Weybridge Silver Sculls

2900m upstream in four Divisions at 09:30, 11:30, 13:30 & 15:30
Course starts about 250m below Walton Rowing Club to Elmbridge Canoe Club to The Red Lion Pub, Shepperton.

Please acquaint yourself thoroughly with the Instructions to Officials, the Instructions to Competitors, the Safety Plan and the associated maps. The safety of competitors is paramount and any competitor who capsizes or is clearly in difficulty must receive your full attention until they are out of danger.

Briefings will be held as follows:

Race Monitors / Safety Crews - A full briefing for all Divisions will be held in Cowey Sale car park at 08:30.

Marshals – Briefings will be held in different locations depending on which part of the course you will be working in, briefing sessions are planned as follows:

	Division 1 & 2	Division 3 & 4
Start Area: M1 – M6	08:30 Walton RC	12:30 Walton RC
Cowey Sale: M7-M10 & M14	08:30 Cowey Sale	12:30 Cowey Sale
Finish Area: M11 — M13	09:00 Red Lion Pub Garden	13:00 Red Lion Pub Garden

Equipment will be allocated to you at the briefing.

Safety

There will be four safety launches, as shown on the map, to be called:-

1. Safety Start: moored around Tumbling Bay weir. Danger areas are Sunbury Weir and Tumbling Bay Weir.
2. Safety Walton Bridge: roving patrol 100m either side of Walton Bridge. Danger areas are the two Marina entrances.
3. Safety Finish: just upstream of the finish.
4. Safety Old River: roving patrol along the old river behind Desborough Island. Paying particular attention to the wellbeing of crews returning along the Old River after racing.

Safety launches will be on station 30mins before each division is due to start and the launch in the Start area will follow the last boat of each division.

An Ambulance will be in attendance at Cowey Sale.

River closure

The following sections of the river are closed to non-racing traffic between 09:00 and 17:00:

• The Middlesex half of the river between Sunbury Weir and the downstream point of Desborough Island
• The whole section of the ‘Old River’ from the downstream point of Desborough Island to the Finish at the Red Lion bend

The rest of the river remains open throughout the day. Please ensure all racing crews stay in the racing channel marked with yellow buoys on the Middlesex side and returning crews keep to normal navigation rules on the Surrey side.

Radio Instructions

All Marshalls, Race Monitors and Safety crews will use CHANNEL 16.

As we will be using a repeater to ensure good radio contact please note that you need to depress the talk button for one second before talking.

Please keep radio traffic brief at all times and observe the correct protocol by identifying the person you wish to contact first. In the event of an incident please give clear, precise details of casualty type, location and degree of urgency to Safety Crews.

Race Monitors

The Chief Umpire will be based at Cowey Sale near Walton Bridge where Race Monitors should collect loud hailers and radios. Please print off any documents you may require. All equipment needs to be signed for and returned after racing. Please hand over equipment to your successor where appropriate.
Briefing will be at 8.30 at Cowey Sale. Race Monitors 4, 5 and 6 will act as Control Commission at Cowey Sale until racing starts. Race Monitor Starter, 1 and 2 will act as Control Commission at Walton RC.
Please report any proposed penalties to Chief Umpire by phone within 15mins of the end of each division.

There will be eight positions as indicated on the Maps:

RM Starter: Advise Chief Umpire when time team in place and ready.
RM1: Miskin’s Wharf.
RM2: Thames Valley Skiff Club.
RM3: On Middlesex side at the Black Swan Sea Cadets look out for traffic emerging from marinas on both sides.
RM4: Walton Bridge. On Middlesex side looking downstream. Act as Control Commission at Cowey Sale.
RM5: Walton Bridge. On Middlesex side looking upstream. Act as Control Commission at Cowey Sale.
RM6: Cowey Sale, two thirds upstream between Walton Bridge and Desborough Bottom Cut Bridge. Keep lookout for any river traffic emerging from Old River. Act as Control Commission at Cowey Sale.
RM7: Old River wharf on Desborough Island
RM8: Afloat in WEY yellow launch half way along Old River (Collect from Cowey Sale).

Returning crews must keep to the normal navigation rules on the Surrey side.

Adverse weather:

In the event that a thunderstorm seems imminent we will apply the 30/30 guidance rule, and the Race Committee will implement the Thunderstorm Plan. A general announcement will be issued by the Chief Umpire RACING SUSPENDED - RACING SUSPENDED - CLEAR THE COURSE - CLEAR THE COURSE.
Boating of all crews will be stopped immediately, racing will be suspended and any crews on the water will be required to return quickly and safely to the nearest boating area irrespective of where they boated from originally. All Race Monitors, Marshals and Race Officials must assist with this process, and once the river is clear, leave the water themselves. Racing will only recommence when it is safe to do so. All Competitors and officials should seek shelter in boat houses or their cars.

Stopping the Race:

In the event of a serious incident on the course making it unsafe to continue racing, any Race Monitor or Starter may stop the race by verbally instructing crews to "STOP RACING".
Race Monitors first responsibility is to the crews in their reach of the course; having ensured those crews have understood and reacted to the instruction to stop racing, they will then contact the Chief Umpire by radio (or phone) with a brief report that they have stopped the race, and why they have stopped it.
The Chief Umpire will relay the message to all other Race Monitors and the Starter, who will all then immediately stop the race in their reaches using the command "STOP RACING". The Chief Umpire will use the following message: "ALL STATIONS, ALL STATIONS. RACE CONTROL. STOP THE RACE. I REPEAT. STOP THE RACE. ALL STATIONS ACKNOWLEDGE. OVER". Acknowledgements should begin with the Starter and work up the course.
Unless circumstances dictate otherwise, crews will be instructed to return to their boating areas, following normal navigation rules.

Marshals

All marshals afloat must wear lifejackets at all times. The Chief Marshal will be in charge of all marshaling. Briefings for the Start, Cowey Sale and Finish teams will be held for the morning and afternoon divisions according to the table above. All start Marshals must be in position 30 minutes before the start of each division.

As a Marshal you must be prepared to give clear and precise orders to specific competitors.

You must be vigilant at all times for any incidents and deal with them as a priority as the situation demands.

Marshal 1 plus Asst.: Afloat in the Start area - Zone A, initially next to the EA barges supervising the competitors in each division as they turn to move towards the start. Also instruct any competitors and non-racing craft coming up through Sunbury Lock where to go. When racing has started, drop back to just below the last barge and tell M2 when the next scullers should paddle downstream and turn. Give clear orders to instruct each sculler to turn just upstream of your position. If there is a strong stream or downstream wind it may be necessary to turn the scullers further upstream to keep well clear of Sunbury Weir. Liaise with M2 to interrupt scullers from paddling down if a cruiser is approaching. Collect L/hailer / Radio / Hi-Viz / aid from Walton RC.

Marshal 2: On the Surrey bank in the Start area patrolling between the barges and Little Weir — Zone B, instructing scullers as they come down to the start and then supervising scullers waiting on the Surrey side. Ensure scullers boating from Walton RC proceed upstream in the navigation channel (Middlesex side) before turning. Scullers coming downstream should be on the Surrey side, i.e. towards the bank, allowing non-race vessels going upstream sufficient room in the Navigation Channel on the Middlesex side. Collect L/hailer / Radio / Hi-Viz from Walton RC.

Marshal 3: On the Middlesex bank at the entrance to Shepperton Marina, holding back any boats leaving the marina until it is safe for them to proceed to the navigation channel. Ensure boats leaving he marina are aware of the race and where the navigation channel is. The Safety Boat will take you across to the Middlesex side, together with the RM operating from the Black Swan. Collect Life Jacket / L/hailer / Radio / Hi-Viz from Walton RC.

Marshal 4: Start Assistant on the Middlesex bank. Feed Scullers at intervals to the Starter ~10 second intervals or longer as advised on start sheet. Liaise with Marshal 1 as to when scullers should be turned to proceed to the race start. M1 will take you across to the Middlesex bank. Collect Life Jacket / L/hailer / Radio / Hi-Viz jackets from Walton RC.

Marshal 5: Walton RC Raft: Assist in boating primarily to avoid collisions with any crews already afloat. Also encourage boating in good time and provide any marshaling advice for crews. Ensure crews boating from Walton RC proceed upstream in the navigation channel (Middlesex side) before turning. CREWS MUST BOAT FROM WALTON RC IN BATCHES ACCORDING TO THE BOATING SCHEDULE. Collect L / hailer / Radio / Hi-Viz jacket from Walton RC.

Marshal 6: Dudley Road Recreation Ground: Assist in boating primarily to avoid collisions with any crews already afloat. Also encourage boating in good time and provide any marshaling advice for crews. Ensure crews proceed upstream in the navigation channel (Middlesex side) before turning. CREWS MUST BOAT IN BATCHES ACCORDING TO THE BOATING SCHEDULE. Collect L / hailer / Radio / Hi-Viz jacket from Walton RC.

Marshal 7, 8, 9: At Cowey Sale ensuring crews boating from Cowey Sale are on time and aware of their initial marshalling positions. Depending on how proactive crews are being, you may have to encourage them by making several announcements using the loud hailer that boating for each division has commenced. CREWS MUST BOAT FROM COWEY IN BATCHES ACCORDING TO THE BOATING SCHEDULE. Assist returning crews who arrive on the Surrey side who will use the upstream boating location. Collect L/hailer / Hi-Viz jacket from Cowey Sale.

Marshall 10: On Desborough Island at the downstream point where the Old River rejoins Desborough Channel near the bottom cut bridge. Ensure any river traffic coming along the Cut uses the correct navigation channel on the Surrey side and does not impede racing crews. Ensure crews take the bend correctly when turning into the Old River and steer away from the bank to avoid collisions with moored boats. Collect L/hailer / Radio / Hi-Viz Jacket from Cowey Sale.

Marshal 11: Afloat in the Finish area, opposite the Red Lion Pub. Ensure crews continue rowing round the bend at the finish before stopping to avoid obstructing racing crews and any congestion in the finish area. Collect a launch, life jacket, from Weybridge and loud hailer and Hi-Viz jacket from the Red Lion.

Marshal 12: On the river bank or in the garden of the Red Lion Public House. Liaise with M11 and ensure crews continue rowing round the bend at the finish before stopping to avoid obstructing racing crews and any congestion in the finish area. Collect L/hailer / Radio / Hi-Viz Jacket from the Red Lion.

Marshal 13: Afloat in the Old River along the stretch between the White House and D'Oyly Carte Island. Ensure all competitors who have completed their race and wish to return to Cowey Sale, Dudley Road or Walton RC keep moving and know to turn into the Cut and proceed downstream following normal navigation rules. Also manage any non-racing river traffic to ensure they are aware of the event and proceed accordingly. Weybridge RC blue launch. L/hailer / Radio / Hi-Viz Jacket / Life jacket.

Marshal 14: On Desborough Island at the upstream point where the Desborough Channel and Old River fork. Ensure any racing crews coming from the Old River know to turn into the Cut between D'Oyly Carte Island and Desborough Island (the space in front of Elmbridge Canoe Club). Ensure river traffic emerging from Sunbury lock use the Cut and follow normal river navigation rules. Collect L/hailer / Radio / Hi-Viz Jacket from Cowey Sale.

Notes to Marshals: Your prime duty is the safety of the crews; and to assist in avoidance of collisions and bunching that may give rise to capsize. Safety boat can be called on channel 16. Crews should be sorted into order by marshals as they arrive for the race. ALL CREWS SHOULD MARSHAL WITH THEIR BOWS POINTING INTO THE STREAM.

A clear lane MUST be kept between the competitors and the course for other river traffic. A warning 5 minutes before the start of the race should be given for the removal of tracksuits / non-racing clothing.

If marshals have any queries before the day of the event, they should contact the Chief Marshal.

Starter:

The starter will be based some 50m before the start timing line.

Results:

Andrew Fisher will be based in a function room in the Red Lion Public House and will produce results sheets. Provisional results will be available online. Results and prize giving will take place at The Red Lion Public House, Russell Road, Shepperton, TW17 9HX at c.17:30hrs.

Timekeepers:

The first two watches will be started in Cowey Sale car park at 08.30. Both Start and Finish Timekeepers must be in position 15 minutes before the start time of each Division. You will be sent an instruction sheet to remind you of the timing procedure.

Couriers:

Your job is to collect the timing sheets and tape cassettes at the end of each Division from the Start timing team, who will be on the riverbank about 200m below Walton Rowing Club, and take them to the Results Coordinator at The Red Lion. Please equip yourself with a bicycle for this purpose – it is the fastest and more reliable way of getting from one end of the course to the other.

Registration:

Registration and collection of numbers will be at Cowey Sale. A tent at the back of the car park will serve as Race Headquarters.

Food:

Food / Refreshments for officials will be provided either at Cowey Sale. Those working all day at either the start or finish will receive a packed lunch.

Thank you very much for volunteering to help make the Weybridge Silver Sculls a safe, successful and enjoyable event.