24th Dragon Boat Festival: Team sport with paddling

“Dragon boating is all about the team, nothing can be done alone. That’s what makes it particularly fascinating for me,” says Stefan Eichelmann from SV Breitling, the organizer of the 24th Dragon Boat Festival as part of the Warnemünder Woche. On the second weekend of Warnemünder Woche Around 40 dragon boat teams from all over Germany are expected, including crews from Berlin, Hanover, Dresden and Magdeburg. Before Corona, there were sometimes up to 100 teams that brought the old electricity to a boil. “But we are satisfied with the reporting numbers. After a two-year break, we would like to signal: We are back!” says Eichelmann. The Rostock club SV Breitling was founded in 1990, with dragon boats as the first club sport. “Perhaps the founder and honorary president of SV Breitlings, Gerald Marschner, will also come to the Dragon Boat Festival,” says Stefan Eichelmann.

On the first day of the Dragon Boat Festival (July 9th) there are normal short distance races. This means that the teams fight for the best times on a 280 meter long race track. In several elimination races, the teams are selected into groups, which then each compete in their own semi-finals and finals. The winner of all is the team that wins the Group A races.

On day two of the Dragon Boat Festival, Sunday (July 10th), the Sprint Cup is on the program. The distance to be completed is only 100 meters, which makes the races particularly exciting for the teams and entertaining for the spectators, because it is important to use the maximum power in a very short time and get it into the water using the paddles.

Two different dragon boat classes are competing in the “Mixed” and “Open” rating groups in Warnemünde: The large boats have a 22-person crew, consisting of 20 paddlers, a drummer and a helmsman. The small boats sail with a crew of twelve: ten paddlers, a drummer and a helmsman. “In principle, you can say that the team that manages to get the power into the paddle and thus into the water particularly rhythmically and at the same time wins the race.” A well-trained and perfectly coordinated team manages to get the 22-person crew and to accelerate the boat, which weighs around 250 kilograms, up to 16 kilometers per hour.

The Dragon Boat Festival is also a program highlight for summer festival visitors on land Warnemünder Woche. Thanks to our own moderation, the races are explained in an understandable way for those watching on land. “During the racing break on Saturday lunchtime there will be the popular spectator races again,” said Eichelmann. Then children will also have the opportunity to let the paddles fly. Because who knows, maybe one or the other will become a dragon boat paddler themselves later on. “We welcome anyone in the club who would like to take part. There is a youth group, but older people are also welcome,” says Eichelmann.

After the completed construction work on the southern Alte Strom, visitors and dragon boat athletes can expect a completely new racing experience. The route has been reversed and the boats now start in front of the station bridge heading south. In addition, the tracks were remeasured. “We have a real track premiere,” says Eichelmann, looking forward to the races. He himself is team captain of the “Blue Bulls” and has been practicing dragon boating since 2007. In addition to his team, “de Pierknüppels”, for example, are considered promising candidates for victory. But no matter how it turns out: “It’s not about the individual performance, but about the team. We get through defeats together, just as we celebrate victories together,” says Stefan Eichelmann.