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Advice and Boat Club Rules
This page contains advice and the rules of the boatclub on the following topics:
It is based on the presentation and document given to all rowers and parents by Colin Greenaway. To download the full document click here.
- If you capsize, stay with your boat - it floats.
- Always stop and assist a craft in trouble, providing you do not endanger yourself.
- All coxes must wear life jackets.
- Lifesaving and safety equipment must be used with care.
- Any crew boating in the dark must display a white light at the stern and the bow of the boat.
- Every boat must be checked for bow ball and heel restraints.
- All accidents must be reported to a member of staff.
- All damage to equipment must be reported to a member of staff AND entered into the damages book.
- No one is to swim in the river by choice.
- No one is to row without a member of staff present at the boathouse or on the water.
- In the advent of adverse weather or water conditions, the M.I.C together with the Safety Officer and any other coaches present, will make a decision on the suitability of the water for use by each group.
- Boats must keep to the cox's right-hand side, or the oarsman's left-hand side of the river.
- When travelling upstream, crews must take the inside arch of the bridge.
- In strong streams unsupervised crews should not go above Hampton Court Bridge.
- Points of Danger: Study the map of our reach which can be found in the boathouse. Look out for:
Bridges, Islands, Locks and Weirs, Moored boats.
LOOK AFTER YOURSELF, OTHER PEOPLE AND YOUR EQUIPMENT
When training or competing at events for Kingston Grammar School, you are representing the Boat Club and the school. How you behave reflects directly on the school and the boat club.
To minimise inappropriate behaviour, I have set out a few guidelines that should help to ensure that all the members of the Boat Club can enjoy their rowing, and enjoy a safe and friendly environment whilst at KGSBC.
When training or on trips, you must beware of your surroundings and the relevant emergency procedures.
Behaviour
- Only use appropriate language
- Do not use anti-social behaviour.
- Be aware of others.
- Be appropriately dressed for your surroundings.
- Be polite to others at all times.
Bullying will not be tolerated. The Boat Club follows the guidelines set out in the school diary. If you feel you are being bullied, talk to your coach or head of rowing, your conversation will be in dealt with in the strictest confidence.
- Are you aware of training/racing rules?
- Are you aware of circulation patterns?
- Is your equipment safe to use (heel restraints, hatch covers, bow balls, riggers fitted properly)?
- Are you wearing suitable clothing?
- Are you on time?
- Do you know where your coach/party leader is?
- Do you know how to contact your coach or party leader?
- Do you have an arranged meeting point in case you are separated from your party?
- Can they contact you?
- Are you where you are meant to be?
- Are you behaving responsibly?
- Do you know where your coach/party leader is?
- Do you know how to contact your coach or party leader?
- Do you have an arranged meeting point in case you are separated from your party?
- Can they contact you?
- Are you where you are meant to be?
- Are you on time?
- Do you know which room your coach is in?
- Have you read the fire escape drill for your accommodation?
- Can you contact your coach if he/she is not in their room?
- Respect others using the course/river.
- Respect your coaches
- Respect your team mates
- Respect your equipment.
- Respect other peoples property.
- Respect the environment and your surroundings.
It is important that if you wish to continue rowing at KGSBC that you conduct yourself in a responsible manner that reflects well on you and the boat club.
Do not be surprised if your appetite increases: this is just due to the extra energy your body needs to fuel the training sessions you are doing. Eat well but stay away from fat laden foods and foods high in sugar.
To give you the energy you require, eat foods high in complex carbohydrates (potatoes, pasta, bread, cereals etc).
Ensure you have a daily intake of protein (fish, white or red meat, dairy products). Always include fruit and vegetables in your diet.
Remember you are what you eat; there is little point in training to get stronger and fitter if you do not then give the body the nutrients it needs to grow and develop. If you are getting tired at school, it will probably be more to do with your diet than the amount of training you are doing.
Ensure you drink to replenish the body of the fluids that it loses through exercise. Water and squash are good. Pure fruit juices are normally concentrated and actually dehydrate so water them down half juice and half water.
Tea, Coffee and Coke all dehydrate the body, so avoid before or just after training.
Exercising and training takes energy from the body, and although this can be replaced with a good diet, it is still necessary to get the correct amount of sleep. Your body recovers and repairs itself during sleep, so to get stronger you need rest. Try to get an average of 9 hours sleep each night. Getting to bed at the same time each evening will encourage a good sleep pattern that allows maximum recovery.
Do not use rowing training as an excuse for not doing homework. Keep up to date with your work and timetable your training and your coursework. If you are struggling, talk to both your rowing coach and your tutor.
During the Winter, competitions are called 'Head Races' - these are time trials. All crews racing will be given a start number and will be set off over the course in a processional manner. Their time will be taken as they cross the start line and when they cross the finish line. From this, their time taken to cover the course will be calculated and an order of the crews will be published, with the quickest crews over the course winning the event. This type of racing is normally over fairly long distances, and it is important the crews race hard over the whole course and pace themselves well to get the best time possible.
In the Spring and Summer the competitions change to 'Regattas'. These are side by side races with other crews over shorter distances, the winning crews go through to the next round and the losing crews get knocked out of the competition. Regattas can vary from two lane racing up to six lane racing.
Regattas tend to start early in the morning. It is important that if your child is racing they meet at the correct time. If they are late the coach can not wait, as this may mean other boats missing their race.
Once your child has raced, please allow the coach time to address the crew before you approach your child. If they have finished racing, your child will be still be required to de-rig their boat and load the equipment onto the boat trailer. Please allow your child to do this with the other members of their team without your help. It is important that they learn self reliance and teamwork. Once their equipment is loaded and the rowing coach has debriefed the crew, your child can either stay to watch any other crews racing, or if you would like to take them home, please notify their coach that they are going with you, so we can keep track of every one.
- The coach shall ensure that the whole crew, including the coxswain, is suitably dressed and adequately protected for the weather conditions (hot or cold) that they are likely to encounter.
- The coach is not only concerned in coaching crews, but has an underlying responsibility for their safety whilst in his/her charge.
- Before beginning any coaching session, water or land based, the coach must go through a risk assessment process relevant to the activity proposed. The assessment must take into account the ages, abilities and limitations of the athletes involved, together with the water and weather conditions prevailing or facilities available, so that a Safety Plan can be prepared and the programme of activity adjusted to suit. The coach shall ensure that every athlete in their charge is aware of and understands the Safety Plan for the activity being undertaken.
- Athletes and their coaches must be aware of their capabilities and limitations, and the limitations of their equipment, and exercise within those restraints, particularly where adverse weather and water conditions may be encountered, or when training on unfamiliar waters, both at home and abroad.
- Coaching launches and safety boats shall carry equipment and safety aids.
- Coaches will endeavour to get as many rowers as possible to participate in races.
Individuals participating in any activity on the water must accept responsibility for their own actions.
- All persons participating in rowing or sculling, including coxswains, must be able to swim.
- An ability to swim 50 metres in light clothing and to demonstrate within that test competence underwater, in treading water, and in swimming on front and back, is considered a minimum requirement. If a person cannot meet the requirements of the swimming test for physical or other reasons, an approved lifejacket or buoyancy aid must be worn when in a boat. In case of accident, stay with your boat rather than attempt to swim to safety. Your boat, unless seriously damaged, is your liferaft.
- Possession of good health before undertaking strenuous exercise is essential and the Safety Adviser and coaches must satisfy themselves in this respect. Where any concerns exist, medical advice must be sought.
- Physically challenged athletes participating in rowing and sculling activities must be accompanied. Suitable rescue and first aid facilities to cope with any accident must be provided.
- Coaches should be aware of and take full account of the athletes capabilities and limitations, and of the limitations of their equipment, particularly where adverse weather and water conditions may be encountered or when training on unfamiliar water, both at home and abroad.
- In all activities, maintain a good look out for your own safety and that of those around you.
- It is recommended that all active members, particularly junior members should learn and practice capsize and accident drills.
- Any person steering a boat is responsible for the crew in their charge. Steering a boat is a highly responsible role. Steersmen must:
- Maintain a proper look-out by sight and hearing so as to make a full appraisal of the situation and of the risk of collision.
- Learn and use simple and concise commands for boat control both off and on the water. Be able to use them correctly, clearly and instructively.
- Understand and observe local navigation rules, and audible and visual signals given by others with whom the water is shared.
- When visiting unfamiliar water, take particular care to learn of local hazards, weather peculiarities, and local rules of navigation.
- Be conversant with safety and rescue arrangements available in the case of accident.
- Recognise and respect the rights and needs of other water users, especially anglers.
- Watch out for swimmers at all times and be alert to unexpected floating objects.
- Know and have practised accident and man-overboard drills.
- Coxswains shall wear an approved lifejacket or buoyancy aid when on the water, both in training and in competition. Inflatable lifejackets must not be worn under other garments. In "front-loader" boats, the lifejacket/buoyancy aid must allow easy and unrestricted escape from the boat. Coxswains must fully understand and be practised in the operation of their lifejacket/buoyancy aid.
- Steersman shall be able to satisfy their Safety Adviser and coach that they are in
good health with adequate vision and sound hearing. Where prior evidence of epileptic fits or blackouts exists, coaches and crews must seek medical advice and be made fully aware of actions to be taken should an incident arise.
- Coxswains should wear clothing suitable for the weather conditions. Particular care should be taken to ensure warmth around the head, neck and lower back, wrists and ankles. Water resistant outer gloves are recommended but bulky and heavy clothing and "Wellington" type boots which hinder movement, are to be avoided.
- Be aware of the dangers and symptoms of hypothermia.
Here are some fundamentals about hypothermia
Prevention
- Avoid Exposure
- Terminate Exposure
- Never Ignore Shivering
- Beware Of Exhaustion
- Detect Hypothermia
- Be Prepared
Avoid Exposure
- STAY DRY. When clothes get wet, they lose about ninety percent of their insulating value. Wool loses less as does many of the new synthetics. Wet Cotton is worthless.
- BEWARE OF THE WIND. A slight breeze carries heat away from bare skin much faster than still air. Wind drives cold air under and through clothing. Wind refrigerates wet clothes by evaporating moisture from the surface.
- WIND MULTIPLIES THE PROBLEMS OF STAYING DRY. If you have been in the water and you are wearing a T-shirt that is wet, remove it and you will retain more heat. Direct sunlight on the skin helps in the warming process.
- UNDERSTANDING COLD. Most hypothermia cases develop in air temperatures between -1 and 10 degrees. Most outdoor enthusiasts simply can't believe such temperatures can be dangerous. They fatally underestimate the danger of being wet at such temperatures. Fifty degree water is unbearably cold. The cold that kills is cold water running down your neck and legs, and cold water removing body heat from the surface of your clothes.
Detect Hypothermia
If your group is exposed to WIND, COLD, OR WET, think hypothermia. Watch yourself and others for the symptoms:
- Uncontrollable fits of shivering.
- Vague, slow, slurred speech.
- Memory lapses, or incoherence.
- Immobile, fumbling hands.
- Frequent stumbling.
- Drowsiness (to sleep is to die.)
- Apparent exhaustion. Inability to get up after a rest.
Treatment
The victim may deny he/she is in trouble. Believe the symptoms, not the person. Even mild symptoms demand immediate treatment.
- Get the victim out of the wind and rain.
- Strip off all wet clothes.
- If the victim is only mildly impaired:
- Give him/her warm drinks (only small amounts).
- Get him/her into dry clothes and a warm dry sleeping bag. Well-wrapped warm thermoses placed in the crotch and under the arms anywhere the main arteries are close to the surface of the skin, will hasten recovery.
- If the patient is semi-conscious or worse:
- Try to keep him/her awake. (Do not give hot liquids by mouth.)
- Leave him/her stripped. Put him/her in a sleeping bag with another person (also stripped) to transfer heat. If you can put the victim between two donors, skin to skin contact is very effective treatment.
- Warm the torso only - not extremities.
- Transport the victim as soon as possible to the closest hospital for monitoring. It takes a very long time to warm the inner core and only a rectal hypothermia thermometer is long enough to find out what the inner core temperature really is. DON'T DELAY!
Some Points to Remember
- While in the water, do not attempt to swim unless to reach nearby safety. Unnecessary swimming increases the rate of body heat loss. Keep your head out of the water. This will increase your survival time.
- Keep a positive attitude about your rescue - this will increase your chances of survival.
- Sudden immersion in cold water cools your skin and outer tissues very quickly. Within 10 or 15 minutes, your core body temperature (brain, spinal cord, heart, and lungs) begins to drop. Your arms and legs become numb and completely useless.
- You may lose consciousness and drown before your core temperature drops low enough to cause death.
Rules of 50
- An average adult person has a 50/50 chance of surviving a 50 yard swim in 50 degree F water.
- A 50 year old person in 50 degree F water (10 degrees Celsius) has a 50/50 chance of surviving for 50 minutes.
The risk of contracting Leptospirosis from recreational water is small, however the serious nature of the disease is such that we must be aware of the dangers and should take simple precautions to reduce the risk of infection, viz:
- Cuts and abrasions (including blisters) should be covered with waterproof dressings.
- Wear footwear to avoid cuts and protect feet when paddling in the water (launching a boat).
- Shower after contact with the water.
- Wash hands thoroughly before eating and drinking.
- If 'flu' like symptoms develop shortly after contact with the water (1-3 weeks) then your doctor should be contacted and advised of the circumstances of exposure.
Please also read the two links from British Rowing:
- www.britishrowing.org/news/weils-disease-leptospirosis
- WaterborneDiseases-v1.pdf .
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