Course Details
The race winds up the Yarra River from the heart of Melbourne to Hawthorn.
Here are some guidelines for competitors about the race:
Getting to the Start
Officials will be at the City staging to assist in the timely dispatch of crews. Please also note that Boat Safety Officers will be present to ensure that boats comply with required safety standards.
No on-water warm ups will be permitted.
It would be impossible to allow 200 crews to warm up on the water! We have been asked by Parks Victoria to ensure that all crews go straight to the start, keeping to the South Bank until clear of the commercial boat jetty opposite the clubhouses.
No crews are to go below Princes Bridge on their way to the start. Officials will remind crews of this requirement.
Crews are to make their way directly to the start in an orderly manner when they get on the water.
The Start
It is important for each crew to ensure they are on the “starting line” at the appointed “Start-time”. The Starter will start the race at the appointed time and crews not in line will penalise themselves. Officials will be available to assist in aligning crews.
Crews will be lined up in predetermined rows of four boats abreast, however one crew at a time will be signaled to start. As the last boat in each row is sent off, the next row of boats should be slowly touching it forward into the assistant starter’s hands. There is a five minute break between every 8 crews (2 rows).
There is a time penalty for crews who fail to start within five seconds of their race being called. See penalties for more information.
There will be a break between race categories.
During the Race
Distance “to go” signs will be placed at each kilometre point over the last 5 kilometres.
If your boat or crew should become damaged or injured or for any reason and be unable to continue to row as a full crew you will be forced to stop racing and clear the course. You must pull over to the bank as soon as is practical and wait for the race to pass. Marshalls will let you know when you are able to resume your row. If you require medical assistance refer to your coxswain’s medical card for guidelines.
There are 11 On-course Umpires positioned all along the course and particularly at strategic points where there is a possibility of a collision.
The Umpire’s role is to ensure that fair play exists AND to assist with the avoidance of collisions. Umpires are placed at ALL river bends.
If a competitor boat is being overtaken by a faster boat, then the slower boat must yield the best racing line to the overtaking crew and warn the faster crew if they should alter their course. A crew is deemed to be overtaking if a faster crew has its bow ball within half a length of the stern of the slower crew. For safety reasons, the faster boat must be prudent and delay the act of passing if a pass can not accomplished without incident.
Any crew that disregards an Umpire’s instruction will incur a time penalty (or disqualification).
"Big Bend" (this is looking downstream)
The Finish: What to do and how to get off the water
There is a real danger of an accident at the finish with fast finishing crews.
It is therefore very important for all crews to continue rowing lightly once having crossed the finish line. Officials will direct crews at the finish, and time penalties will be enforced for not adhering to these instructions.
The finish line will be buoyed and crews must follow the line of buoys to the turn before coming back to the Hawthorn staging. This is essential to allow for boats to be removed from the water in an orderly fashion. Boat storage Officials will direct crews to storage racks.
All crew numbers including those worn by the cox and bow are to be returned to the Boat Numbers Return Register located in front of Hawthorn Rowing Club on completion of the race. Please only send one member of the crew (ideally the coxswain) to do this. Only on return of your numbers will you be returned your $20 deposit.