Rules

Race Rules & Regulations

In case of any difference in interpretation between the English and Chinese versions of the Rules, the English version shall take
precedence.

1. General

1.1 All races will be governed by the following:

1.1.1 Lamma International Dragon Boat Festival Rules and Regulations.

1.1.2 Lamma International Dragon Boat Festival Notice of Race.

1.1.3 Any amendment issue by Lamma Racing Committee on the race day.

1.2 Any team or crew that fails to observe the Rules and Regulations herein or has received two warnings from the racing committee may be disqualified.

1.3 The entry fee paid is non-refundable should the crew decide to withdraw from the races or should the races be cancelled for reasons beyond the Organiser’s control.

1.4 The Organiser reserves the right to refuse the entry of any crew in the races at its sole discretion.

2. Safety

2.1 Each competitor must be able to swim at least 100 metres wearing light clothing. It is the responsibility of the person entering a crew to make sure that all members of the crew comply with this rule.

2.2 Each competitor is solely responsible for his or her own safety during official practice sessions and during races and no responsibility will be accepted by the Organiser or any other individual or organisation connected directly or indirectly with the races for any death, injury, damage or loss incurred or borne by competitors or members of a crew.

2.3 Personal flotation equipment may be worn by competitors but this does not relieve the competitor and the person entering the crew from complying with Rule 2.1.

2.4 The drummer should be positioned on the drummer’s seat only.

3. The Crew and Crew Composition

3.1 Each boat may carry up to 20 paddlers or not less than 16 paddlers. Each boat must carry one drummer and one steersman.

3.2 There is no limit on the number of reserves, but a full list of team members should be submitted after entry. The team manager must also prepare a full team list (including all spare athletes and team officials) on race day to be submitted to the Race Control Panel if requested.

3.3 A mixed crew shall race with at least 10 female paddlers, up to a maximum of 12.

3.4 Each crew must have a Team Captain, who must be present in the Crew Assembly Area during the time that the crew is under the control of the Race Officials. The Team Captain will be responsible for liaising with Race Officials.

3.5 Each crew is entirely responsible for its own conduct and for complying with the race rules.

3.6 Every member of each crew must wear a uniform, distinctive singlet or shirt while under the control of Race Officials.

3.7 Persons for whom a Lamma Festival waiver form has not been
submitted will not be permitted to race.

3.8 A crew may have a drummer and/or steersman who is/are not employee(s) of the company team, or members of the organisation. Each steersman or drummer may race for more than one team but only “of the same organization”. However, prior approval by the organizer is necessary.

3.9 The Judge Panel may, in case of unfavourable weather and sea conditions, announce it mandatory to lower the number of rowers on each boat.

4. Marshalling, Embarking and Proceeding to the Start

4.1 A crew must report to the crew assembly area no less than 20
minutes before the time of its race and be ready to boat no less than ten minutes before the time of its race.

4.2 A crew must follow the directions of the Race Officials from the time it is called to the Crew Assembly Area, until it leaves the Crew Assembly Area after its race.

4.3 A crew must embark the boat in accordance with the instruction of the Crew Marshals.

4.4 A crew is not permitted to choose which boat to use and must use the boat allocated to it by the Organiser.

4.5 Each boat will carry a number indicating the lane in which it is to race. A crew must race in the lane allocated to its boat.

4.6 After a crew has embarked, it must immediately leave the beach and proceed to the starting area.

4.7 A crew proceeding to the starting area must keep clear of the course and must not interfere with any race which is in progress. Boats proceeding to the starting area must keep to the far left to the race course on heading out to the start point.

5. Starting Procedure for 500m races

5.1 A crew in the starting area must obey the instructions of the Starter, Umpires and Course Umpires.

5.2 A crew must take up its correct position at the starting area in the lane allocated to it. Paddles can be held in or out of the water, at the crew’s choice.

5.3 A numbered buoy will be moored in each lane behind the starting line. The steersman is required to hold the end of the rope from the buoy. The drummer, likewise, is required to hold the rope located at the top of the start line. When the starting signal is given, the steersman and the drummer will release the rope. If there is no rope, boats will line up according to the starter’s directions and proceed on his orders.

5.4

A white flag is raised to signal that the race will begin in 2 minutes. Boats are expected to line up and be ready to go.
A red flag will be raised when boats are in alignment. The red flag shows that the start of the race is imminent.
The race starter will call “Ready”, then, to start the race, the starter will drop the red flag and sound an air-horn. Teams “go” when the red flag drops. (Note: starter will not call “attention” in addition to “ready” call).

5.5 Special Notes:

a. Teams will be warned to stay back (not exceed) the start line. Teams will be given two warnings only to stay back from the start line. If they continue to exceed the start line, they will not be warned a third time, but will be disqualified from the race.

b. Teams that are deemed to have “jumped” the start will have ONE warning. In the event that they “jump the start” a second time, a disqualification will be applied to that team, regardless of whether the second “jump” occurs in the same heat, or in any subsequent race. To reiterate: once a team has been issued its first warning for “jumping”, any second offence of this nature, at any point in the day, will result in disqualification for that race.

6. Race Conduct

6.1 The proper course for each boat is a straight line from its starting position to a correspoding point on the finish line. Each boat must remain in its allocated lane and must not interfere with other boats.

6.2 From the moment the crew line up and get ready for a start until they cross the finish line, the steersman must keep the blade of the steering rudder in the water.

6.3 All paddlers and the drummer shall sit and remain in their designated seats throughout the race and the drummer should hold drumstick(s) in hand and actively drum during the race.

6.4 Boats should not pass outside the buoys marking the edge of the course.

6.5 In the event of a boat failing to keep to its proper course and thereby interfering with the course of another boat which is on its proper course, or in the event of a collision between two or more boats, the Race Controller may, after consultation with the Umpire, disqualify the offending boat or boats. The rest of the boats will re-row the races, according to the following arrangement:

6.5.1 If the interference happened after the starting signal and before the race is half-finished, all boats will re-row the race. The offending boats may be disqualified from the re-row, depending on the Race Controller and Umpire’s decision.

6.5.2 If the interference happened after the race course is half-
completed by at least two boats; and if the boats’ finishing position is affected, only the boats affected by the interference will re-row the race depending on the Race Controller and Umpire’s decision. If, in the
opinions of the Race Controller and Umpire, interference does not affect the position of the boats, results will stand.

6.6 When, in the opinion of an Umpire or the Race Controller, a boat has been swamped or capsized deliberately by the crew, the Organiser reserves the right to refuse such crew’s entry in future races and impose a penalty of HK$1,000 on the organisation entering the crew.

6.7 When, in the opinion of the Race Controller, the Umpire or any Crew Marshal, a boat is damaged deliberately by the crew, the Organiser
reserves the right to impose a penalty of HK$5,000 on the organisation entering the crew. The Organiser also reserves the right to demand such organisation to pay for the total cost of repair to the damaged boat.

7. Finishes

7.1 The finishing Line is defined by two designated marks at the starboard-end and the port-end finishing line of the race course. Any buoys set between are for defining the race course only and cannot be regarded as the finish line.

7.2 Boats finish the race when the front-most part of the boat passes through the finishing line.

7.3 The finishing order of a race and the time taken by each boat will be determined by the Finishing Judges whose decision shall be final.

7.4 Each boat must immediately stop paddling and slow down after the bow of the boat has crossed the finishing line. If a boat is damaged, or an accident is caused, as a result of any team failing to slow down after crossing the finishing line, the team will be disqualified.

7.5 Each crew must return immediately to the Crew Assembly Area and disembark after the race. Teams must not run their boats onto the beach. Any crew that runs its boat onto the beach may be subject to a $1,000 fine. The Organiser reserves the right to demand any organization to pay for the total cost of repairs should any boat be damaged as a result of running it onto the beach.

7.6 The number of crew in a boat passing the Finish Line must be the same as the number of crew that embarked on the boat in the same race. Any mismatch will mean the team is disqualified.

7.7 A boat that capsizes while racing will be considered as unable to complete the race and will be disqualified. No re-race will be arranged.

8. Protests

8.1 Eligibility of Protest

Protests against finishing results and race equipment will not be accepted.

8.2 Protest Evidence Not Acceptable

Photographic evidence of any form about an alleged breach of a rule given by competitors will not be accepted.

8.3 Lodging a Protest

Any protest shall be lodged by the team captain or team leader with the Race Officer on duty at the Race Control within fifteen (15) minutes of the end of the relevant race. Only the captain of the protesting team may make the protest to race officials. The Race Officer may invite the steersman of the protesting team to discuss the problem, at the Race Officer’s own discretion only. No person other than the team captain is allowed to lodge a protest.

8.4 Protest Hearing

If the Race Committee accepts a protest and decides that a hearing is required, it will immediately notify any other party involved and open the protest hearing to discuss the protest. The result will be announced within 30 minutes of the conclusion of the hearing. The protest decision issued by the protest committee will be the final result.

9. Equipment/Accessories

9.1 All boats and paddles used by competitors shall be provided by the Organiser. The allocation of boats and paddles to individual crews shall be at the sole discretion of the Organiser. Paddlers are welcome to use their own paddles as long as they are IDBF approved and bear the IDBF sticker as evidence on the paddle . The Organiser will not be
responsible for any failure of equipment during a race and each crew is advised to carefully check the boat and paddles allocated to it before racing.

9.2 No modifications or additions to the boat or the equipment within the boat may be made or carried out by any competitors or crews. In
particular:

(a) Any pad or device for the rower to sit on should be of flexible
material to the extent that it should be able to be folded over double and should not be thicker than two inches uncompressed.

(b) No equipment for removing water from the boat is permitted except plastic hand-held bailers with which the water is picked up and scooped out of the boat by a crew member. No pumps of any kind are permitted.

10 Race Conduct

10.1 Conduct of Crews and Teams

Crews must follow the directions of the Race Officials at all times during the race. All Team Leaders shall monitor the behaviour of their team members to observe this rule.

10.2 Conduct of Crews

Any Dragon Boat Crew or competitor who attempts to win a race by other than honourable means, or who deliberately breaks the Racing Rules, or who disregards the honourable nature of the rules shall face disqualification from the race.

10.3 Abusive Language

A Dragon Boat Crew shall not use abusive language towards any Race Officials. Any proven case may result in a warning or disqualification from a race.

10.4 Race Control Area

Crews and competitors must not enter the Race Control Area without permission.

10.5 Attitude of Race Officials

The Racing Committee will also constantly remind all Race Officials to remain sincere, fair and cooperative towards all Crews and Competitors.

NOTE: The Official Festival Committee reserves the right to amend the Rules at any time if it considers such action to be in the best interests of the competition.

500-METRE TOURNAMENT

Explanation of 500-Metre Tournament Race Progression

Heats 1 & 2

Heat 1: Lane allocation and order of crews was determined by applying a random number sequence generator to the remaining teams. Those numbers were then broken down again to randomly assign crews to their individual heats. For more information on random number generator sequences, go to https://www.random.org/sequences/

Heat 2:

Each crew’s finishing place in Heat 1 will determine their race number and lane for Heat 2. For information on lane allocation and progression, please see race progression chart for details on how it works.
Points will be awarded for race placement in Heats 1 and 2 as follows: 1st place will be awarded 7 points, 2nd = 5 points, 3rd = 4 points, 4th = 3 points, 5th = 2 points and 6th place (Open Men only) = 1 point.
Crews will be ranked in order of points tallied from their results in Heats 1 and 2:
- WOMEN’S
- Top 6 ranked crews will go directly to the Women’s Cup final;
- MEN’S
- Top 6 ranked crews will go directly to the Open Men’s Cup final;
- MIXED
- Top 6 ranked crews will go directly to the Mixed Premier Cup final;
- Crews ranked 7th to 12th will go directly to the Mixed Premier Plate final;
- Crews ranked 13th to 18th will go to Mixed Premier Bowl final;

If teams are tied for points:
- Points in the second heat will be given greater weight;
- If there is still a tie: time from the second race will determine crews’ ranking.

500-Metre Race Youth U18 Procedure

SPECIAL RULES YOU NEED TO KNOW PERTAINING TO YOUTH (U18 RACE CATEGORY):

The same 500-Metre Race Rules apply to the U18 Category as the Adult Category, except that:

U18 Category includes 12-17 year-old paddlers only;
On the U18 boats, the Drummer and the Helm must be over the age of 18;
Lifejackets are to be worn for all U18 paddlers. We highly recommend teams bring their own vest for comfort and best fit. Please let the organizers know if this is not a possibility for your team; and
All youth (U18) must be able to swim 100m unaided.

A) The Starting Sequence:

A white flag is raised to signal that the race will begin within 2 minutes time. Boats are expected to line up and be ready to go.
A red flag will be raised when boats are in alignment. The red flag shows that the start of the race is imminent.
The race starter will call “Ready”, and then, to start the race, the starter will drop the red flag and sound an air horn. Teams “go” when the red flag drops. (Note: starter will not call “attention” in addition to “ready” call).
The starter will blow the air-horn two times if a race start is deemed unfair, and signal for a restart.

Special Notes:

c. Paddles can be held in or out of the water, at the crew’s choice.

1,000-METRE TOURNAMENT

Race Rules and Procedure

The 1,000m race is optional for all teams with a prize CUP AWARDED to First, Second and Third place in the Open Men’s, Women’s and Mixed Premier categories.

Boats will be lined up in order of their numbers. Crews will be directed to their race boats by the Marshals, and Boat Handlers will hold the boats at the beach until the starter calls them forward.

Crews will paddle around the exterior of the racecourse (counter-clockwise) for a distance of 1,000 metres.

Boats will start the race two- to three (2-3) metres to the right-hand side of Lane 1 and proceed up the course (to the right of Lane 1) to the flag that marks the turning position near the top of the lane;
Boats will turn left at the marker near the top of Lane 1 and paddle outside the two large marker buoys positioned between lanes 1 and 7 of the course;
Boats will then make their second, and final, left-hand after the second large buoy and to race towards the beach. Note: after the second large buoy turn, teams may race in inside our outside Lane 7; their only limitation is to leave reasonable clear water between boats (subject to judge’s decision).

It is up to the Team Captain to be advised of this starting procedure and to check if the steersperson understands the turning process. If there are any questions, they should be put to the Chief Official, Paul Davis, at least one hour in advance of the race start.

In Details: Rules/Procedures

A) General information

The Racing Course: The Racing Course is circulatory, with two straight sections and two turns in one circuit of the Course (see Map).
Racing shall take place in an anti-clockwise direction. Crews are not permitted to race on the inside of the buoys marking the left hand edge of the Racing Lane.
A Crews position in a Line of Racing: Crews must steer a straight course down the Line of Racing during the whole of the race, except when overtaking.
Distance from turning buoys on over-take: The Steerer/Helm, when not overtaking another boat, is responsible for maintaining a distance of two- to three (2-3) metres from the buoys on the boat’s left (port) side, to allow crews who may be overtaking on the port side to have as much clear water as possible.
Clear Water rules. Crews taking other Lines of Racing to overtake must observe a ‘clear water’ rule between boats. If a crew does not keep at least 1-metre of clear water between boats, and in so doing, causes any other boat(s) to steer an unreasonably wide course to maintain their Line of Racing or avoid a collision, then a Time Penalty of 5-10 seconds may be awarded by the Chief Official. When a crew that is being overtaken alters its course and makes difficulties for the overtaking boat, the Chief Official may award the same Time Penalties.

B) Starting procedures & formats:

Boats shall be started at intervals, that is, a ‘staggered’ start. The starter shall call each boat forward, and count them down to their start. The first crew should be positioned on the ‘right of the line’ looking up the course and 2-3-metres to the right of the lane marker.

B1. Interval counting procedure:

All boats will line up as per the Marshals instructions, one following another;
Boats shall paddle to the start line on the Marshal’s instructions and in the order of their boat numbers. Failure to comply with Marshals directions may result in a time penalty, applied at the discretion of the Chief Official;
The Starter will call Boat 1 to the start line. At the starter’s call, the boat will come forward and the starter will count down from 10 seconds (or 15 seconds if conditions are rough); the boat must cross the start line within those 10 seconds;
The starter will call Boat 2 to the start line immediately after Boat Number 1 has crossed the line, and the count down will start again. The starter will count down from 10 (or 15 seconds if conditions are rough) seconds immediately following the previous boat’s start.
This process will be repeated for all the remaining race boats.

B2. Clarification of starting position & early starts:

On the Start command, the first crew shall begin. Crews may cross the start line before the starter completes his countdown, without penalty. A crews’ time will begin when they cross the line.

B3. Late at the start:

Failure to be at the Start Line on time will not prevent the Starter from starting the next crew in the line. If it takes more than the 10-count of the starter to cross the line, the extra time will be added to the crew’s overall time around the course, ie: time will be taken from the end of the 10-second count. (Exceptions may be considered at the Umpire or Chief Official’s discretion.

Note: The time interval between each crew starting shall be determined by the prevailing water and weather conditions

C) Overtaking:

Overtaking can be carried out to the left of the boat being overtaken, except when the width of the Racing Lane allows crews to overtake in clear water to the right of the boat (see rule C1 below). A boat is judged to be in the process of overtaking when the Head of the overtaking boat is level with or has passed the Steerer/Helm in the boat being overtaken.

Overtaking on the right (starboard side) is restricted to the first 300 metres (prior to first turn) or last 400 metres (after second turn) of a race.
When approaching a Turn, overtaking is only permitted on the left (portside) of the boat being overtaken. The crew being overtaken must give way and allow ‘clear water’ to the overtaking crew.
A crew overtaking on the right (outside) of another boat must hold their station (maintain course) and keep ‘clear water’, with the boat they are overtaking until the approaching turn has been negotiated, after which time they can complete the overtaking manoeuvre.
A boat about to be overtaken must not alter its Line of Racing once the Head of the overtaking boat is level with or has passed the Steerer/Helm in the boat being overtaken.
When overtaking or being overtaken, Steerers must maintain a minimum of 1-metre of clear water between the paddles of their own boat and other boats in the race.
If, in the opinion of the Chief Official, any racing manoeuvre by an overtaking crew, or a lack of clear water between boats, has endangered the safety of another crew, or materially affected the result of the race, the offending crew shall be disqualified from the race.
A crews race time that has been adversely affected by the actions of another crew, that is, when a course Umpire or Chief Official has confirmed that time has been lost through an obstruction or impediment of the crew concerned, a Time Deduction Bonus, of up to 20 seconds, may be awarded.

D) Turning:

Steerers are to ensure that Turning Point buoys are kept on the left side of the boat. That is: the boat must pass to the right of all the buoys and not inside any Turning Buoy.

A crew will not be disqualified for touching a Turn Buoy, or for having less than two- to three (2-3) metres of clear water between the boat and the buoy, unless in the opinion of a Course Umpire or Chief Official, a material advantage has been gained or the safety of any crew undertaking the turn, at the same time, has been compromised.
When more than one crew is making a turn, at the same Turning Point, then a crew on the outside line must leave room for a crew on an inside line to follow the line of the turning point buoys in safety. That is: clear water between the paddles in adjacent boats, must be maintained around the turns.
Similarly a crew on an inside line must not make difficulties for a crew holding station on an outside line by, for example, steering wide around the Turning Point. If in the opinion of the Chief Official a crew has not attempted to steer in a safe manner around a turn, then Time Penalties may be awarded against the offending crew(s).
Last 400m. When a crew has completed its final turn and is in the last 400m straight of the race, it may overtake on either side of another boat, provided that clear water is given to any other boat on the Racing Course. The crew has finished the race when the foremost part of the boat (dragon head) crosses the line. Boats can finish in any

E) Impeding & Collisions:

If during the course of the race a boat impedes or collides with another boat the Chief Official shall apportion blame. If the Chief Official decides that a boat has impeded the forward motion of another boat, or that the crew in the impeded boat had, by necessity, to stop paddling; then a Time Penalty of up to thirty (30) seconds may be awarded to the impeding crew. A Time Bonus may also be awarded to the impeded boat. If a collision occurs between two boats, the Chief Official may choose to allow the boat that is not at fault to race again in a later heat. The boat responsible for the collision will not re-race.

F) Course Umpires:

To assist the Chief Official in implementing these rules and other Rules of Racing in general, Course Umpires will be positioned on the Racing Course to afford full observation and supervision of the crews in the race. A boat will be stationed inside each Turning Point to observe the crews negotiating the Turn Buoys.

G) Crew Times, Placings and the Race Winners:

As a staggered start is used, the Start Times (based on intervals, not when the boats pass the start line marker) will be compared against the Finish Times recorded for crews. The resulting Time Differential will be used to calculate a crew’s actual Race Time. Any race Time Penalties incurred by a crew will then be added to give a crew its Gross Race Time.

NO PROTESTS WILL BE ALLOWED FOR THIS RACE; ALL DECISIONS OF THE CHIEF OFFICIAL ARE FINAL.