club Teams
The club category is for the seasoned paddlers – made up of dragon boat or waka ama paddlers or just can’t stay out of the water. If your crew trains outside of the festival season, you’ve got a head start on our corporate teams. You’ve got the grip, the grit, and probably a medal or two to back it up!
Club teams are for non-corporate crews
No employer restrictions – team members don’t need to work together
On race weekend a maximum squad of 25 may be drawn upon to provide the crew of 20 paddlers for each dragon race. Note: drummer/caller and sweep are additional
Local teams must select an adult team package that offers 6 or 10 training sessions in the lead up to the festival.
International or out-of-town teams can opt for the out-of-town premier package if they’d like to schedule a training session before race day.
Club divisions include: Mixed, Women’s, Masters 55+ and All Cancer Survivors
Opportunity for club sweeps:
If you’d like to get hands-on with our water and the new boats, spend a day (or two) with us during our 7-week training season. We’ll pair you with local crews and one of our Wellington sweeps, so you can sharpen your sweeping skills under expert guidance.
Training runs between Monday 12th January 2026 and Wednesday 25th January 2026. Hourly sessions 4pm-8pm, Monday to Thursday.
You can also try your hand as a pool sweep at our Open Day, Saturday 22nd November 2025, when we welcome over 500 first-time paddlers for their maiden voyage.
And don’t miss our Harbour Fun Day, Saturday 14th February 2026, where 40+ teams race and the whole community comes out to play – another perfect opportunity to gain valuable race experience in Wellington.