Rhode Island Chinese Dragon Boat Race Rules
RACE PROGRAM BEGINS AT 8:30 a.m. & RUNS UNTIL 5 p.m.
LENGTH OF RACE IS 1000 Ft
RACE ENTRY & RACE INSTRUCTIONS
1.
CONDITIONS OF RACE ENTRY
-
Abide by the instructions of
the race officials.
-
Sign a waiver prior to the
race regarding any claims against the Rhode
Island Dragon Boat Races and 22Dragons.
-
Use only the equipment
provided by the Race Committee, including boats,
paddles, drums and life jackets.
-
Wear the personal floatation
device supplied by the Race Committee.
2. TEAM
COMPOSITION
-
Each team shall consist of a
maximum of 23 members and a minimum of 19
members.
-
Each team must have a
-
drummer
-
flag catcher
-
steersperson
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Each team must have a
minimum of 16 paddlers and a maximum of 20
paddlers.
-
All teams are allowed 4
alternate paddlers. Alternate paddlers may be
rotated into the race.
-
If members of any team are
absent on race day, the team captain may fill
the vacancies with alternate or substitute
paddlers, including paddlers from other teams,
as long as a waiver of liability is on file.
However, no team may race with more than 4
alternate or substitute paddlers. This
substitution rule also applies to clubs with
multiple crews at the races.
3.
PRE-RACE INSTRUCTIONS
-
A schedule of events with
the starting times for all of the preliminary
heats will be distributed to each team captain.
-
Team Captains should report
to race officials at the check in booth by 7:30
a.m. on race day, August 28, 2010. A brief
captain's meeting will be held at 7:30 a.m. the
day of the race.
-
Times for semi-final and
final heats will be announced as soon as race
officials determine them.
-
Shirts will be provided but
are not required to be worn.
-
Team captains shall insure
that all participants are wearing a personal
floatation device supplied by the Race
Committee.
-
Team captains shall give
race officials (at team registration) an active
cell phone number so that the Race Dispatcher
can effectively summon each team to the
launching area.
4. RACE
INSTRUCTIONS
-
Race officials will call
teams to report for their heats 20 minutes
before the start of the race. Failure to report
in a timely manner may result in
disqualification and that team will be given
last place in their heat.
-
Steerspersons should get
their crews onboard and move their boat into a
starting position as quickly as possible.
-
Boats are to travel to the
starting line in the transit lane, the lane
closest to the Pawtucket Pier. Crossing onto the
active race course is considered interference,
resulting in the interfering boat being
disqualified
-
Steerspersons shall hold
their boats in position and wait for the
starter's instructions. "Hold water" means that
paddlers in the water stop the boat from
drifting forward in the water. "Back water"
means that paddlers should put their paddles in
the water to move the boat backwards.
-
When the starter is
satisfied that all boats are properly aligned,
he/she shall say "Paddles ready", followed by
“attention please”, followed by the air horn.
-
Any boat that crosses the
start line prior to the sound of the air horn
will be disqualified for a false start and
assigned last. No heat will be restarted for a
false start.
5.
PROGRESSION AND RULES.
-
All teams will race in two
qualifying heats and one final.
-
All race progression will be
based on time.
-
Each team will receive two
times (one for each heat). The slower of the two
times will be dropped, and the faster of the two
times will be used to seed the teams into their
final.
-
The three fastest teams will
race in the ‘A’ final; the next three fastest
teams will race in the ‘B’ final and so on. All
teams will race in a final. The slowest seeded
final will be the first race of the afternoon;
the fastest seeded final (the ‘A’ final) will be
the last race of the day.
-
Each team will be assigned
their own lane (lanes 1,2,3).
-
Teams are required to race
the entire race in their lane.
-
Teams must attempt to race
the entire race in the center of their lane.
-
The race referee will follow
the race from behind and will verbally advise
steerspeople if they are require to move left or
right.
-
The referee may ask a team
to stop paddling if a boat is, or is, about to
impede the progress of another team.
-
Teams that leave their
assigned lane at any moment during the race will
be given a three (3) second penalty.
-
Teams that ignore the
referee’s instructions to move to any side of
their lane will be given a five (3) second
penalty even if the team does not leave their
assigned lane.
-
The referee may stop any
crew during a race.
-
If a team ignores a
referee’s call to stop during a race that team
will be disqualified for the remainder of the
event.
6. FLAG
CATCHING RULES.
-
Each lane will have a flag
installed near the center of their lane at
approximately 15 meters from the finish line.
-
Each team is required to
have one person designated as the flag catcher.
-
The flag catcher is
identified as the person closest to the bow of
the boat.
-
Each team can only have one
flag catcher on their boat.
-
Only the flag catcher is
allowed to attempt to catch the flag.
-
Other members of a crew are
not allowed to assist the flag catcher in any
way in their attempts to catch the flag.
-
If any other person other
than the flag catcher assists in catching the
flag or catches the flag the flag will be deemed
NOT CAUGHT.
-
If the flag catcher
successfully catches the flag and keeps
possession of the flag until the head of the
dragon crosses the finish line the flag will be
deemed CAUGHT.
-
If a flag catcher
successfully catches the flag but loses
possession before his/her team’s dragonhead
crosses the finish line the flag will be deemed
NOT CAUGHT.
-
If a flag catcher does miss
the flag the flag will be deemed NOT CAUGHT.
-
A team’s time will be
calculated from the moment the race is started
with the sound of an air horn until the head of
the dragon crosses the finish line.
-
Teams that successfully
catch and maintain possession of the flag will
be given their time with no penalty.
-
Teams that are deemed to
have NOT CAUGHT the flag will be given a three
(3) second penalty.
7. RACE
CONDUCT
-
All team members must remain
in the boat from start to finish.
-
If any member falls
overboard during the race, the boat must stop
and pick them up. Failure to pick up a team
member will result in disqualification and last
place in the heat.
-
If race officials determine
that any team has deliberately swamped or
capsized another boat, that team will be
disqualified, get last place in the heat and may
be refused further participation in the races.
-
At the conclusion of each
heat, the head judge will determine the official
order of finish.
-
After crossing the finish
line, team members shall remain in their boats
and return to the dock immediately.
-
In the event of a collision,
the following course official may stop the race,
disqualify the offending team, and restart the
race with the remaining teams.
8.
SAFETY
-
If a paddler breaks or drops
his/her paddle, he/she should not attempt to
retrieve it, as each boat will carry two spare
paddles.
-
If a boat swamps, team
members should stay with the boat until the
water safety officials arrive.
-
If a boat becomes unusable
throughout the course of the day, race officials
will reconfigure heats accordingly.
-
If a steerspersons’ steering
oar breaks before the breakage buoy, he/she
should raise his/hand and the race will be
restarted with a new oar.
9.
PROTESTS
-
Only the team captain may
file a protest.
-
Protests must be filed with
the Protest Committee* within 10 minutes after
the completion of the disputed race. The Protest
Committee shall consist of the chief official,
referee and starter. Their decisions are final.
-
The protest must be in
writing and secured by a $25 cash bond. If the
protest is upheld, the bond is returned. If the
protest is denied, the bond goes to the support
of the regatta.
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