Marshalling areas - general principle is to keep boats line astern and close to bank.

Launch 1: Safety Launch: 2 people, see section 11

Launch 2: Marshalling area marshal

Launch 3: Start manager/Starter/chief umpire (JM)

Launch 4: Finish marshal

Launch 5: Umpire (alternate races with launch 6 as required)

Launch 6: Umpire (alternate races with launch 5 as required)

The start and the finish will be marked by red and white flags on the Middlesex side.

Bank Marshal 1 ULBH control

Bank Marshal 2 at ULBH (responsible for checking boats)              

Bank Marshal 3 at finish (please judge finish & report result to ULBH race control)

Bank Marshal 4 spotter beyond finish (Ship Inn for races on the ebb and the western end of Strand on the Green (Middlesex side)/Kew Road Bridge for races on the flood).

An additional bank marshal may be needed when the stream is low enough to expose the shingle at the marshalling area in order to keep crews close to bank whilst in the marshalling area and avoid obstruction of the inshore zone. This marshal will work closely with launch 1.

1              Marshals’ meeting at UL as indicated for each event. Please ensure all launches are correctly fitted with British Rowing–compliant IDs and are put out by this time on the day (including petrol, deadman’s handles and safety equipment). Marshals must be in position on the water before crews boat. The list of required launch safety equipment is detailed in the British Rowing Guide to Good Practice in Rowing.

2              All marshals must be familiar with the Code of Practice for Rowing on the Tideway (2006), and the location of the starboard and port lateral mark buoys.

3              All marshalls must have read the event safety plan, with particular reference to the instructions to coxswains (appendix 2), and the navigation plans (appendices 8-12).

4              First aid available from individual Clubs at ULBH. UHBC/ULBC kit is at ULBH. See below for further details.

5              In the event of an accident your first duty is to the safety of competitors and yourself – see appendices 4/a/b. See section 11 regarding the duties of the safety launch. Any emergencies (medical/regatta) to be reported to JM at the start (launch 3) ASAP by radio. See appendices 4, 4A and 4B. Safety first – do not put yourself into danger but if close to the scene please offer assistance. Do not neglect the other aspects of your duty. If the safety launch is in attendance then please return to your designated duty unless otherwise requested.

6              Radio protocol: please keep your messages clear and short.  Remember that no-one else can transmit if you hold your transmit button down. In general please refer to the person you are trying to contact by position rather than name, particularly for:

·         Control (bank marshal 1)

·         Start (start control, launch 3)

·         Finish (bank marshal 3)

·         Launch 4 (finish marshal)

·         Spotter (bank marshal 4)

·         Safety (launch 1)

Please keep all radio traffic formal. The correct manner of starting a call is:

‘Race control, race control, this is xxxx, over’ (best way of attracting attention)

‘This is race control, go ahead’

‘Message, over, (where response expected)

‘Response, out’ (to end conversation)

7              It is the personal responsibility of each club to ensure each club boat conforms to the British Rowing requirements.  Bow-balls, heel release mechanism, British Rowing – compliant IDs, rudder lines and fin, the integrity of the buoyancy chambers, and the proper fitting of coxes’ buoyancy aids must be checked by each club; some random checks will be done by UHBC (bank marshal 2) and crews may be disqualified if boats do not comply (refer start, JM). A written record will be kept of checks by UHBC/ULBC.

8              Launch 1: Safety launch (call sign ‘safety’) will be stationed on the Middlesex side downriver of ULBH so as to have a good view of the start and most of the course.

·         The safety launch should be have an inflatable hull

·         There shall be two people in the safety launch

·         One of these shall either hold a first aid qualification, or be a qualified medical practitioner or a clinical medical student.

·         The safety launch will attend to any capsize or untoward incident in the area covered by the regatta (this includes non-competing crews), and will take over from any other launch as the primary rescue launch to release the other launch back to their designated duties.

·         For incidents at the finish end of the course, assistance can be requested from launch 4 if needed.

9              Launch 2 responsibilities:

·         ensure that UH boats stay in the designated marshalling area; crews must stay line astern and close to the bank in the marshalling areas.

·         If an additional bank marshal is provided when the stream has dropped to expose the shingle, work closely with that marshal to keep boats as close as possible to the bank whilst waiting for their race.

·         ensure that UH boats do not impede external crews or other vessels; the launch needs to ensure that all boats stay well inside the in-shore zone and do not cause obstruction.

·         turn crews when requested by the start (assisted by the appropriate umpire’s launch – 2 or 5). Crews should be taken up sufficiently far beyond the relevant buoy (UL red buoy for the ebb start and Bull’s Alley green buoy for the flood start), and turned around the buoy (without running it over during the turn). It is best to take the crew due to row on the outside station (that is, the Middlesex station for the ebb start and the Surrey station for the flood start) furthest (nearest Kew or Barnes Railway Bridge as appropriate) so that when both crews start to turn they do not cross over each other’s paths.

·         For the ebb marshalling, ensure that crews do not turn too far over to the port (Middlesex) side of the fairway; for the flood marshalling, ensure that crews do not turn too far over to the Surrey side.

·         For the ebb marshalling, the launch driver must also make sure that the launch is line astern or out of the fairway on the starboard (Surrey) side.

10           Launch 3 (JM) (call sign ‘start’) is the chief umpire/start manager/starter.

·         JM is in overall charge of the event marshalling and circulation pattern and he should be informed of all safety issues as soon as possible.

·         He will start all races by aligning bows level.

·         The launch will pay particular attention to crews returning to ULBH against the ebb tide at the crossing point where these boats cross the racing line.

11           Launch 4 (call sign ‘launch 4’) will monitor the finish.

·         The launch will ensure that crews turn promptly, before the bridge restricted zones, and away from obstruction (especially the petrol pump moorings on the flood finish). Please ensure that crews on the ebb finish adhere to the restricted zone at Chiswick Bridge, and monitor all crews until they have successfully completed their turn and entered the Surrey side in-shore zone.

·         In the case of races on the ebb; launch 4 will ensure that crews returning to ULBH against the ebb stream in the in-shore zone on the Surrey side stay as close as practicable to the Surrey bank.

·         In the case of flood finish crews who have gone through the railway bridge, please monitor these crews when turning (beyond Oliver’s Eyot) and ensure that they cross safely from Surrey to Middlesex on their return to ULBH. See map.

·         In the case of races on the flood; launch 4 will ensure that other crews boating from UL do not cross across a race in progress on the course.

·         The launch will ensure that there is no conflict with external crews or other river users.

·         The launch should inform the start if a powered vessel comes into sight from the downstream end of the regatta course (if this has not already been reported by the spotter - bank marshall 4). Launch 4 should also inform the start if there are a significant number of oared boats coming up to the regatta course area against the stream in the in-shore zone.

·         Launch 4 should attend an emergency in the second half of the course if (a) called by radio and (b) it is safe to leave the other duties.

12           Launches 5&6 will follow races alternately.

·         The launch following each race will assist launch 1 in turning the crews and accompany them to the starting area.

·         The launch will ensure that crews do not turn too far over to the port (Middlesex) side of the fairway for the ebb start and the Surrey side for the flood start.

·         The launch will then follow the race to the finish and ensure that the crews are able to turn promptly and safely (taking into account the restricted zones at both finishes) before returning to the start.

·         When returning to the start, the launches should monitor UH crews returning to their boathouse and ensure that the crews stay in the Surrey in-shore zone as appropriate; and instruct crews as required. Such crews need to obey the rules of the in-shore zone as set out in CPRT at p31.

13           Bank marshal 1 (call sign ‘control’) is the shore-based race control at ULBH.

·         Will be identified as ‘control’

·         Control will co-ordinate the order of racing and liaise with all water-borne marshalls as appropriate.

·         The marshal is responsible for dealing with any major incident or injury (see appendix 4A); including calling an ambulance and alerting the medical officers as appropriate.

·         The marshal will co-ordinate the boating of crews, in conjunction with launch 1, to reduce wherever possible the time spent by competing crews waiting for their opposition in the marshalling areas. In particular, the marshal needs to ensure that boating of further crews is suspended if there are already 6 crews waiting for their race in the marshalling areas (so as to reduce the possibility of causing congestion and obstruction to other river users).

·         The marshal needs to liaise with a representative of Kings/GKT at TSSC to ensure timely boating of crews at TSSC.

14           Bank marshal 2 assists the control at ULBH.

·         The marshal will assist in the boating of crews in conjunction with BM 1.

·         The marshal is responsible for checking equipment in as many boats/coxes buoyancy aids as practicably possible. A written record should be kept using the chart as shown in appendix 7 (Control Commission). Any serious deficiencies which are irremediable within the time available and may lead to disqualification of a crew should be discussed with the start.

15           Bank marshal 3 (call sign ‘finish’) will be stationed at the finish.

·         The marshal will judge the finish.

·         A crew may win by the shortest possible distance measurable by eyesight.

·         If at all possible it is recommended that a photographic record be taken of particularly close finishes (e.g. by using a suitable mobile telephone on video record) but this will only be used as an adjunct to the marshal’s eyesight judgement. Discuss any difficult verdicts with JM at the start.

·         The marshal will relay the finish result to control (bank marshal 1) The marshal will inform the start of any powered vessel or significant river activity coming up to the finish from down river (if this has not already been done so by the spotter - bank marshal 4)

16           Bank marshal 4 (call sign ‘spotter’) will be stationed at the Ship Inn (looking towards Barnes Bridge) for races on the ebb and the western end of Strand on the Green (Middlesex side)/Kew Road Bridge for races on the flood.

·         The spotter will monitor the river beyond the course to provide early warning of pleasure cruisers and other oared boats coming into the race course from downriver.

·         The spotter will report all significant river activity (and in particular the presence of any motor vessel coming against the stream) to the start.

In case of radio failure use mobile phone telephone numbers listed in marshalling pack (Check your number is listed and is correct!).