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Rules

COURSE:

The Textile River Regatta is rowed over a 6,000 meter course beginning at Tyng Island and finishing along the Heritage State Park walkway, south of the Bellegarde boathouse. The course is clearly marked along its length with buoys.

LAUNCH SITE:

Boats are to launch from the docks at the Bellegarde Boathouse and the City of Lowell Beach located next to the Pavilion (downstream from the boathouse about a mile). Priority will be given to boats launching for an event over those returning from a previous event.

All boats should launch no later than sixty minutes prior to the start of their event. A Dockmaster will be present to expedite boat traffic. ALWAYS launch and dock with the bow pointed upstream. NEW FOR 2009: Boats should STAY ON THE NORTH SIDE of the river upon launching. This is the same side as the boathouse. The travel lane is entirely on the north side - there is NO river crossing. Keep ample berth between the land on starboard and the course, which is designated by RED buoys on PORT.

BUOYS:

RED buoys mark PORT side of the course, and GREEN buoys mark the STARBOARD side. What this means: Keep the RED buoys to PORT at all times, both going upriver to the Start and on the course. YELLOW buoys mark hazards. Do not try to put your oars over a green buoy as it might have drifted and you could hit the hazard it is marking. Do not attempt to go between a green buoy and the shore, even on your way up to the starting line!!!! Giant ORANGE buoys mark the start and the finish lines.

To Emphasize and Summarize:

RED = PORT, both on the course and in the travel lane.
GREEN = STARBOARD on the course.
YELLOW = Hazards
ORANGE = Start and Finish lines

START:

Each entrant is responsible for arriving at the marshalling area ten minutes prior to the start of their event. Boats will be started in order by bow number at approximately ten second intervals. Late-arriving boats may lose their starting position or be excluded from the race at the discretion of the Starter. Boats must pass through the starting buoys to be officially recognized.

Crews late to the start may start at the discretion of the referees at the start line. If a late crew is allowed to start, a time will be recorded, however the publication of this time within the results of the original event and/or the boat's standing in the event are not guaranteed.

To do your warm-ups, move past the orange buoys marking the marshalling area at the Start. Make sure you do not continue upstream out of earshot of the marshals.

FINISH:

Participants not passing between the two finishing buoys with bow marker intact are subject to exclusion from the race. Once beyond the finish line, boats MUST clear the Finish line and row clear of all the orange bouys following the finish line before turning. This is so you do not block the other crews as they cross the line. Impeding boats that are still racing constitutes a major (30 second) violation.

Warning: There is a set of falls approximately 1500 meters past the Finish line. You should avoid rowing over the falls if at all possible.

To return to the docks, turn to port and return to the docks in the return lane along the wall.

Dock carefully with safety in mind and LISTEN for the Dockmaster's instructions.

REGISTRATION:

Registration is done exclusively at Regatta Central. Please do not mail us entry forms that you have printed from an old version of this web site.

ELIGIBILITY

We have a separate web page for rules governing age- and skill-based eligibility - see Classifications.

CHECK-IN IS REQUIRED AT THE REGATTA

Competitors or their coaches must check-in on Saturday, October 3rd from 4:00 to 6:00pm or Sunday, October 4th from 6:00 to 11:00am at the Bellegarde Boathouse on the dowriver side of the boathouse. Your bow number and bib will be given to you then, along with an event program and any important race-day information. If you do not check-in during these designated times, you may not be allowed to race. Any rare exceptions are at the discretion of the Local Organizing Committee, confirmed by the USRA Chief Referee. When arriving for check-in, bring your Regatta Central invoice to speed the check-in process, and if you are registered for any lightweight events, bring your crew for weigh-in. If you will be arriving late on Sunday and cannot make the 11:00am close of check-in, please check the web site in days before the regatta -- we will have instructions on where to go to pick up your packet. If all else fails, check the Medals Desk when you arrive; that will be the default location for registration packets that were not picked up during check-in hours.

EQUIPMENT:

Bowmarkers and bibs must be picked up at the Registration desk (one per boat per race). All boats launching must have their bowmarkers secured. Bowmarkers will be collected at the launch site. BOWCLIPS: All boats must have a bow clip to which a bowmarker can be secured. We won't have spare bow clips at the regatta, so make sure your boat is equipped. BOW BALL: All shells MUST be equipped with a bowball. HEEL STRAPS: All boats MUST have heel straps securely in place at launch time per USRA rules. This is a cool-weather regatta and heel strap compliance is a very popular item with the referees.

PENALTIES & PROTESTS:

Any boat being overtaken must grant the right-of-way to the upcoming boat. An overtaken boat should begin to yield NO LATER THAN the point at which the overtaking crew is within one boat length of their stern.
Boats must proceed downstream within the restraints of course buoys.
Boats not observing course rules and/or impeding other crews shall be penalized at the discretion of Regatta officials.

Minor Violations: 10 second penalty (e.g., cutting a buoy)

Major Violations: 30 second penalty (e.g., not granting right of way)
Protests must be reported to the Dockmaster immediately upon docking and then submitted in writing to a USRA official at the Textile River Regatta headquarters containing a concise statement describing the facts that underlie the protest (including a visual description of the incident in question, bow numbers of protesting and protested crews, and names of witnesses, if any) and the relief that the crew seeks. The protest will include the individual signature of a protesting crew member (usually the cox on a sweep boat) and will be accompanied by a check for $25 made out to the Textile River Regatta or $25 in cash. The written protest will be submitted to a USRA official at the regatta not more than thirty minutes after finishing that event.