Head of the Housatonic

Rules

CHANGES: Any changes in boatings or average ages (for masters events) must be submitted to Registration at least 90 minutes prior to the start of the applicable event.  Any changes will be posted at the Registration site 60 minutes before the start of the event.

LIGHTWEIGHTS: Lightweight weigh-ins will be held for Masters Singles only from 7:00am until noon at the registration site or the NHRC boathouse for scullers boating from there.  Individual men must weigh 165 or less, individual women must weigh 135 or less.

COXSWAINS: There is no weigh-in requirement for coxswains.

SAFETY: Each boat shall have a firmly affixed bow ball of at least 4 cm. in diameter pursuant to Section 3-105 of the USRowing Rules of Racing.  Each set of foot gear shall have heel tie-downs that do not permit the heel to rise more than three inches to enable a quick exit in the case of a boat capsizing (Section 3-109).  In fours with lie-down coxswain enclosures, the width of the enclosure shall be sufficient to allow easy exit by the coxswain (Section 3-110).  All boats will be checked prior to each race.

BOWMARKERS: Bowmarkers, shirt cards and pins will be in your registration packet.  Shirt cards must be worn visibly on the back of each single sculler or bow-rower, pinned at top and bottom. Shirt cards must be worn on the backs of all coxswains of stern-coxed boats.  Quads, pairs and doubles will only have shirt cards on the bow rower.  All shells must be equipped with a bowmarker holder. The bowmarkers must be affixed firmly on the bow of the racing shell. Any shell without a bowmarker may not receive an official time or placement.

COURSE:The course map will be posted at several locations near the beach and will show the location of buoys and obstructions.  All competitors should review this carefully and observe the traffic pattern.  A line of large red buoys will be placed up the middle of the river and crews must keep to the right of the buoys during racing and in returning to the park.  Yellow buoys denote obstructions and care should be taken to avoid getting too close to them.

BOAT SEEDING: Organizations finishing in the first five places in the previous year's Head of the Housatonic will be seeded in this year's starting order according to their places last year.  The starting order for novice races, however, will be seeded by random draw.

START: All crews are responsible for being in the marshaling area at least 10 minutes prior to the start of the race.  The marshaling area will have a line of large red/orange buoys separating the boats going downstream from those heading upstream toward the start.  Boats should observe the bow markers of the other crews and line up accordingly.  Boats that arrive late to the start or are out of order may be started at the discretion of the starting official, subject to the penalty below.  There will be a large red buoy marking the START, preceded by a string of buoys angling out towards the middle of the river.  Be sure to pass between the START buoy and the shore.

RIGHT-OF-WAY: A crew is deemed to be overtaking another crew when it has moved to within one length of open water of the crew ahead.  On the portions of the course that are straight, a crew being overtaken shall move to starboard and allow the overtaking crew to pass on the port side.  Within a turn, a crew being overtaken shall move to the outside of the turn and allow the overtaking crew to pass along the shorter path.

FINISH: Participants must pass the New Haven Rowing Club facility (finish line), which is marked by a large red buoy, in order to be timed.  Crews must continue rowing and proceed past the end of the string of small buoys before turning around.

---