PROTOCOL FOR BOATS/ TRAILING
1. Each "crew" should elect/(press?) ONE person to be responsible i.e. crew 'captain'/ liaison officer / represenative for general communication and organisation and give me [or whoever the captain appoints to look after boat trailing organisation] his/her name, email and telephone numbers. I will consider that THE STROKE is the default crew rep if you cant agree!
************ Reason?
It is easier for me to communicate with one person per boat than 'a crew' that may well change. Unless there is responsibility and a chain of command the result is anarchy. Loss and damage does not get reported and there is no ability to apportion liability.
2. Crew representatives MUST, additionally, be personally responsible to double check all heel restraints and buoyancy compartment hatches and repair these in the days before loading
*************Reason?
If you go to a regatta with defective boats you won't row and/or you will get the club in trouble.
3. NOTE : NO BOAT SHOULD BE ALLOWED ON THE WATER AT ANYTIME IF THESE ITEMS ARE DEFECTIVE. IF FOUND, THEY SHOULD BE REPORTED in the book for that purpose and a note attached to the boat indicating it MUST not be used and why.
************* Reason?
If you need a reason for this you should not be rowing.
4. Crew representatives MUST organise sufficient personnel to attend each loading and unloading. This would normally mean at least half of an eight or four and all of a pair/ double unless it is a shared boat between two crews or there is an arrangement made with other pairs or crews.
*************Reason?
Funny but isnt it always the same persons who turn up, time after time, and do this and isn't it always 'the others' who find an excuse not to? The crew reps should ensure equitable apportionment of loading and unloading and, more importantly, this means that there are adequate persons present safely to load and unload.
5. Crew representatives MUST organise all crews to purchase and use adequate tape to tape up riggers. E.g. 2" brown parcel tape [or 'duct' tape].
1" INSULATION TAPE IS NOT ACCEPTABLE.
*************Reason?
It is not big or strong enough and is not easily labelled. It is also expensive.
Unless the riggers are properly taped they occupy too much space and get damaged when they get pulled out of a pile or bounced up and down on the trailer. It is perfectly reasonable to use some other form of non-sticky tape e.g. Velcro or plastic clips provided ALL THREE POINTS ARE PROPERLY FIXED.
6. The names of attendees for [loading and] unloading on each occasion should be left by the crew reps, at the latest by the day before loading, with their coach and with me [or whoever the Captain has appointed as Trailer Guru] preferably on email chrisgeorge(at)rowing.atics.co.uk or on my work answerphone 0181 874 2013 or by facs. 0181 874 2013.
It is particularly important to agree who is doing the unloading and when.
*************Reason?
UNLESS YOU tell me [or the Trailer Guru] who is loading and unloading I have no means of communication. This requirement forces you to plan in advance - no mean advantage! Unless I know who is there I dont know that you have actually organized it. What good is a general who does not know where his troops are due to be deployed?
7. Riggers should be securely taped - like with like - stroke side to stroke side, bow side to bow side. If riggers from a four are bundled, gates need to face each other, so long and short stays of the rigger are together. This allows for storage in less space. Reason. Space saving. Saves damage.
LABEL THE RIGGERS!!!
*************Reason?
Unless they are labelled in six places one on each side of the three fixings of tape, it requires great effort to identify the riggers when in a pile. Unless they are labelled with the club and boat name, if they get lost [as the Will Pressley will verify!] - no one will return them and you (or the club) have to pay for a new set. This has happened several times over the last 5 years - all avoidable by suitable labelling.
8. Seats need to be taped and labelled with the boat name using an appropriate marker pen.
On return to the boathouse, ideally, boats should be rigged immediately.
*************Reason?
Safety and avoidance of damage. In 1998, Chris George insisted on all TRC the boats being unloaded that night. One boat from another club was left on and a van backed into it early the next day. This has happened twice in the last 4 years. Vandals have removed and put into the water a sculler left after Gent in 2001.
If re rigging is not practicable riggers must go into the rigger store CLEARLY LABELLED ON THE FACE OF THE TAPE on BOTH sides of the bundle.
*************Reason?
If the boat name and club are on each side of each of three bits of tape [one on the gate one on short and one on long ends] it can readily be identified in the rigger store whatever the angle or awkward nature of its position in the rigger store. This saves time in locating them and reduces damage caused by persons 'hoiking and shoving' riggers about in the store to see what is where.
9. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES MUST RIGGERS OR SEATS END UP ON THE FLOOR OF THE BOATHOUSE.
************* Reason?
Safety and avoidance of damage to persons and property USE THE RIGGER STORE OR IN DESPERATION - THE WORKSHOP AT THE BACK
*************Reason?
Safety and avoidance of damage.
Any found on the floor may well be locked up Offenders may be asked to do work on boats or the boathouse in mitigation.
*************Reason?
We need boats repaired. It seems constructive to get persons to do good for the many for such offences. The club is run for the benefit of all.
10. Any person/ crew leaving his/her boat, riggers or seats etc., on a trailer overnight (unless exceptionally consent is granted by the Captain [not others] to unload later than the night of return, as for example was agreed by after the France training camp) may well forfeit their right to use that club boat pending completion of a task in mitigation as described above. [It is in our interest to have the trailer properly emptied AS SOON AS POSSIBLE TO AVOID RISK OF VANDAL DAMAGE ETC. Obviously, if it is late and you have just come back at midnight from Nottingham it can be delayed at terh Captain's agreement to the Monday BUT DON’T MAKE WORK OR SOCIAL COMMITMENTS ON THE MONDAY!]
*************Reason?
Self-evident above.