PENANG PESTA DRAGON BOAT RACE 2011

PIDBF COMPETITION REGULATIONS & RULES OF RACING

This set of regulations & rules of racing stipulate the proper conduct of organising the race. Any area which is inadequately covered, the decision of the Organiser shall apply.

Venue: Teluk Bahang Dam Teluk Bahang Penang Malaysia

PIDBF COMPETITION REGULATIONS

1.0 GENERAL .1 1.1 The Organiser reserves the right to refuse the entry of any crew in the races at its sole discretion.

2.0 BOATS AND OTHER EQUIPMENTS 2.1 The Standard Racing Boat to be used measures approximately 12.49 metres in length, 1.17 metres in width and 0.6 metres in depth. The weight is approximately 250 kg. 2.2 The Small Racing Boat to be used measures approximately 9 metres in length, 1.16 metres in width and 0.6 metres in depth. The weight is approximately 200 kg. 2.3 The Organiser shall provide all boats and other equipments. Competitors may use his/her own paddles which are approved by IDBF in accordance with IDBF Stand (Model 202a). Paddles may have to pass through a check against the Racing Paddle Specification Template. Paddlers can get a certification sticker during the practice session at the racing site on 9th December 2011. The allocation of equipment to individual crews shall be at the sole discretion of the Organiser. The Organiser shall not be responsible for any failure of the equipment during the race. 2.4 There are regular issues with seat pads that do not comply with Competition Regulation 13.4 which states:- Dragon Boat Seat pads (cushions) as described in Regulation 13.1 shall be made of a soft material, such as neoprene, of a maximum thickness of 15mm that will compress easily when squeezed between finger and thumb. The width of the seat pad shall approximately to the width of paddling seat in the IDBF Standard International Racing Boat (12.5cm) and the length should ideally, not exceed 33cm. So the seat pad should be rectangular. Seat pads will not be measured to the exact cm, but obviously round seat pads are not acceptable, unless they are cut to size. 2.5 Participating crews shall reimburse the Organiser for any losses or damages to the boats and equipments caused by the crews concerned. 2.6 The Organiser has the right to change the boats depending on the availability and weather conditions. 3.0 CREW MEMBERS 3.1 A crew (Standard Racing Boat DB22) shall consist 18 to 20 paddlers, 1 steerer/helm, 1 drummer and 4 reserves. 3.2 A crew (Small Racing Boat DB12)
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of

26

men/women:

shall

consist

of

14

men/women:

8 to 10 paddlers, 1 steerer/helm, 1 drummer and 2 reserves. 3.3 All crew MUST wear buoyancy vest at all times before entering the boat. Each competitor must be able to swim at least 50 metres wearing light clothing. It is the responsibility of the person entering the crew to make sure that all members of the crew comply with this rule. 3.4 Each crew is solely responsible for his/her own safety during official practice sessions and during the races. The Organiser as well as any other individuals or organisations connected directly or indirectly with the race will not be responsible for any injury, damage or loss incurred or suffered by competitors or members of the crew. 3.5 Each competitor is allowed to register and compete under one crew only.

4.0 CREW MANAGER 4.1 The crew manager shall be responsible for all matters pertaining to the crew and also for liaison between the crew and the Organiser. The crew captain shall be responsible for coordinating the activities of the crew. 4.2 If a crew manager is not available, the crew captain shall assume the role of the crew manager. 4.3 The Organiser will not communicate with any other crew members. 4.4 The crew manager will take full responsibility of the crew members well being. 5.0 REGISTRATION DOCUMENTS 5.1 All crews are required to submit the following documents that are duly completed and signed, to the Organiser by 25th November 2011. Crews failing to do so shall not be permitted to practise or to participate in the race. Form 1 Crew List Form 2 - Crew Managers Declaration 6.0 DISTANCE 6.1 The length of the course will be 250 metres and 500 metres straight course.

7.0 RACING STYLE 7.1 All paddlers must be seated and remain on the paddlers seat throughout the race. Any crews offending this rule may be disqualified. 8.0 DIVISION 8.1 Premier the primary class of racing. There are no restrictions on competitors age. Open to all crews.
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8.2 Senior 40 Aged 40 years and above (born on or before year 1971), with the exception of the Drummer. 8.3 Junior U18 Aged 12 years but under 18 years (born between year 1994 and 1999), with the exception of the Steerer (Helm). 8.4 Junior U23 Aged 12 years but under 23 years (born between year 1989 and 1999), with the exception of the Steerer (Helm).

9.0 RACING CLASS 9.1 Premier Open no restriction on crew composition or gender. 9.2 Premier Women for female crew only, including Drummer and Steerer (Helm). 9.3 Premier Mixed Standard Boat (DB22) - minimum of 8 and maximum of 12 female paddlers (excluding drummer & steerer/helm) Small Boat (DB12) - minimum of 4 and maximum of 6 female paddlers (excluding drummer & steerer/helm)

10.0 RACING FORMAT 10.1 Crews will follow the race from early Heats, Repechage and Final; OR 10.2 Crews will go through two (2) Rounds of race. The best time added from these two (2) Rounds will decide the winner. 11.0 IDENTITY & COMPLIANCE CHECKS 11.1 Identification checks against the passport or identity cards may be carried out during the race by the Race Officials to ensure that only those Competitors shown on the Crew List are competing;

12.0 PHOTO FINISH 12.1 A fixed photo finish camera will be used at the Finish to record all boats crossing the finish line.

PIDBF RULES OF RACING

The Chief Official shall have the authority to modify or add additional rules based on conditions. In all matters the Chief Officials decision is final and appeal would not be entertained.

1. CONDUCT OF CREWS 1.1 Crews must follow the instructions of the Race Officials at all times during the competition. Failure to do so may result in the disqualification of the competitor or crew. 1.2 Any Dragon Boat Crew or competitor who attempts to win a race by other than honorable means, or who deliberately breaks the Racing Rules shall face disqualification from the competition.

2. MARSHALLING / EMBARKING 2.1 Reporting Time All crews must report to the Boat Marshall at the Boat Marshalling Area, 30 minutes before the race. No announcement will be made for reporting. Failure to do so may result in disqualification. Crew identity checks may be carried out by the Race Officials and competitors must, if required, be able to produce some proof of identity. When called to Embarking Area, crew must embark in accordance with the instructions of the Boat Marshalls. 2.2 Crew Responsibility- It is a crews responsibility to ensure that the dragon boat and its equipments are fully functional and water-worthy. Boats and equipments must be carefully checked before embarking. The Organizer cannot be held responsible for any boat or equipment failure, once a crew has embarked and left the dock. 2.3 Paddle Breakage/Equipment Failure- Crews are advised to carry two (2) spare paddles. These may only be used in the event that a paddle breakage occurs during a race. 2.4 Boats- Crews must use the assigned boats. Crews will not be permitted to choose or reserve any boat. 2.5 Movement up the Course- After a crew has embarked, it must proceed directly to the start area immediately. Crews must keep clear of the Racing Lanes and must not interfere with a race that is in progress. Traffic must stop until a race in progress has passed.

3. STARTING PROCEDURES 3.1 Start Area- It is the Boat Captains responsibility to make sure that each crew member is familiar with the starting procedures. All boats will assemble behind the Start Line, at least five (5) minutes before their Start Time. Each crew will take up position in accordance with the lane

drawn. Each lane is given a number, Lane 1 being the lane nearest to the location of the Finishing Line Judges. 3.2 Late Arrivals- The Starter may warn a crew arriving late in the start area and if such a warning is given it shall have the same effect as one given for a False Start, for that race. The Starter may start a race without reference to absentees. 3.3 Racing Lane- A crew must race in the lane allocated to its boat. 3.4 Starting Position- The first 50 metres of the Regatta Course constitutes the Start Zone. Crew shall not enter the Start Zone until all crews from the preceding race have left the Start Zone, and the starter has allocated a lane to the crew. Crews must be at the starting position three (3) minutes before the time laid down for the start. The head of the dragon will be aligned with the start line. Crews should take care not to drift past the start line. The starter may use a drifting or rolling start if conditions warrant. 3.5 Starters Commands- At least three (3) minutes before the starting time, the starter will get all crews to move to their starting position. The starter will start to make a roll-call by calling the lane order and the names of each crew in the race. When the Starter is satisfied that all the boats are correctly aligned, the Starter shall alert the crews by saying Are you ready? If the crew is NOT READY then the Drummer must immediately raise a hand above head height to indicate the situation to the Starter. Excessive or unwarranted delay may result in penalty or disqualification. 3.6 Starting Signals-When the Starter is satisfied that all crews are ready, the starting signals of the word ATTENTION followed by the word GO. The interval between the words ATTENTION and GO shall not exceed five (5) seconds. 3.7 False Starts - If a crew starts after the word Attention and before the word Go it has made a False Start. False Starts will result in a time penalty being added to the time of the crew. 3.8 Stopping a Race In the event of a significant false start or collision the starter or umpire may stop the race and conduct an immediate re-race. The Starter shall repeatedly signal with a horn or other device and the umpire boat will attempt to get in front of the boats by driving across the course while waving a red flag. All boats must stop immediately. 3.9 Penalties - Once all the crews have returned to the start, the Starter will identify the crew or crew responsible for the False Start and warn them of the offence. If the same crew causes two (2) False Starts, the Starter may exclude them from the race, or alternatively award a Time Penalty of five (5) seconds to the offending crew. Any crew that fails to return to the Start Line immediately after a False Start may also be excluded from the race or alternatively awarded a five (5) seconds Time Penalty at the Starters discretion. If a third False Start occurs, that particular crew will be excluded from the race immediately. 3.9.1 Damage to boats prior to Start- If a boat is damaged prior to the start the crew must alert the umpire boat and attempt repairs. The umpire shall have the discretion to determine if the boat may be raced or must return to the dock for repair. Equipment failure in the first 50 meters of a race is cause for a re-start. The crew must immediately stop paddling and the drummer and
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helm must both wave their hands above their head. A broken paddle is NOT considered equipment failure.

RACE CONDUCT

4.1 Correct Course and Clear Water. The correct course for each boat is a straight line down the course or down the middle of its marked Racing Lane, from the Start Line to the Finish Line. Crews must give clear water when told to by an Umpire. In the event of a collision within the first 50 meters from the Start Line, the Course Umpire shall have the right to restart the race. Straying into the course of another boat may result in disqualification if such act materially affects the results of the race. 4.2 Drumming. The drummer seated in front must actively drum during the whole duration of the race. Any attempt to stop drumming may result in disqualification. 4.3 Umpires Warnings. A Course Umpire shall follow each race, in a motor boat to observe the course taken by each Dragon Boat. Any boat that fails to keep within its Racing Lane will be warned by an Umpire. This will be done via a bull horn or other PA device and by raising a red flag. If such warnings are ignored the crew(s) concerned risk time penalty or disqualification from the race. 4.4 Collisions. In the event of a collision or impending collision between two (2) or more boats the crews must immediately stop paddling. Umpire(s) must report the circumstances to the Chief Official, who may disqualify the offending boat(s) or, if the result of the race has been materially affected, order one or more boats to re-race, before the next round of the competition. When in the opinion of the Chief Official one or more of the crews involved could have avoided the collision by taking corrective action, for example, to stop paddling, but did not do so, then the crew or crews concerned may be disqualified. 4.5 Distress Signal. If a crew is in distress, for example, a crew member lost overboard, then the drummer or Helm shall alert the Rescue Boats by waving their arms. 4.6 Boat Swamping, Deliberate Capsizes. If, in the opinion of the Chief Official, a boat has been swamped or capsized deliberately by its own, or another crew, during the course of a race, the crew or crews concerned may be disqualified from the competition. 4.7 Boat Damage. If in the opinion of the Chief Official, a boat has been damaged by its crew deliberately, or by another crew during the course of a race, the crew or crews concerned may be disqualified from the competition and the crew may be financially liable for the damages. 5. FINISHES

5.1 Crossing the Finish Line. The Judges will be positioned on the finishing tower at right angle to the finishing line. Larger coloured buoys will indicate the finishing line. Photo-finish camera will be installed at the finishing line.
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A boat has finished the race when the foremost part of the boat crosses the Finish Line with the same number of Racers in it as started the race. (The Dragons Head, when in position, forms part of the boat). All crews are to cross the finish in their respective lane. Failure to do so will result in disqualification. 5.2 Disembarking. Once a crew has finished a race it must return immediately to the dock area and disembark. A crew is not released from the directions of the marshalling Officials until all members of the crew have left the dock.

DISPUTES, PROTESTS and DISQUALIFICATIONS

6.1 Disputes. Disputes that arise during a competition between Crews shall be addressed to the Chief Official and dealt with in the same way as a Protest. 6.2 Racing Protests. In the event of a crew wishing to make a protest, concerning the conduct of another crew or the race result; only the Crew Manager can lodge the protest with the Race Secretary and post a protest fee within fifteen (15) minutes after the posting of the official results. The protest fee is RM300 which will only be refunded should the protest is upheld. 6.3 Decisions. The Competition Committee shall consist of the Chief Official, Chief Umpire and Chief Judge. After reaching a decision, the Chief Official must inform all the parties involved of the decision and of the reasons for the decision. 6.4 Appeal. Crew Manager may appeal to the Jury, against the decision of the Competition Committee. The Crew Manager can lodge the appeal with the Race Secretary and post an appeal fee of RM500 within twenty (20) minutes after receiving the decision on the protest from the Competition Committee. The fee will only be refunded if the appeal is successful. The decision of the Jury is Final.

Please keep the Dam CLEAN. No swimming in the water. Happy Dragon Boating!