Penang Dragon Boat Web Site

Date: 12th and 13th Dec 2009

Location: Bandar Sri Pinang, Jelutong Expressway

Time: 9am to 6pm

We are pleased to welcome 27 teams from Singapore, Hong Kong, India, Philippines and Malaysia to take part in our yearly Penang Pesta Open Dragon Boat Race 2009.

A welcome party will be held on the 12th Dec 2009 7pm at the site.

1) Date: 12th & 13th December 2009

2) Venue: Bandar Sri Pinang, Jelutong Expressway

3) Races:

4) Distance: 200 metres, 500 metres & 1,000 metres

5) Racing style: Seated

6) Rules & Regulations: PIDBF

7) No of Competitors:

Standard boat: Paddles 18 to 20, 1 drummers & 1 steerer, 4 reserves (26 maximum)

Small boat: Paddles 8 to 10, 1 drummers & 1 steerer, 2 reserves (14 maximum)

8) Division:

8.1: Premier – the primary class of racing.  There are no restrictions on competitor’s age.  Open to all crews.

8.2: Senior - all competitors must be aged 40 or over on 1st December 2009, with the exception of the Drummer.  Open to all crews.

8.3: Junior – all competitors must be aged under 18 but at least 12 on 1st December 2009, with the exception of the Steerer.  Open to all crews.

8.4: National  – For Malaysian crews only.

9) Racing Class:

9.1: Mixed Class

Standard boat – minimum of eight (8) and a maximum of twelve (12)    Female paddlers.

 Small boat       – minimum of four (4) and a maximum of six (6) Female paddlers.   

10) Race: There must be a minimum of 5 entries for each race to run.

11) Entry Fees:  RM50 (for Malaysian teams) or US$25 (for foreign teams) per event.

Please make cheque payable to "Pesta Dragon Boat". Maybank account: 557054 501795 (Shift no: MBBEMYKL)

12) Prizes:  

(A) Premier Open & Premier Women (with Challenge Trophy)

 1st Placing – RM 2,000,  2nd Placing – RM 1,500 &  3rd Placing –  RM 1,000

(B) National

1st Placing – RM 1,500, 2nd Placing – RM 1,000 &   3rd Placing –  RM 500


(C) Other Events:

1st Placing – RM 1,000, 2nd Placing – RM 500 &   3rd Placing –  RM 300

13) Enquiries: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

14) Closing Date: 15th Nov 2009

Download the Pesta Dragon Boat's application form here.

Our new site for this year's Pesta Dragon Boat. The event will be held at the Coastal of Jelutong Expressway:

We are extremely pleased to announce that our PIDBF team has won the bidding to host the first ever Commonwealth Club Crew Championship.

Date: 23rd to 25th July 2010
Venue : Teluk Bahang Dam

The event is a warm up to the 7th IDBF Club Crew World Championship in Macau on 29 Jul-1 Aug 2010.

The Star online

By ANDREA FILMER
Friday July 31, 2009

AT the sound of the horn, seven colourful dragon boats launched off from the Tanjung City Marina on Penang island into the open sea.

It was then neck and neck until the very end.

The pounding from the fists of the drummers, one at the head of each boat, spurred the rowers on as they strived to pull away in the first ever 7.6km Penang Dragon Boat Cross Channel Invitation Race held on Sunday.

The Pacific West Dragon Boat Club and the Penang Forward Sports Club were the first to break away from the pack slightly before the halfway mark to Pantai Bersih in Butterworth.

Dragon boat teams shooting off from the starting line at the Tanjung City Marina.

It was thrilling to watch as the lead switched back and forth between the two teams with rowers shouting encouragement to one another.

There were moments of suspense during the turn around at Pantai Bersih as teams struggled against the wind to keep their boats pointing in the right direction.

The Penang Island Paddlez Club started to surge early on the return journey, catching up with Pacific West and Penang Forward.

The dragon boats, carrying teams clad in their bright team colours, had a picture perfect moment when they passed a slow moving tugboat pulling a barge laden with piling pillars.

After that, it was a race to the finish.

Pacific West managed to get a slight lead on Penang Forward and held it until the finish line.

They finished in 38 minutes and 10 seconds with Penang Forward at their heels finishing in 38 minutes and 23 seconds.

The Penang Forward Sports Club members peddling away at the start of the Penang Dragon Boat Cross Channel Invitation Race.

The Penang Island Paddlez Club came in third with a time of 38 minutes and 42 seconds.

The winning teams received RM3,000, RM2,000 and RM1,000 in prize money along with trophies.

The dragon boat race, the first across the North Channel, was flagged off by Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng and organised in conjunction with George Town’s celebrations marking its first anniversary of being awarded a Unesco World Heritage Site listing.

“It was pretty tiring, but a lot of fun. The turn was a bit tricky as we were going against the wind, but the experience was great,” said Pacific West paddler Fernando Shah Abdullah, 18.

His teammate, Yusoff Rawther, 16, said the team members were used to the open sea as they trained in the sea off Tanjung Bungah.

“We competed in the Putrajaya International Dragon Boat Festival last month, but this race, at 7.6km, is much longer,” he said.

Penang Tourism Development and Culture Committee chairman Danny Law Heng Kiang, who presented the prizes to the winners, said the state hoped to expand the cross channel dragon boat race next year.

“This race was by invitation as we wanted to make sure that the teams were up to the challenge.

“Seeing as it was a success, we hope to open it up to other states and international teams next year,” he said.