How to Enter
Crews
Crews must comprise 8-10 paddlers, plus a drummer – squads cannot be larger. Crews can be mixed, all female or all male, and organisations may enter more than one crew. No age limits are imposed and no previous experience of dragon boat racing is required. All crew members must be able to swim in light clothing and compete at entirely their own risk. Qualified helms, buoyancy aids and water safety cover are provided by Gable Events.
Rules
Gable Events is an approved operator of the British Dragon Boat Racing Association (BDA) and the Festival will be run under BDA Rules and hold a BDA Race Permit. All crews accepted for entry must
Entry Fees
There is no sponsorship fee for boats to compete in the Race, but, if you want to enter a boat and you would like to make a voluntary donation of £350 (or more!) to our Charitable Fund Appeal, we should be very grateful. However, such a donation is not a condition of entry.
Entries
Will be accepted on first come, first served basis
Prizes
The Festival Trophy will be awarded to the winning crew and the top three crews (finalists) will all receive medals.
Charity Sponsorship
Official sponsorship forms will be supplied with your entry confirmation and all forms and sponsorship money raised MUST be handed in to the Race Control before your crew’s first race. All crews entered are encouraged to raise money for the official festival charities. The Charity Trophy will be awarded to the crew raising the most money.
Entry Forms
Please read the entry invitation letter first (available here). All boat entries must be confirmed with cheque and completed entry form (available here)
All crew members raising individual sponsorship must use the appropriate form. Copies of this form will be sent out with the information pack distributed when a boat entry is accepted. Teams must ensure address details are entered for all sponsors where the donation is eligible for gift aid. A copy of the sponsor form is (available here) - but if you need more copies of the actual form, please contact David Hourihan using the details provided on the contact page.
