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Steerperson
Training Manual - On-Line
Introduction
to Dragon Boating
Dragon Boat
Characteristics
- traditional Hong Kong style
designed to accommodate North American athletes
100% Mahogany, with
fully enclosed stainless steel hardware and
fittings, and epoxy sealed
44 feet long (13.4
metres)
heads and tails havee a
flotation core
1500 lbs. (680 kg)
owned by Facility
Marketing Group Inc.
Steering
Pivot Point
this is the point in
the forward half of the hull around which the
Dragon Boat will pivot when turned into a new
heading
the dragon's tail must
be swung out from the arc of a curve, in
order to pivot the boat into the new heading
this is not a fixed
point on the hull, but varies with the speed
and displacement of the boat
it may be anywhere from
2 to 10 feet astern of the drum
the best description is
like a car that steers with the rear wheels,
but the position of the front wheel changes
with the speed
because the Dragon Boat
steers from the rear, and the pivot point is
not at the very front of the boat, the
Dragon's head will overhang the pivot point
therefore when the
Dragon boat is being steered around the arc
of a curve the pivot point should be your
reference on which to line up the Dragon
Boat, not the Dragon's head.
Stationary pivot
point
in a paddling turn
this may be almost at the centre of the
boat
Slow speed pivot point
6 to 8 feet astern of
the drum
Racing speed pivot point
almost at the front of the
paddlers
Steering Arm Offset
the forks of the
steering arm are offset approximately 18
inches to the left (port) side of the
centerline of the Dragon Boat
Left turn advantage
the handle of the
steering paddle is pulled in to the
centre of the Dragon Boat
body posture
(especially when seated) footholds, and
muscle grouping provide stronger left
turns because it is easier to pull the
handle of the steering paddle in to the
centre of the Dragon Boat
in addition the
steering arm offset allows the steering
paddle blade to achieve a greater angle
away from the centre line of the boat,
allowing for sharper left turns
Right Turn disadvantage
the handle of the
steering paddle must be pushed out beyond
the side of the Dragon Boat
body posture, lack
of footholds and muscle grouping do not
allow strong right turns, because it is
harder to push the handle of the steering
paddle out beyond its already offset
position
the steering arm
offset limits the angle the steering
paddle blade can be positioned away from
the center line of the boat, making right
hand turns less sharp
-
Steering Roll
depending on
displacement, the steering arm may have a
vertical offset of approx. 8 to 10 inches
above the surface of the water
in a hard turn, the
may produce steering roll, where the
Dragon boat leans over to the outside of
the turn
a little unsettling
the first time you experience it, but
almost impossible to capsize a Dragon
Boat with only a steering roll
Type of Turns
Paddling turn
the steerperson
"side paddles" the stern of the
Dragon Boat around to point in a new
direction
recommended while
stationary or at slow speed
not recommended for
fast speeds, except perhaps for an emergency
right hand turn
Bow Lead Turn
this is the regular way
of turning where you steer into your intended
course
follow the pivot point
Stern Swing Turn
an emergency maneuver,
used to swing the rear of the Dragon Boat
away from something
in doing so, the boat
will cross in front of whatever you were
avoiding, so weigh the consequences
Opposed Paddling
- works well in a 14 foot
cedar strip canoe or a rowboat, but not in a
Dragon Boat
Reverse Steering
keep the steering
paddle shallow
when the horizontal
angle of the paddle gets too large, lift the
blade out to reposition it to the centre line
Oversteering
"10 Degree
Window"
optimum steering window
for comfort, control and efficiency
turns outside of this
window angle eat up speed
Power Oversteer
occurs at speed, when
the curved shape of the hull actually spirals
the Dragon Boat into an ever- tightening turn
when starting a turn at
speed, only initiate the turn to get the boat
outside the 10 degree window
let the steering paddle
trail into the turn, and start straightening
out before the desired direction has been
reached
Leverage
on a straight run in
the 10 degree window, the steering paddle can
comfortably trail out behind the Dragon Boat,
with the handle "short" and
"down"
however the proper use
of the leverage cannot be overstressed,
especially when a Dragon Boat must be quickly
handled during a race to keep it on course,
avoid collision or return to the course
to maximize your
steering power, be prepared to get the handle
"long" and "up"
Steerperson Position
Sitting
advantages
lower centre of
gravity, better reach, better leverage
for power turns reasonably comfortable on
long practices
disadvantages
harder to see ahead
of the boat, front paddlers may not hear
commands
Kneeling
Advantages
Good compromise for
centre of gravity, reach and leverage
disadvantage
uncomfortable for
long practices
Standing
advantages
good vision, all
crew can hear commands
disadvantage
high centre of
gravity, minimal reach and leverage,
minimal ability to change paddle angle,
possibility of slipping the steering fork
knot off, or binding the paddle in the
forks
Creature
comforts
seat or knee pad
gloves
dress warmly -
"woolies"
Loading
A Even Keel
balancing the weight
left and right in the boat
match hip size to seat
width
B Level Keel
balancing the weight
bow and stern in the boat
ideally, the resting
Dragon Boat should be slightly "down at
the bow"
at speed, the bow will
lift slightly while planing to assume a level
keel
too far "down at
the bow" takes on water clings to turns,
more likely to oversteer
too far "down at
stern" sluggish performance tends to
wander
Boarding and
Disembarking
unless you have a heavy
crew, the Dragon Boats are reasonable stable
while stationary at dock
try to establish some
order so crew board and disembark a few at
time, while the rest stay seated
remind paddlers to
never lean on paddles with the blade down
make sure all team
members have passed waivers to team manager
Pulling Away
A Pushing off from the Dock
if the crew is asked to
push off sideways from the dock, emphasize
that they do so gently, so the Dragon Boat
doesn't tip over
if the paddle must be
used, please turn them around and use the
handles, so the blades don't get split
B Backing Out from
the Dock
watch out behind for
cross traffic behind, and make sure the crew
backs out on your command
remember not to get the
steering paddle hung up on the bottom, or
jammed sideways - keep the blade shallow, and
lift the blade out to reposition
Uniform Crew Commands
A Consistency
use the same wording
all the time
B "Do"
Commands
call out what you want
done, as a positive command
don't confuse things by
telling the crew what not to do
crew should continue to
carry out your command until they are told to
stop, or do something different
C Clarity
- suggested commands
‘stop boat’
'paddles out'
'full stop'
'right side pull in'
'left side backwards'
'right side paddles out'
' both side 4 strokes
backwards'
'paddles ready'
‘ the boat’ -
this command is used to extend the paddles blades
flat onto the water to create an
"outrigging" effect against the waves
or wakes
make a point of
practicing some of these maneuvers out on the
water, to familiarize yourself and your crew
Responsibilities of the
Steerperson
ensures foremost the
safety of the crew and the boat
when the crew is
concentrating on paddling, the Steerperson is
the "eyes" and 'judgement' of the
boat and crew
mutual trust that the
crew will keep paddling until the steerperson
calls a change - in exchange the steerperson
will not put the crew or boat in a risk
situation
Racing Starts
*Starter will not wait for you to
line up. Once the majority of boats are ready the race
will start.
A Starting Sequence
Starting
Gates
line up in your
starting gate
come to a full stop
before the starting line
"feel" the
drift - watch the buoys to confirm which way
the wind is pushing you
Positioning
'pull in' laterally to
the wind on the wind side
'forwards' or
'backwards' to the wind on the lee side
numerical command may
be useful, i.e. 'right side pulling 5
strokes, left side back 3 strokes'
steerperson corrects
the direction of the Dragon Boat with
paddling turns
Tether
Line Starts
retrieve or wait for
assistance in getting the tether line
have the front 2
paddlers pull the boat, and let the tether
line out until the nose of the dragon is on
the starting line - your drummer can relay
your boat's position and assist in
positioning
depending on how the
wind may be blowing, maintain your position
in the gate
Paddles
Ready
crew should
automatically assume the 'paddles ready'
position between positioning commands
all crew should be
aware of the starting sequence of : Attention
please … BANG!
This time interval may
be short- make sure the crew is prepared
Any crew who paddle in
this time interval could get their team
disqualified
The steerperson cannot
drop the tether line until the starting gun
has gone off - make sure the line does not
catch on some part of the Dragon Boat
False Starts or
Disqualification's
be aware of the signal
for the entire heat, or an individual team
remember your lane
number for the particular race you are in
if an entire heat is
called for a false start, watch out for
turners - be prepared for a full stop
Docking
Open water practicing
pick some floating
leaves or branches to "dock"
beside, or try positioning the Dragon Bot
near some overhanging branches
Suggested docking methods
Parallel full stop,
pull in
Bow in, full stop,
stern swing in
Docking on Race Days
the Dragon Boats will
have the heads and tail on
this will add
approximately 5 feet to the length of the
boats
dock with extra care
**** never dock near or on
shoreline or rocks.****
You are never certain what is below
the boat.
Capsizing
Avoidance
brief crew that you
will have only 4 to 8 inches of freeboard
most of the time, and the least bit of
horseplay such as rocking the boat, will
cause everyone to go " for a big
swing"
if any appreciable
amount of water is shipped during practice,
bail it out - it is dead weight that reduces
your freeboard
if any waves or wake
are encountered, turn the dragon boat into
the waves
brief your crew on
"swiveling at the hips" so their
upper body remains vertical while the boat
rocks
Precautions
wear your life jackets
captain's "head
count: or Buddy system to account for
everybody
Knots
please make sure that
the dragon boats are tied securely at the end
of your practice, with reliable knots
examples are
illustrated
no "shoelace
knots" please
leave enough slack in
the ropes so the dragon boat does not bind or
scrape on the docks
Steering Fork Knot
used to keep the
steering paddle from slipping out of the
steering forks, yet leave enough room to
adjust the handle length and vertical angle
To Tie
Start with one end
of the rope tied to the steering arm,
between the side of the boat and the
inboard fork.
Loop the rope
several times around the middle of the
inboard fork
Then make several
figure eight's between both forks,
working upwards.
Finish the knot
with several more loops around the
steering arm beyond the end fork.
Loop the end of the
rope around the steering arm beyond the
outboard fork - not between the forks -
then tie it off with a couple of half
hitches
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