Dragon Boat safety

I personnaly consider that a safe approach to Dragon boat goes side by side with fun because without it, the greatest day is threatened to turn into drama.

Dragon Boat safety should be taken seriously because no-one wants to turn a fun event supposed to advertise a corporate team spirit into desastrous bad reputation that would spread faster then any good news.

Minimum safe approach to Dragon Boat in short:
A - A disclaimer should be signed by each paddlers and by parental representative for non-emancipated paddlers
B - Paddlers should be able to demonstrate minimum 50m swim with clothes-on and without buoyancy aid
C - Each paddlers should receive a minimum training which ought to include a safety awareness
D - Equipment should be maintained to minimum safe standards (consider yearly inspection certification)
E - A safety briefing should take place before each exercise precising necessety to wear buoyancy aid and safety boat on standby
F - Respect common sense related to weather condition and exercising area especially regarding third party traffic

With this post I am calling on factual safety concerns any paddler or witness could recall and share just replying to this post. I would appreciate if a minimum fomat was followed to allow comparing events amongst themselves.
1 - Geographical place of Dragon boat event
2 - Date of incident (Approximative should be good enough)
3 - External conditions
4 - (if any) Resulting human injury
5 - (if any) Resulting material damage in equivalent USD
6 - Short summary of the incident
7 - Major suggestions to mitigate resulting injury or material damage
8 - Major suggestions to minimize conditions leading to injury or material damage
9 - Any thing else relevant lissed in that list...

I am looking forward to read each other`s feedback, eventually send me on email any incident near misses or safe recommendations which could help our bragon boat community grow with fun and maintain excellent reputation.

On behalf of Oman Dragon Boat Club
Francois Dorleans
Gsm: +968 99826099
OmanDBC@gmail.com
http://omandbc.blogspot.com

OmanDBC invitation to Dubai

I want essentially to thank all Oman paddlers who had responded positively to my ealier invitation, unfortunately, the DB event in Dubai on December 2nd 2006 had been cancelled.

OmanDBC relation with Dubai DB club ¨Dubai Dragon Boats Alive¨ is essentially made of email discussions with Dave Martin [mailto:damartin@eim.ae]

In short if Oman DBC want to join Dubai event we need to get enough paddlers and sufficient funds. Hence,some of you might have noticed OmanDBC banners, cups, stickers, tshirt are now available to grow Dragon Boat in Oman raising funds for the cause.
I hope to get new DB event to offer soon thanks to sponsors starting to get interested to support OmanDBC.

Regards.

On behalf of Oman Dragon Boat Club
Francois Dorleans
Gsm: +968 99826099
OmanDBC@gmail.com
http://omandbc.blogspot.com/