MRC SAFETY BULLETIN – SEPT/OCT 2001.

This season’s rowing has presented some rather different problems for the club and of course some of them have been safety related.  The main problems have resulted from the sheer volume of boats on the river this year, and the much wider spectrum of abilities and ages that have been active. These problems are nice to have and, in the main, the whole club has adapted to the situation avoiding any major incidents.

As usual though, not everything is rosy and there are some points that need re-emphasising as we move into what I call the “silly season”.

Keep to the Right

If you can’t scull/steer this accurately then learn to (or confine yourself to the novice training area opposite the old club)!

Going down stream from the Clubhouse, again use the right hand side of the river (not the middle approaching the left side).

If you must scull side by side then make sure you are able to scull well enough first, and no more than two abreast.

No overtaking between the Sounding Arch and Maidenhead Bridge unless accompanied by a launch.

Extreme care should be exercised when overtaking, approaching the Bray Lock Channel, and above the Maidenhead Bridge.

Pick off-peak times to practice any of the above skills.

Rowing Above Maidenhead Bridge

Only, experienced rowers/scullers should row above Maidenhead Bridge.  There are clear rules as to when we are allowed to row above the bridge, which I won’t mention here.  If you don’t know them read the club by-laws, which you should already be au-fait with.

River States

While flying over London this week I spotted some small areas of flooding, which reminded me that an Amber river state may not be far away.  It is not just the height of the river, which makes it dangerous, but also the speed.  As the rains come the speed of the river will increase so stay aware of it and don’t be afraid to stay on the bank when you are not sure about your ability.

“Experienced”

Many club rules and restrictions use the qualification “experienced” as a reference.  “Experienced” is a very subjective term, but in general you should not count yourself as experienced if you have less than two seasons under your belt.  Crews with a mixture of novices and seniors can be counted as experienced if there is a competent cox or coach present.  Be honest with yourself, if you personally have frequent near misses, blade-clashes, or capsizes you should not count yourself as “experienced”.

Hypothermia.

Question.

A usually competent member of your crew is rowing badly and generally displaying poor balance/co-ordination.  He’s also (unusually) in a poor frame of mind.  Why is this?

Answer.

Hypothermia is a very possible answer.

This is topic very relevant to all water sports.  Expect to be cold and dress accordingly.  Expect to get wet and dress accordingly.  Expect the unexpected and dress accordingly.  We have a difficult balance to achieve when rowing as we need warmth and ease of movement, but you can take some garments in the boat with you for those “unexpected” moments.  Phil Lawton has a good selection of suitable clothes available for sale.

Rowing at Night.

All boats rowing at night require a white light on both the front and rear of the boat.  You will also need lights in poor-light conditions.  We are all guilty of this, and I freely admit that I pushed this rule to the limit last night, but lets do it properly from now on – the summer’s over.

Only experienced crews are allowed to row at night.

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