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.

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!

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.

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)

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

www.britishdragonboat.com/dbsbayfestival/

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.

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.

The races will be over 250 and 500m and there are many categories to race in, including a Fancy Costume race! The weekend will be concluded by a race dinner and party on Sunday night!

If you registered to race in June you will by now have received a separate email from the International Rep. requesting your passport details and outlining other administrative details of the trip.  Please act on that email immediately as time is tight!

Please note that to be included in the Hong Kong squad you must pay your $150 deposit to the Treasurer’s by Sunday 21st April 2013.

3) COMMITTEE COMINGS AND GOINGS

At the beginning of the year we shared our plan to go to Taiwan and join the Taipei international dragon boat races in June.  A large group of people registered for this race, which is great!

At the same time we would like to propose the Hong Kong International Dragon boat Carnival as an alternative to the Taiwan race.

This looks like an great opportunity to go away with the team, with only 1 or 2 days leave needed and todo lots of races in a very competitive and international field!  And a great party afterwards

For both the HK and Taiwan races, please assume flight prices will range between SGD 300-450 depending on timing and availability. There is a possibility that accommodation in HK will be provided by the organization, but this is yet to be confirmed.

All you need to do is register via: www.britishdragonboat.com/stgeorge/

Please register YES/NO before Tuesday 16 April 2013.

3) VARNISH SQUAD