YOUR RESPONSIBILITES AS A
You are in charge of your boat. We expect you to handle it smartly, safely and on time. You will need to make sure that your shell is equipped with all required safety gear and that you present it for inspection to the control commission referee in time to launch for your race. We begin calling crews for launch thirty minutes prior to the start of a race. We expect you to attend a mandatory meeting for coxswains at 7:45 AM on the morning of regattas. At this meeting we will review the course map, discuss forecast weather conditions and review safety procedures. The Chief Referee will then instruct you on starting procedures in use for that day’s regatta, protest procedures and other items of importance. You will need to allow time to row to the head of the course in time for your start. If you are late, your team will be assessed a warning. Your boat will be disqualified if you receive a second warning from race officials. Row to the head of the course on the right side of Lake Whitehurst and follow the directions of all race officials and course marshals. Be certain to stop rowing for approaching races. It is a violation of the Rules of Rowing if you don’t. A marshal will be present at the mid course point to help you negotiate a blind spot caused by a point of land there. When you arrive in the starting area, stay close enough to the starting platforms to here the instructions of the officials. When your race is called, row smartly to the start platforms and follow the instructions of the official Starter or Aligner. We use a variety of starting methods that you can learn about in the Rules of Rowing. Conditions permitting, we prefer a polled start from starting platforms. Our course is 1,400 meters long and there is a causeway dam at the end of the course. Because you will not be able to see the finish line from the water, we have installed a red marker a few meters past the finish line. Do not stop rowing until you have passed the buoy. Once you do, check down smartly in order to avoid hitting the dam. Our regattas are governed by a comprehensive set of rules adopted by the United States Rowing Association. To help you understand the rules that you need to know, follow the link at the bottom of the page. This will open a set of pages that will help you make sense out of a rule book that can look pretty intimidating. We have also included a direct link to a page discussing boat inspections boat inspections and required safety equipment.
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We expect you to follow the instructions of your coaches and nothing that we say here is intended to change that. Nevertheless, there are some things peculiar to racing at Lake Whitehurst and some general rowing rules that we want you to keep in mind on regatta days.
