Dragon Boat Victoria sends its best wishes to the entire Dragon Boat family ahead of the festive season.

Please note DBV Operations / Administration will be closed from Friday 19 December to Sunday 4 January. Have a safe and happy break and we'll see you in 2026. 

As recently announced Nicole McLellan and Mark Wheeldon were appointed to the Board in a casual vacancy position to the 2026 AGM. Following a convening of the Board, Nicole has been elected as Secretary. For a full list of Directors and their positions, view here.  

Whilst we all hopefully pause for a well-earned break, planning for early 2026 has been in full swing.

Falls Creek registrations are open and will close on Wednesday 14 January. DBV is seeking assistance from a licenced Boat Driver to drive our Umpire's Boat. If you or someone you know is available to volunteer please contact DBV. Lunch at the Regatta and accommodation (up to 3 nights) can be provided. A boat can be supplied if required.  

In an exciting update the Lunar New Year (LNY) Regatta is now confirmed for Sunday 15 February, taking place on the Barwon River, Geelong. Please visit the Event Page for more information. Please note the regatta is not based at Geelong Canoe Club which is the venue for BoB - but further downstream towards Geelong Rowing Club. The exact location is available in the event page provided above. Registrations are also open for this event. 

LNY will involve some traditional ceremonies as well as a new racing category - a triathlon. The triathlon will involve a 100m, 200m and 500m race. Further details will be provided shortly. 

Lastly, more information regarding Vic Champs will be issued in early 2026. 

Following some recent VIC26 activity, the Leadership team of Kathryn Sanford and Gabriela Bodnarova wish to provide the following update - view here.

Updates include:

- Camp 2 summary

- Update to Divisional Coaches

- Uniform orders

- Next steps and key dates 

Previously DBV released a survey to gather interest in a Level 1 and Level 2 course. A Level 1 course was succesfully run in early December so attention now turns to understanding the feasibility of a Level 2 course. The proposed dates are 7 and 8 March 2026 with the course to be held in Docklands. If you would like to participate in this course (even if you prefer different dates), please contact paul@dragonboatvictoria.com.au ASAP. 

Further, DBV is exploring running a Level 1 course in the Gippsland / Paynesville area. To assist DBV understand the demand for this, please contact DBV if you are interested in attending.