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-trials.

Sue Prowse was representing GB in the senior mixed team at the Dragon Boat World Championships in Tampa in 2011. They didn't quite win any medals but displayed good British corinthian spirit. Hurrah for Sue!

Al Farrance won a silver medal in the 2010 European Championships in the GB Grand Dragons. Just 2 thousandths of a second separated them and Ukraine on the line to deny the Grand Dragons gold in their first international outing.

Robin Oakley was part of a team that broke the 24hr distance dragon boat paddling world record at Derwent Water on 9/10 October 2010 by paddling 175.6km.
Hemel Today Report   BDA Report

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).

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 compete in the Great River Race which they've won a few times. 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.

2008 EU Championships results, here.     
See Hemel Today report here.
Shirine Voller and Chris Slasher Preston competed as members of the GB Dragon Boat squad at the European Championships in Italy in 2008 in the Premier Ladies and Premier Men's teams respectively.  For more about the GB ladies, see here.

The British Dragon Boat Racing Association website is 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 and vica versa.

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.