The Naked Kayaker
  • Blog
    • Search the site
  • Resources
    • Complete List of Posts
    • Trip Planning 101
    • Intro to Kayaking - Course Outline
    • Where can I rent a kayak in Belgium/the Netherlands?
    • How do I get certified in NL?
    • Map of Paddling Clubs
    • Dutch-English Watersports Dictionary
  • Destinations
    • West Coast
    • Great Lakes Region
    • New York State
    • New England
    • Europe
    • Oceania
  • Water Nerd
  • About & Contact

Blog

"Believe me, my young friend. There is nothing, absolutely nothing,
half so worth doing as simply messing around in boats." 

The Wind in the Willows

How to win a dragon boat race without practicing!

9/5/2018

1 Comment

 
Picture
There goes our combined Never Dry - RCC - Staatsbosbeheer team!
It was an unusually hot sunny morning as I cycled down the Rotte River towards Crooswijksebocht (literally: Duckweed District Bend, where "bend" refers to the bend in the River). As I approached the bend, I saw a colorful crowd milling on the riverbank. Overheating, I removed my sweatshirt to reveal a bright blue t-shirt: our club uniform. I locked my bike on one of the many temporary bike racks and wandered into the crowd, keeping an eye out for other blue-shirted people. 
Last Saturday (September 1st) was the second annual Dragon Boat Race on the Rotte River, part of the Water Festival on the Rotte. The festival involves a number of fun activities in the vicinity of the races, such as free boat rentals, music, food, and games for kids.

​Our team, "Rottekano" (Rotte Canoe/Kayak), consisted of members of Never Dry, the Rotterdam Canoe Club (RCC, our club neighbors), and Staatsbosbeheer (sort of like the Forest Service for the Netherlands). Anyone could sign up, as long as they had a team of at least 14 members. No prior experience necessary! 

In preparation for our first race, Joost from RCC organized us into two rows, mimicking the seating in the boats. It's important to consider the weight distribution, both side to side and forward and backward. Once we were partnered up, we piled into the boat in an organized fashion - starting at the front row and continuing backwards. Everyone grabbed a paddle. 

The races are organized by the Dutch Dragons, a dragon boating organization with boats and volunteers.  Two volunteers helped with each boat - one in the front who beats a drum and calls out orders, and one in the back who steers. Before our first race, they gave us a crash course in technique and teamwork. The most important factor is that everyone paddles in synch. My initial thought was: "Great, that should be no problem for a bunch of canoeists and kayakers!" ... but boy was I wrong. When you have 18 people squished into a small boat, you can barely see past the person in front of you. So you paddle at their pace, but probably not exactly (maybe a bit slower or faster). This effect propagates down the boat, until all different frequencies and rhythms can be found. Another important factor is the start. Someone on shore counts down (something like, "Are you ready?! Set, Go!"), and on "Go!" everyone should make their first stroke. But is your first stroke the moment the paddle goes into the water? Is it the moment you pull the paddle? Or is it the moment the stroke is complete? You all need to have the same understanding and paddle technique. 

We also learned a number of other useful tips like:
  • Count loudly with the drums - it helps you keep time
  • Your water-side hand holds the neck of the paddle
  • Your water-side hand should touch the water on each stroke
  • Don't pull the paddle past your hip - then you're only pulling water up and getting in the way of the person behind you. 
  • Don't stop paddling until the drummer tells you to! I was surprised to see many people in other boats stop paddling and coast towards the finish line. 

With plenty of tips and a bit of practice, we were off. Our first competitors were from Outdoor Valley - the incumbent winners from last year (Never Dry came in second last year)! After a somewhat rocky start, we paddled hard and passed the finish line in 48.44 seconds, coming in  0.51 seconds after Outdoor Valley! 

There was quite a bit of down time between races, so we hung around while the ther 14 teams did their first races. In the second heat we improved our time by 1 second. Actually, we improved our time in all 5 races!
Picture
To answer the click-bait question in the blog title: the key is to have the best drummer lady sitting at the front of your boat, who helps you squeeze in a few extra practice starts before each race. The other key is to improve your technique in every race, always being fast enough to get to the next round. 

The last race was after 17h. Many other racers and viewers had headed home - it was a long, hot, sunny day! But the finale (again!) came down to Rottekano and Outdoor Valley. We gave it our best shot, initially falling a bit behind Outdoor Valley, but shooting forward at the end, making it impossible to tell who had won (even for spectators!). The drummers instructed us to do one last celebratory paddle, which involved hitting the gunnels with our paddle, lifting the paddle in the air, hitting the gunnels, and taking a stroke (and repeat). And yelling!

Back on land we collected our things and waited for the race results. After a ceremonial introduction, both teams were called to the front for the announcement. The verdict: A TIE! TOO CLOSE TO CALL! I think everyone was secretly a little disappointed to not have won-won, but it was a nice friendly ending with lots of high fives and handshakes, and... there's always next year!
​

See below for a medley of photos taken by Marianne, Ivo, and myself. Click to enlarge.
Video of our team  (see left) by Suuz:
Picture
The winning team! Showing off the trophy. A few of us had already left by this point, so the team is not 100% complete, oops. Photo by Suuz.
1 Comment
Tammela link
9/16/2018 10:38:00

Nena, this sounds like so much fun!

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Welcome!

    This is a blog about exploring the outdoors (mostly by kayak), traveling, trip planning, and coastal engineering. It currently focuses on kayaking in the Netherlands and Belgium, but previous posts cover Upstate New York, California, and much more. See the Complete List of Blog Posts for a history of the site. Looking for something specific? Search the site here.

    In addition to the blog, check out the Water Nerd section, where I write about coastal engineering and hydrology. 

    ​Happy Paddling!
    ​Nena

    Subscribe Here!

    Email updates on new blog posts, about once per month.

    Reader Tips

    Click the "Read More" link at the bottom of each summary for more photos, to see an interactive map of the route, and to read about the adventure.

    Maps in each blog post: Click the icons to learn more about the launch site (amenities) and destinations. Click the square in the bottom-left corner to see an aerial photo behind the route.
    Suggestions much appreciated!


    Archives

    December 2020
    April 2019
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    March 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    December 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    May 2011
    November 2010
    October 2010
    September 2010
    August 2010
    July 2010
    June 2010
    May 2010


    Categories

    All
    Biking
    Camping
    Canoeing
    City Trip
    Distance: 00 - 05 Miles
    Distance: 05 - 10 Miles
    Distance: 10 - 15 Miles
    Distance: 15 - 20 Miles
    Distance: > 20 Miles
    Guest Post
    Hiking
    Kayak Polo
    Reflections
    Region: Belgium
    Region: California
    Region: Canary Islands
    Region: Croatia
    Region: France
    Region: Great Lakes
    Region: Greece
    Region: Italy
    Region: Netherlands
    Region: New York
    Region: New Zealand
    Region: Norway
    Region: Oregon
    Region: Portugal
    Region: Spain
    Region: Switzerland
    Region: UK
    Region: US East Coast
    Region: Vancouver
    Region: Washington
    Roadtrip
    Tide: Non-Tidal
    Tides: Non-Tidal
    Tides: Tidal
    Time Capsules
    Trip Planning 101
    Type: Bay
    Type: Canal
    Type: Channel
    Type: Fjord
    Type: Lake
    Type: Lake/Reservoir
    Type: Open Coast
    Type: River
    Water Nerd

    RSS Feed

    Click the RSS Feed link, copy the URL, and paste it into your favorite feed reader.
    Blog Expat: living abroad

    Expats Blog
© 2021 The Naked Kayaker. All rights Reserved.