About dragon boat racing

the boat

A dragon boat (also spelled dragonboat) is a very long and narrow canoe-style human-powered boat. It is now used in the team paddling sport of dragon boat racing, which originated in China over 2,000 years ago.

The standard crew complement of a contemporary dragon boat is 22, comprising:

  • 20 paddlers, in pairs, facing toward the bow of the boat

  • 1 drummer or caller, at the bow, facing toward the paddlers

  • 1 sweep or tiller (helm), at the rear of the boat

the paddlers

The paddlers sit facing forwards, unlike aft-facing seated rowers. They use a specific type of paddle which, unlike a rowing oar or sculling oar, is not rigged to the racing watercraft in any way. Therefore, dragon boaters are paddlers, not rowers or oarsmen/women.

They paddle in a general canoe style. Canoes, dragon boats, proas and rafts are all distinct types of paddle craft that are paddled similarly, though variations exist due to the size and seating position in the boat.

Note that the sweep is not a helmsman or "coxswain" — these are British-based naval and competitive rowing terms (coxswain is also a Canadian War Canoe racing term) for the person in charge of the boat. In dragon boating, the drummer and the sweep may both take charge; however, if there is only a sweep and no drummer, the sweep generally takes charge.

The sweep & cox

The sweep, also known as the steersman, controls the dragon boat with a sweep oar rigged at the rear of the boat, generally on the side and off centre. This oar is used both for ruddering and for sweeping the stern sideways. The sweep must constantly be aware of the boat's surroundings.

The sweep is the only person in the boat able to see the boat's path looking forward, since the drummer is seated facing backward, or aft. Because of this, the sweep has the obligation to override the caller at any time during the race, or the coach during practice, if the safety of the crew is threatened in any way — such as an impending collision with another boat, or a fixed or floating obstruction in the water.

The drummer, or cox, may be considered the "heartbeat" of the dragon boat, and leads the crew throughout a race with the rhythmic beating of a drum. This indicates the timing and frequency of paddling strokes — the cadence, picking up the pace, slowing the rate, and so on. Good callers should be able to synchronise the drumming cadence with the strokes of the leading pair of paddlers, rather than the other way around.