Rules¶

Tamesis Regatta 2026 · Linacre Boat Club

Questions about these rules should be sent to regatta@linacre.ox.ac.uk.

0. Definitions¶

1. The 'Event Committee' refers to the Regatta Captains, Fergus Cooper and Sydney Rose; the Safety Advisor, Sydney Rose; the Coordinating Senior Umpire, Joe Hitchen; the Senior Member, David Seale; the Chief Marshal, Emily Stone; the Event Captain of Coxes, Sydney Rose, and any other individuals chosen in advance to help in the organisation of the event.

2. The 'Race Committee' refers to any set of the above at Race Desk actively running the event at any given time.

1. General¶

1. The Event Committee reserves the right to alter any of the rules without notice and reserves the right to interpret these rules in any way that stays within their spirit, especially with respect to eligibility.

2. The Race Committee reserves the right to disqualify any crew or boat club which infringes these rules, and there will be no refunds in case a crew or entire boat club is disqualified. The Race Committee's decision in the event of any dispute shall be final. No decision taken by the Race Committee shall be deemed to set or have set precedent; each case will be decided on its own merit.

3. The Race Committee reserves the right to postpone or reschedule races, if necessary even until another day (e.g. if conditions become unsafe or the schedule is delayed for any reason).

4. The Regatta shall be held from Wed 25 Nov 2026 until Sat 28 Nov 2026 (7th Week, MT) on the Isis, from noon to dusk on Wednesday–Friday, and from 11am to dusk on Saturday, provided that the weather conditions allow it to be run safely. In case of adverse conditions, the Event Committee will decide whether to lift coxing eligibility restrictions, postpone or cancel races, convert some or all rounds into time trials instead of side-by-side races, or to cancel the whole event. The format for the next day's racing will be confirmed no later than 5pm each day. However, if conditions worsen after 5pm the race day may be called off entirely on shorter notice. If conditions worsen during a day's racing it is the Race Committee's primary concern to ensure everyone's safety, and racing may be suspended or cancelled at any time.

5. All participants take part at their own risk. The Event Committee and Race Committee can accept no responsibility for damage or injury, however caused.

6. All participants agree to the provisions set out in the Event Plan.

2. Entries and Eligibility¶

1. A rower is considered to be a novice if, prior to Thu 1 Oct 2026, they have not competed as a rower (sculling or sweep) in any of the following:

   1. Any British Rowing (or foreign, regional, or international equivalent) regatta or head race.

   2. Any other event where they represented their school, college, or university (for example, bumps races including rowing on, Isis Winter League, Clare Novices Regatta, Oriel Regatta, etc.)

   3. For the avoidance of doubt, rowers who learned to row prior to the start of Michaelmas term 2026 are eligible as long as they have never competed prior to the start of Michaelmas term 2026.

2. A competitive crew must consist of one cox and eight novice rowers.

3. A friendly crew must consist of one cox and a minimum of five novice rowers and up to three non-novice rowers.

   1. A friendly crew will always be considered the losing crew if they have raced against a competitive crew.

   2. If you lose to a friendly crew in a heat, then you will proceed through to the repechage instead of to round one.

4. All athletes must be members of their respective college boat club per OURCs rules of racing section A1.1. A maximum of 2 associate members are permitted in any crew.

5. At the discretion of the Event Committee, composite crews (composed of novice rowers, within the eligibility rules, from more than one boat club) may be permitted to row as a competitive crew. This rule is intended to allow novices to race who would otherwise not have a seat, and the Event Committee will be unlikely to permit composite crews which have been created for reasons other than this.

6. All competitors (rowers and coxes) must have an in-date swim test on the OURCs entry system.

7. All coxes must hold an OURCs coxing licence and must attend the coxing briefing which shall take place on Wed 18 Nov 2026 (6th Week). Exemptions must be requested prior to the briefing and will only be given in exceptional circumstances, and only to X or S status coxes.

   1. N status coxes must have a bankrider at all times that they are on the water. X or S coxes are not required to have a bankrider, but may if they wish.

   2. A maximum of one bankrider is permitted to follow each crew. The Race Committee may grant permission for an additional bankrider for the purpose of teaching novice coxes.

   3. Any crew may have a cox of any status, although in the spirit of the event clubs are encouraged to put novice coxes in their higher ranked boats.

8. All crews (preferably the cox) shall carry identification for the entire crew. Photocopies are acceptable.

9. Substitutions may be made freely within these eligibility rules. The race committee must be informed of any substitutions before the crew in question boats, either on the entry system up to the online substitution deadline, or in person at Race Desk. If a crew races as a friendly crew, it shall remain friendly from that point on.

10. Women may row in men's events, but men may not row in women's events. Coxes may compete in any event regardless of gender.

11. No person may row in more than one crew or cox more than one crew. Although it is permitted to row in one crew and cox another, this is done entirely at the club's own risk and the Event Committee makes no promises that the schedule will accommodate it.

12. The organising committee will not be able to make any changes to the draw in order to accommodate kit clashes, unless this request is made at the time of entry.

13. Crews must be complete, legal, and swim-tested in the OURCs entries database by the close of entries (Wed 11 Nov 2026, 04:00), or else they will be scratched by the committee.

14. The deadline to scratch crews with full refund is Sun 15 Nov 2026.

15. The event committee reserves the right to scratch any crews for any reason, including but not limited to loss of race time.

3. Equipment¶

1. All competing boats shall comply with OURCs rules and RowSafe guidelines for equipment. Crews are required to get their boat checked by a marshal before going afloat and any boat which does not meet the following points, or which is judged by the marshal to be unsafe for any other reason, shall not be allowed to boat until the issue is remedied.

   1. Bow-balls. A solid ball, of not less than 4 cm diameter, made of rubber or material of similar resilience, shall be firmly attached to the bows and the fixing shall not itself present a hazard.

   2. Foot Release. In all boats, each shoe shall be independently restrained such that when the heel reaches the horizontal position the foot will be released from the shoe. In addition, where laces, Velcro or similar material needs to be opened before the rower can remove their feet from the shoes, all such materials shall be able to be released immediately by the rower with a single quick hand action of pulling on one easily accessible strap.

   3. Backstays. The forward port and starboard rigger on all boats shall be protected by a backstay. For the avoidance of doubt, riggers of a "reverse" design are considered to have a backstay.

   4. Hatch Covers. All hatch covers and bungs for which the boat has been designed shall be fitted in the proper place. If a boat was not designed to take such covers then it is not a requirement that it be retrofitted to take them.

   5. Boat Codes. All boats shall be identifiable by a three-letter code as determined by British Rowing, together with a three-digit fleet number determined by the club.

   6. Lights. Boats which are scheduled to race after 15:00 each day must carry bright white lights attached to the stern and bow, which together are visible through 360 degrees.

2. Coxes shall wear a life jacket in the correct manner and be familiar with the method of operation.

3. All bankriders must have a roadworthy bicycle equipped with properly functioning brakes and, if appropriate, lights. Bankriders must not have handheld cameras or other devices.

4. Conduct of the Race¶

1. Competitors, crews, coaches, groups of club members or supporters of a club who do any of the following shall be considered to have engaged in unsportsmanlike behaviour and may be penalised per rule 1.2.

   1. wilfully disobey safety instructions

   2. set out to subvert the application of the Rules of Racing

   3. refuse to follow the instructions of a marshal or properly appointed official

   4. delay the Start without just cause or disrupt the start by shouting, banging, etc.

   5. physically or verbally threaten or abuse another competitor, official, helper or member of the public

   6. use foul or obscene language in the public hearing, or use foul or obscene gestures in the public view

   7. display any other form of misconduct deemed by an official to be unsportsmanlike

2. The start

   1. Each crew is responsible for being on time for their race.

   2. When it is time for their race the starter shall call over the crews to the start. Coxes are responsible for positioning their crew within their lane such that they do not collide with anything off the start.

   3. Coxes should raise their arm to indicate to the starter if they are not ready, and should lower it as soon as they are. Note that this is advisory only and the starter may start the race even if coxes have their hands raised.

   4. The starter shall align the crews, including a stagger between them to account for the differences between the lanes. Crews must not try to alter this stagger unless instructed by the starter.

   5. The starter shall name the two crews, then shall say "Attention" and raise a red flag. After a brief pause, the starter shall give the start signal by saying "go" and simultaneously dropping the red flag.

   6. In the event of a false start, or a collision immediately off the start, the starter shall tell both crews to stop, then will re-align them and start the race again. Any crew which causes multiple false starts may be disqualified.

3. The race

   1. Each crew shall remain in its own lane for the duration of the race.

   2. Any crew which, through leaving its lane, gains an advantage or interferes with or fouls the other crew may be disqualified if the Event Committee deems that such action impacted the outcome of the race.

   3. In the event that the race needs to be stopped for any reason, the marshals will fire a klaxon. All crews on the water must immediately stop and await further instructions from the marshals.

   4. All crews are responsible for their own accidents.

4. The finish

   1. The finish shall be marked by a white post known as the clacker. Upon crossing the finish line, a "clack" sound will indicate to crews that they have finished. Crews should keep paddling until they are fully clear of the finish.

   2. The finish shall be judged by the bows. There is no minimum separation between crews that may not be recognised.

      1. In the event of a dead heat, the finish marshal shall inform the crews and they shall proceed immediately back to the start to re-row.

   3. Appeals against the result of the race should be made by the cox raising their arm upon crossing the finish line. The finish judge shall communicate the appeal to the Event Committee who shall determine if the result shall stand. The decision of the Race Committee shall be final.

5. Bystander Safety¶

1. Due to the very low number of bystanders expected, the handling of their safety will rest with the Marshals. As well as reporting to the SU on the state of the river prior to racing, Marshals will also report on numbers of pedestrians to the Race Desk. Marshals and the use of clear signs at entry points onto the towpath will warn pedestrians of oncoming races. In the event of unsafe or disruptive behaviour by spectators, Marshals will report to the Race Desk, who may postpone the start of a division or contact the Police as appropriate.

2. Numbers of cyclists accompanying races will be strictly controlled. One coach only shall accompany each boat, with sanctions being applied to clubs that disobey this rule. Cyclists must not interfere with the public enjoyment of the public right of way. Occasional permission may be granted for an additional cyclist to accompany a crew by an Event Committee member or the SU — for example to assist in training a novice cox.

3. During racing, any bankrider involved in an incident on the towpath must stop and provide initial assistance and/or information as required, alerting the nearest marshal and informing Race Desk via the marshal if the crew's cox is novice. If the cox is novice, the crew will be held at the finish until either the bankrider can join them to accompany them back to their raft (if no longer needed at the accident), or the Race Desk can send a substitute bankrider. If the cox is not novice, the crew can proceed unaccompanied while the bankrider ensures that their part in the incident has been logged along with their contact details. Marshals will relay information via the radio network.

4. During warm-up and return to the boathouse, any bankrider involved in an incident on the towpath must stop, as must their crew. The bankrider must alert the nearest marshal and proceed as above, with the Race Desk expediting substitute bankriders if the crew is yet to race.

5. Marshals shall be responsible for reporting unsafe behaviour of accompanying cyclists. Captains will be made aware that they are responsible for the conduct of their coaches, and sanctions will be employed in the case of dangerous or inappropriate behaviour. In the event of an accident, Marshals will report to the Race Desk, which will take appropriate action. Crews will be reminded by e-mail before the event of the need for accompanying cyclists to give way to pedestrians and make safety a priority.

Changelog¶