How a dragon boat race works

1. A crew of up to 20 paddlers, a drummer and a steerer races a long, narrow boat down a straight lane.
2. The drummer keeps beating the drum at short, regular intervals once the boat is 50 m past the start; the steerer guides the boat.
3. The start is "Are you ready?", "Attention" and "Go". Moving between "Attention" and "Go" is a false start.
4. Crews race side by side, up to nine boats at once. The first boat whose bow, dragon's head included, crosses the line with all its crew wins.

How a regatta runs

Crews race in heats, then semi-finals or repechages (a second chance for crews that lost in the heats), then finals.