Last training for the year 2021, we decided to do nothing but clean up our boat. The last clean-up was 2 months ago, the barnacle is growing again on our boats. Since we parked our boats on the sea 24x7, it needs maintenance from time to time.

Most people are already on holiday, it is good that we still have 19 members turned up to clean up the boats.

We hope the boats are in good condition for our next training after cleaned up.

We started from SQ Marina after sun rise.

Paddling to the nearby beach. Changed the paddle to the scraper and start to work.

The seagrass that growing up on the newer boat (5 years old)

vs the barnacles growing up on the older boat (14 years old)

We thought that we can go for some casual paddling after the clean-up. Who knows the scraping job took longer than expected which leave us no time for paddling.

It is not just scraping but also polishing and detailing the boat.

For the older boat, the barnacles are tough and not easy to remove. Even we managed to scrap, there are still marks on the boats that are unable to clean up. I guess the boat needs to be re-paint.

We started playing games some time ago while paddling, and this is our 3rd series and also the last series for the year. Each game is planned and designed by different game masters to make the game have different DNA and of course different fun.

For the last series, it is combined physical & mind with the theme "good luck with that".

Last Game | Will I Screw Up? ○△□

We have 21 pax take up the challenge included 1 guest paddler, 1 returned member, and 1 newbie. "1-2-tali som" with partners, group into 2 boats and start the paddling game.

1st destination is far away from the starting point which we took more than 1000+ strokes non-stop paddling to reach there.

On the first circle shape activities - Capture It

An illustration is given and team members are required to create the image same as the illustration, then capture it. It may look simple but it required coordination and support from team members to create it.

Once the team completed the activities, a clue is given to the team. The team needs to collect as many clues as possible for the final answer

We moved to Patrick's beach for next game

For the triangle shape activities - Name it

• A description is given to a team member

• The member who listens to the description need to memorize it

• After performing 10 burpees, pass the same description to the next member

• Repeat the same task until the last team member

• The last team member needs to give an answer based on the description pass down.

Sample of the description:

• Can be soft, can be firm

• Stick around with few siblings

• green when children

• yellow or brown after growing up

• dark when old

• source of energy

It is funny when the description passed down to the last member became something like "from soft to firm", "stick-on stream", "close to the heart". This makes the last member not able to name the correct answer. This is the reason we ask in the beginning "Will I screw up?" :-D

Anyway, each team is given 3 descriptions, they need to answer 2 correctly to get the second clue.

Supposedly, we're moving to the next beach for the next game. Due to the "Name It" activities taking up more time than expected to complete, we stayed on the same beach for the star shape activities - Guess It. In this game:

• A card will be shown to one team member

• Based on the information on the card, the member needs to act on it without sound

• The member from the group need to guess what it is

• 5 min is given per group to guess as much as possible based on the acting

• The 3rd clue will be given once the team managed to guess correctly 15 cards

Here are some sample cards:

• Spiderman

• Monk

• Badminton

• Nurse

• Alien

• Lemon

• Airport

• Sky Diving

• Firemen

• I love you

The team allows exchanging the card if it is too hard to act with 10 push-ups.

The last Umbrella shape activity - Search It.

The last clue is hidden somewhere on the boarding platform. The team needs to paddle back as fast as possible to capture the last clue for a final answer.

Both teams shared the collected clues and provided the same final answer. This makes both teams also win in the games.

We always have a celebration in December, usually right after the Pesta race. Due to the pandemic, there is no race for the past 2 years. Christmas is also around the corner, taking the opportunity to get together and celebrate.

Instead of indoor, we're organizing an outdoor picnic by the beach where the member is asked to bring some food to share - It's a potluck.

The fun part is - we're paddling to some nice beach/island and having breakfast there. This is something that we have never done in the past even we have access to the dragon boat. It's just the right time in the off-season / no race to spend some good time with teammates.

20 members joined the paddling for food session bringing food like tuna toasts, baguettes with hummus, potato salad, boiled eggs, fried bee hoon, egg mayo sandwiches, cupcake, potato chips, banana cake, crispy pancake, banana, pineapple, guava, passion fruit, tambun biscuit, ginger cookies, tomato sum boi, and drinks.

Loaded all the stuff into 2 boats and ready to paddle. Just to learn that the wave is quite rough for the day. Instead of going to some private beach at far, we changed course to the nearby beach and spend more good time bonding with teammates.

We landed on the nearby beach due to choppy sea.

While the ladies is preparing the food.

The men is chilling in the sea like otters

Coach is giving a theory session for newbies

This is how we picnic by the beach, aha~aha~aha~!

It's time to makan (eat). nom~ nom ~ nom, yummy!

Time flies, it is already the last month of 2021. On the first Sunday of December, we incorporated some "play" factors into paddling and designed a new series of 'Sotong' games that is stronger, enduring, and tougher for our members.

Sotong Game Series 2 | Dare to play?

Not all turned up but we have 22 pax joined. We "la-la-li-la-tam-pong", (a child way to split into a group by turning your wrist as hand or palm) and randomly organized into 2 boats.

The team leader is given a map with assignments. The team needs to perform the activities at the specific location on the map:

• Station 1: Running "Straits Green" 1 round together

• Station 2: Burpees 100 repetitions (per team)

• Station 3: Sit-up 100 repetitions (per team)

• Station 4: Human characters to form the word - "FORWARD"

• Station 5: Squat 100 repetitions (per team)

This time, there is no boat swapping in between. To be fair, each team is asked to bid for the lighter boat by offering what is time allowance can be given for another team who takes up the heavier boat.

The activities lasted for 1 hour and 15 min with more than 7km of paddling. The lighter boat is the first one to complete the assignment at Station 5. Due to time allowance, the heavier boat is winning the game

It is a fun way to get tortured without realizing the pain.

Station 1: Run together at Strait Green Park

Station 2: Burpee near Tua Pek Kong Temple

Station 3: Sit-up at Homptom Beach

Lighter boat took off to Station 4

Heavier boat waving good bye to local tourist at the beach

Station 4: Hand-in-hand, we create "F.O.R.W.A.R.D"

Hot pursuit, chasing the rabbit.

All the happy players after the game

We had a game last week. A quick play around the Tanjung Tokong coast. This week we decided to hold our very own "Random Race" at Hompton Beach.

What is Random Race? There are no rules defined for this race. The teams are only given the distance to compete - 500m, 200m & 100m. The race format is decided by the opponent team.

The opponent team can set the rules like:

• Used heavier boat for the race

• Want the other team to race beside to increase the intensity

• Add a member sitting without paddling to increase the weight

• can request for re-race if belief can perform better time.

Once the rules are set, one team needs to configure the boat based on the rules defined and race the distance, and capture the best time using the GPS, The team with the best time wins.

The same rules also applied to the team who came out with the idea. So, the team needs to configure the rules to their own advantage based on all factors.

Not only the race is random. The player in each team was also randomly selected by rock paper scissors dynamic as well.

After 3 rounds of stiff competition, here is the result:

500m winner: Team Humble

200m winner: Team Spirit

100m winner: Team Humble

No matter which team won the race. Everyone is the winner when the race is ended with refreshing tomato by Taikong MM :-D

Winner of the day

Members from Team Spirit (Top) & members from Team Humble (Bottom)

Strategy discussion at the beach

While team spirit went to time-trial

Been 2 weeks into casual paddling to some interesting places of the area, this week thinking to play some game with paddling. Inspired by the popular Netflix series - Squid Game, we run our own version of the game called the "Sotong" game.

An invitation was sent to members and 28 members turned up for the game voluntarily. Split up the players into 2 boats and a mission card is given to each team leader to strategize their game.

The team that first returns back to the base after completing the tasks is the winner.

The games incorporate some of the values like communication, teamwork, working with peers, listen to instructions in order to complete the tasks effectively and efficiently.

The game was going on fast with non-stop paddling in multiple locations along the coast and ended earlier than the expected time. We paddled to a nearby beach for some swimming before ending the session for the day.

All of the players

One of the task: 2 steermans sitting on the swing

Team 2 group photo without touching the ground

Team 1 group photo with the stone turtle

Last week, we went to Tikus Island and found there is a nice beach opposite the island, near the Cove condominium. This week we decided to explore the beach a bit entering from the sea.

Although it looks the same distance as Tikus island, it required more strokes to reach the beach from SQ Marina - 300 strokes extra, due to the tide's direction being against us. We paddle extra set and didn't give up even it is tiring.

It is also a lucky day where we withness many dolphins in the area 'performing' like those show in Ocean Park - jumping high to the sky. So excited till we clap for the dolphins :-D

The beach is indeed very nice that it worth every stroke to reach there. we spend some time on the beach before going back.

Approaching the beach

Man's best friend.

Nice soft sand beach, Tikus Island is opposite of the beach.

Another casual paddling session for this week to Tikus Island, an island that has many stories and some mystery. This uninhabited outcrop is now home to a solar-powered lighthouse, also situated on the islet is a grave belonging to a local Muslim saint.

Yes, there is a grave on the island. We came here a few times. Sometimes we just pass by and seldom land on the island.

The weather is nice, the sea is calm and we board the island for a short break and photography. It took us a few sets of paddling to reach the island from Strait Quay Marina. Some members visited the grave seeking some blessings.

Each strokes count event it is just a casual paddling.

Modeling on the Island

It has been a while, that we stopped Dragon Boat practice.

We have 55 training sessions in 2020 and are about to hold our own internal race at the beginning of 2021. Who knows another Covid-19 wave hit us and got us into MCO again. The MCO restricted all the movement included the plan to resume our training for the local race. On 1st June 2021, Government announced a "total" lock-down and change the strategy to exit the pandemic with National Recovery Plan (NRP/PPN)

Penang was put into phase 1 of NRP until 7 July 2021. When in PRN Phase 2, we're 'kind of' allowed to resume training. However, it is still not safe out there. Many people are still unvaccinated. In fact, there is a spike in the Covid-19 case when the government gives some relief for economic purposes.

We hold and delay our practice until PRN Phase 3 and start with casual paddling. At the same time clean up our boat that always parks on the water 24x7.

Our practice is only open for fully vaccinated members and by appointment only

This it is - our fifth training for the year 2021. It is good to be out there enjoying the sun, the sea, the sand, and the breeze with a group of people who love paddling. :-D