Dragon Boat Racing Totnes

Sunday 24th July 2011

The Rotary Club of Totnes

Contact:- info@DragonBoatsTotnes.co.uk for further information

The Rotary Club of Totnes is staged an inaugural Dragon Boat Race Day 2011 on and alongside the River Dart (Longmarsh)

Sunday 24th July.

Totnes’s waterfront and the tidal reach of the River Dart witnessed an unprecedented day of Dragon Boat Racing on Sunday 24th. 18 teams competed and speed over the 300 metre course determined the eventual outcome where trophies were awarded to crews from the Royal Seven Stars hotel (3rd place), the Lord Nelson and Waterman’s Arms (2nd place) and the Britannia Royal Naval College Dartmouth (1st place).

But there were winners everywhere: the crews, the stall-holders, the crowds estimated to total near 2500. And not least the organiser: the Rotary Club of Totnes (raising funds for its chosen charities: Bidwell Brook School, ShelterBox and the End Polio Now Campaign), in partnership with the Exe-Calibre Dragon Boat Club of Exeter and the Dart Totnes Amateur Rowing Club.

 see photos below

What is Dragon Boat racing?

The annual re-enactment in China of the mythical battle between the dragon of the air and the dragon of the water dates back over 2000 years. Now adopted in Britain as a popular water-sport, it lends itself just as easily to involvement of all-comers, novice crews and experienced paddlers alike, around the objective of fund-raising married to fun and spectacle.

What is a Dragon Boat?

A Dragon Boat measures 40 feet and is a narrow boat, decorated with a Chinese dragon head and tail, and crewed by 16 volunteers who paddle to the rhythm beat out by a drummer. A qualified helmsman from the event organiser (Exe-Calibre Dragon Boat Club) steers the boat making sure that the crew has fun while remaining safe on the water.

You Tube Video Link HERE

Photographs from the event HERE

Winners Video in HD right click then "save target as"

Panoramic view of the River Dart HERE