels and Bars, etc.  Also have a hearty breakfast before setting out so that you will be in good shape for the all-important heats (if we fail to qualify in those then of course we will just sit empty-handed on the shore all weekend politely clapping the teams that have beaten us).

Remember to bring sunblock and water along to the race and please make sure that you hydrate well before and during the weekend.

Supporters and friends are very welcome so do invite them to drop by and say hello!

Please find attached a technical briefing guide (in PDF) kindly provided by SDBA.  It is intended for overseas participants and gives maps of the site and some other general orientation about the race itself.

 

3) CAPSIZE DRILL REMINDER

A capsize is a very rare event in training.  But capsizes often do happen in races.  If two boats capsize over forty people can be pitched into the water leading to a challenging situation.

If you are in a boat which does capsize then it is no big deal so long as you remember the following crucial words of advice from our Captains:

a)   Do Not Panic!

b)   Check that your row buddy has bobbed to the surface and is okay (if not raise the alarm and feel under the overturned boat)

c)   DO NOT swim to the shore – wait for the attending safety boat(s) to take charge and instruct*

(* This last instruction may leave you thinking “Huh?”, especially if you are in a boat which capsizes just a few metres from the shore and you could swiftly step onto dry land.  But a capsize – especially if it involves boats with paddlers from different teams pitched together into the water – can be a very confusing situation for a few minutes.  Once a paddler swims off to shore and disappears into the massed crowds watching then the whole thing becomes much more serious as it will be assumed that the person may be missing and this will cause great concern and likely a frantic search.  So if you do end up in the water simply stay with your row buddy and check that the paddlers in the rows around you are accounted for and not injured.  In this way it will be easy for the Captain and Cox to do a headcount for everyone and let the safety boat know that the whole crew is okay.  Remember: stay with your team in a capsize until instructed otherwise).

 

4) FOOD AND DRINK AT THE RACE WEEKEND

Saturday lunch will be from “Freshly Baked” (tasty sandwiches including vegetarian choices).

Sunday will be our traditional “Pot Luck Lunch” so please plan to bring along some nutritious food to share with the team.  This is the chance for our cooking and baking brigade to demonstrate their creative flair in the kitchen.

Our Team Dinner will be held at London (Boat Quay) on Sunday 19th May at 7.30pm. The buffet dinner is included in the race fee. We plan to walk over there at the end of racing on Sunday. Air-con hounds will be relieved to know that we will be upstairs at London so their fur will gently ripple in the breeze of chilled air on offer.

Please bring along your drinking shirt to change into for the Sunday evening team dinner and bring along your London membership card to claim our discount and rebates.

As you will already have seen, the British Dragons are a featured team in this year’s DBS Marina Regatta and our smiling faces are going viral as you read this!

DBS is offering a chance to win one of three $600 degustation dinners at Singapore’s world-class fine dining restaurant, Restaurant Andre, by sharing your photos from the DBS Marina Regatta on Instagram, Twitter or Vine.

These free platforms are fantastic opportunities reach a wide audience with our team spirit and show Singapore what the British Dragons are all about. So let’s make the most of it! Oh, and you could win the food experience of a lifetime…..

How does it work?

1. Take a pic or create a Vine (6 second video clip that is like a .gif image… google it!) on your smartphone at DBS Marina Regatta that reflects our team. Be creative and fun!

2. Upload that pic to Instagram, Twitter or Vine with the hashtag #DBSMarinaRegatta2013. Hashtags work as a cloud-style content collator – if you don’t include the hashtag, your image won’t be able to be submitted for the big prize.

3. Your picture must be submitted by the end of the regatta programme on Sunday 19 May. You can enter as many times as you like.

It’s that easy!

DBS will announce the winner once the event has wrapped up.

Later we can collate all the submissions and share them on our team Facebook and website.

Happy snapping!

(Thanks to Anna – our Marketing Manager – for the above information).

If you have registered for the DBS Marina Regatta your race fee includes our Team Race dinner on the Sunday evening.

What:….. DBS Marina Regatta – Team Race Dinner
Where:….. London – Boat Quay
When:….. 7.30pm – Sunday 19th May 2013 (we will walk over immediately after the race)

We’ll have a buffet, drinks and lots of fun as we look back over the weekend and celebrate our efforts!

If you haven’t paid already, the Treasurer’s would appreciate receipt of your $50 race fee when you come to training. Supporters or guests can also be registered for the meal ($30 per head payable to Mel or Fabien). 

Please wear your drinking shirt for the Team Dinner and do remember to bring along your London membership card so that you can enjoy your member discount (and also ensure that our team rebates are garnered accordingly).

Please register for the race dinner by Saturday 11th May using the link below so that we can finalise the food orders:

Please be careful and alert when walking or driving to the boatyard at Kallang.  As you will have seen the area now has extensive roadworks underway and even footpaths are subject to upheaval. 

The Land Transport Authority is carrying out widening works at Merdeka Bridge and building a “depressed” road at Stadium Road just under the bridge (a somewhat gloomy location which probably explains why it’s not very cheerful!).  The staircases leading down from Merdeka Bridge to Stadium Road will not be accessible for the next 12 months it seems so pedestrian access to the boatyard from Nicoll Highway will involve a much longer route if you are ever coming from that direction. 

(My thanks to Rob C. for kindly alerting us to this information) 

Looking forward to seeing you at training at the weekend!

This event will be free and will include a buffet dinner.  Please note this is a separate event to the DBS Marina Regatta which is held the weekend before (and for which our race registration closed some time ago!). 

Please respond with your YES/NO for the DBS “Bay Festival” by Wednesday 1st May using the link below:

www.britishdragonboat.com/dbsbayfestival/

Please note that at 7.00pm on Thursday 25th April 2013 we will have Land Training outside the Singapore Indoor Stadium. 

Yes folks, by popular demand Land Training makes a breathless return!

In fact Land Training never really went away – but in future we’ll be having an increased emphasis on Tabata Training (see  http://tabatatraining.org/?p=18 for more details).  This is to help underpin our core fitness ahead of the various races we are preparing for.

As usual the session this week will be held at the entrance steps to the Indoor Stadium which are directly over the road from the exit from Stadium MRT (CC6 on the Circle Line).  Here is the location:  http://goo.gl/maps/mxTpX 

Please note that there are no showers at the site but toilets are available for changing.

If you are driving you can use Car Park E.  Please wear your team kit and Trainers (or Running Shoes) for the Land Training and bring water along.

In solidarity with the workers – and because the Farrer Park Pool is closed for the holiday - we will NOT have pool training on the evening of Wednesday 1st May 2013. So put your feet up – and do some Russian Twists at home…

 

All the best,