Dragon Boats

Quite a few members of HHCC as part of their paddling repertoire are Dragon Boat racers and train at the club. They use the gym and roar up and down the canal in O1's (and other craft).

The Club is also used by many GB squads for their annual team selection time-trial as below for 2010:

Saturday 27 February	Premier Women Practice Time-Trial
Sunday 18 April	Senior Women Practice Time-Trial
Sunday 9 May	Senior Mixed Time-Trial
Saturday 5 June	Premier Women Time-Trial
Sunday 13 June	Senior Women Time-Trial

Dragonboating is a sprint discipline, and racing takes place over 200m, 500m, 1000m and 2000m courses. There are 20 paddlers to a boat, which is 50 foot long, sat two abreast. There's also a drummer at the bow (front) beating time, and the steering is done by the helm at the stern (back).

We have quite a few who've been in the British Squad. They include: Al (UnC) Farrance; Mark Jurassic Petersen; Chris Slasher Preston; Mickey Doyle and Rob Crowley. They can be recognised by their jockey like build and dainty demeanor! Plus ladies: Shirine Voller, Christine Farrance and Julie Doyle.

Some race with the local Batchworth Dragons club, for more details follow the link.

Tring Rafters also have a dragon boat and often win the Henley Winter series. They also won the Great River Race in it in 2009. They meet at the Grand Junction Arms in Bullbourne, by Tring on Tuesdays at 6.30pm and Sundays at 11.00am - beware the car park clamping.

O1's are a sort of kayak proa - a K1 with a little outrigger as in this picture of Slasher Preston.

Press release, with 2008 EU Championships results, here.     
See Hemel Today report here.
In 2008 Shirine Voller and Chris Slasher Preston competed as members of the GB Dragon Boat squad at the European Championships in Italy in the Premier Ladies and Premier Men's teams respectively.  Dragonboating is a competitive sport at international level and the GB teams will face keen competition from countries such as Germany, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Sweden and of course, the host Italians.  
For more about the GB ladies, see here.

For details of the GB Senior Mixed Squad see here - managed by Club member Chris Collison.

Sprint kayak training is in fact ideal preparation for dragonboating.

Some action pictures of the 2004 World Champoinships in South Africa. Includes HHCC heros Mark Petersen, Mickey Doyle and Al (UnC) Farrance as featured above left.