Frequently Asked Questions

Can my crew use the course on the Saturday evening?

The regatta lake will be open until 20:00 on Saturday for crews wishing to practise on the course.
Please note that there will be limited safety cover at this time and crews MUST follow the guidance of the safety team.

Can my crew double up?

Yes of course. Many crews do two events; some even do three or four! The order of events as shown on the poster will be adhered to though so whilst every effort will be made to accommodate doubling up you must remember it is at your risk (see the Masters Championships Rules). For example if you double up in events 42 and 43 (M B2x and M D4x) we might not be able to give you enough time between races.

How much time will I get between races if I double up?

This will vary a lot depending on the events you’ve entered, how many entries they get and how close they are in the running order. We do have a bit of flexibility though when the race schedule is put together because the IM3 and Novice events can be slotted in to pack out the other races. The minimum turn-round we work to is 30 minutes. We know this is tight but it is achievable and, generally, there aren’t too many crews with only 30 mins between races. The previous year’s Race Programme is usually a good guide to how long a gap you will get. The Officials will also have a list of ‘tight turn-rounds’ and will do what they can to help crews in this situation.

Can I pay on the day?

No. The Entries Secretary must receive all entry fees by the closing date shown on the poster. No cash or cheque - no entry!

Can I use British Rowing On-Line Entry to enter?

Yes. All entries must be put in via the BROE. You can pay by credit card via the BROE or payments can be made via the post if you prefer.

How do we use the BR On-Line Entry system if we’re a new club or an overseas club/crew?

If your club isn’t listed in the BR On-Line Entry system (either because it’s a new club or an overseas club) please contact British Rowing on 020 8237 6700 to arrange access.

What happens if there are more than 6 entries in my event?

There will be heats and possibly semi-finals to determine the crews that will race in the final. The order of heats and semi-finals will be the same as that for the finals. See the ‘Progression System’ link on the left for full details.

What happens if there are 7 entries in my event?

One of the crews will be drawn randomly and will receive a bye to the final. The other 6 crews will race a heat in which the first 5 go through to the final.

How do Novice, Intermediate 3 and Mixed events fit into the racing programme.

Heats and Finals for the ‘open’ events are run in the order shown on the poster. Nov, IM3, Masters H and Masters I events are then slotted into the main racing programme taking into account, where possible, doubling up of people and equipment. We do try to accommodate doubling, tripling and even quadrupling up so it is very important that the names of your crew members are correct and you let us know if you are sharing equipment.

Do we have to turn up for heats if we know crews have dropped out beforehand and all the remaining crews now go through to the final?

Yes. The only fair way is for all crews to turn up for their heats. A decision might be made by the Organizers at that stage to cancel the heat but that will not be done in advance.

Can two crews share a boat, blades or a coxswain.

Yes. As long as you tell us what you are doing we can take it into account.

What happens if there are no other entries for my event?

If you think your event won’t get many entries (e.g. M H1x, W A8+, etc.) then you could specify an alternative choice of event on your entry form. For example just add a note saying something like “If there are no M G4+ we’ll do M G4-“. If we still can’t find a race for you then we’ll try to arrange a handicapped race. The ‘Championship Rules’ pages on this website outline how the Masters Handicap System will be used for ‘open’ events. The Handicap system will not be used for IM3 or NOV events but adjacent age categories will be merged. For example single entries in Masters D NOV 1x and Masters E NOV 1x would be merged to make a race which would be run as Masters D NOV 1x without the handicap.

It does help a lot if you are able to specify an alternative choice of event when you put your entry in. If all else fails we’ll try to ring you up to find something you can do!

How do you arrange crews for handicapped races?

This is not an exact science. It all depends on how many entries there are for the various events. Generally if an event gets 4 entries in its own right then it will go ahead. If two events that are side-by-side only get 1 entry each (e.g. W A1x & W B1x) then they would be combined and run as a handicapped race. If W A1x got 4 entries and W B1x got 1 entry then the B sculler would be asked if she wanted to race with the 4 A’s without a handicap (since the A’s already have a race in their own right). If two side by side events get 2 entries each then it is likely each event will run separately unless the racing programme is so full we can’t fit all the races in. These aren’t cast in stone though! Events could raced as handicap depending on other entries, the crews, the racing programme etc.

How do you organize the handicapped races?

These races are organized following the guidelines in the British Rowing Almanack. See the 'Standard Times' page on this website for further details and for the Standard Times that are used by the Masters Championships.

What do you mean by ‘last in first out’ if the event is oversubscribed?

It is unlikely that the event will be oversubscribed but we can only fit in a certain number of races during the day so we may have to turn some entries away to reduce the number of races. All entries that are ‘in’ and fully paid by the closing date will be considered in the opposite order in which they were entered into OARA and will be rejected one by one if, by doing so, that reduces the number of races. Preference will be given to retaining crews in Championship events though. We will, however, do whatever we can to offer people alternative events before rejecting the entry.

What happens if you cannot arrange anything for my crew or me?

You will be given a full refund.



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