The latest regional Council meeting was at the City of Oxford The Club on the evening of Monday the 21st of February 2005
Perhaps because of the snow, only one club’s representative attended and that was not from TRC, thus though it was technically a Council meeting to which every club and event in the region was entitled to send a representative, numbers were small.
The only item to affect the club are as follows;
A unanimous resolution was passed by the TRR Council to the effect that all clubs would have to provide the regional water safety adviser with an e-mail, either directly or through an intermediate who should be an approved, alternative member with e-mail who will be responsible for passing the content directly to the club water safety adviser and back again, such as to enable efficient communication with the 204 clubs in the region. It was fully accepted that this could not be done efficiently by one part time volunteer if clubs insisted on hardcopy letter and telephone calls with contemporaneous notes. It was agreed that for "associated clubs", who had agreed to come under the aegis of the main club that one e-mail address would suffice for both.
Life Jacket Training
A suggestion has been made by a water safety adviser in Southampton that he can organise with a life jacket manufacturer, training days in swimming pools whereby Coxes and coaches practice inflating lifejackets for real. For about £10 and individual it should be possible to hire a pool and for this firm to replace the gas canisters and service the lifejackets as well as doing the Training test. I have agreed that he undertakes trial in his region and that following the lessons from his trial we offer it to selected areas in our region. Clearly, the motive of the life jacket manufacturer is to sell and service lifejackets but overall it seems a very good idea.
T. R. R. C. Control of Events
Considerable, and somewhat heated, discussion took place, sending the "power" of the region and control events and races. No firm conclusion emerged and Council will look at this at their next meeting having obtained advice from a constitutional lawyer. In short, some of the officers of Council considered that any form of our race between two boats, even a private match between two clubs, required the consent of Council with the appropriate safety procedures etc. As your representative, and as an individual, I did not share this view and proposed that there was a substantial lacuna in the present rules and that were the T. R. R. C. to try, for example, to control the Oxford Torpids or even Henley Royal Regatta, this would not endear them to the rowing public! Watch this space.
Salvage Association Risk Assessment Update
A full day meeting took place of most interested parties [River Users Group] that use the river under the aegis of the Salvage Association on 9th February 2005 at London Corinthian Sailing Club
The subject is sensitive and if I may, I can summarise it in a few sentences by saying that the PLA (as opposed to the SA who are doing the review) appear to be very strongly supportive of a return to the ColRegs in order to avoid the conflict that occurs with the Rowing Rules on the South bank in the event of a rowing boat being on a collision course with a motorboat and the rowing boat turning back into the bank and a motorboat obeying the turn to Starboard requirement - also into the bank [It was termed "the Dance of Death"]. I expressed my opinion at the meeting that this was a situation, which would never arise if the rowers were obeying the rowing rules correctly in the first place and were tucked in close to the bank.
On expressing my opinion that forcing rowing boats on the North Shore of the Hammersmith bend on an Ebb tide would inevitably result in a death, possibly by drowning under the Dove or similar vessels, the opinion of one PLA representative was that this was a matter for the rower in his private risk assessment and, if he considered it dangerous, he should not go out! Very little appreciation was apparent of the fact that 99% of the rowing in the winter is by rowing boats and there appeared to be a complete lack of balance weighing these facts when considering the views of motor launches versus rowing boats. Amongst the more interesting statements made during this meeting was the following one:
"It is against the ColRegs to paddle our race side-by-side as one crew should always be overtaking another!"
National Water Safety Sub-committee
A meeting took place during the day on Saturday 19th of February 2005
The following points are drawn to the attention of the TRC committee
The summary form at the end of the recordable incidents booklet needs to be filled in by the club water safety adviser, apparently by February, and sent to the regional water safety adviser.
There are two types of incidence recordable and reportable. Some attempt is being made to try and normalize these data once collected either by the number of club members or the estimated mileage rowed.
The committee will be provided with the recent safety leaflet, which will be sent to every registered member.
CJD G comment
This leaflet places a duty of care on the club and the club coaches of which it is necessary for them fully to be aware. I strongly suggest that a copy is given to each coach and that the coaches are asked to respond to a questionnaire as to what action he or she is taking with his squad to ensure fulfillment of these undertakings. There are at least six I have counted which are not regularly undertaken by some club coaches!
New Sculling Life Jackets
A firm called Remploy have designed a new life jacket suitable for use by non-swimmers. It is likely to market for £70 of the most and is very much more user-friendly than are present ones. CJD G comment
Consideration should be given to purchasing these in future for Cox’s
Boat Identification
At the meeting of the ARA Council, on which I report later, approval in principle for boat identification was made. The view of the safety Commision, and accepted the generally held view, that the three letter (or occasionally with the odd numeral) code together with a three digit number would suffice. It was agreed that the code approved for use by the National Championships (the only ARA event) would be the code that must be used. Is clubs wishing to change their allocated code letter would have a one-off chance to do this provided this was approved by the National Championships committee. This was for the exceptional case, for example Vesta rowing club who had marked boats with a different code to that for their National championship code. It was agreed that the legal representative of the club, namely the club secretary, should keep and up-to-date register of all boats, including all privates coming or other boats, recording the number of that boat and the name telephone number and address of the owner. This register must be kept up-to-date with all transfers of boats from other clubs and all new users and should be available for inquiry by all outside parties such as the PLA. Subsequent to this agreed suggestion by the water safety commission, consideration has been given by the region to the possibility of a national register held at the ARA with a few to negotiating discounts with the environmental agency for boat licences (currently 21 pounds). In essence, every time a boat from the Tideway goes on to upper Thames water they should pay for a license and this costs 21 pounds per boat with, I think, five or seven licences being free for the club. (To be checked)
Head Events - Potential Hypothermia
Umpires for events have been told that they have the power to prevent any crew, particularly Junior crews, from participating in an event if they deem them to be improperly dressed for cold conditions.
The ARA Council met on Saturday the 12th February 2005 during the afternoon
I do not have the published minutes but the following are the major points of which I took note
Boat identification
from the ARA website
"Recommendation passed
The following recommendation from the water safety committee was passed by Council;
'Many clubs and their crews need to consider the importance of their conduct and observation of navigation rules if the sport is not to be brought into disrepute. It is preferable for the ARA nationally, regionally and at club level to show that it has the ability and desire not only to educate and train its members, but also to call to account those who bring the sport into disrepute. This has been highlighted by the recent risk assessment commissioned by the Port of London Authority.
The identification of boats is critical to the process of dealing with reported incidents from clubs, members of the public and navigation and port authorities. As clubs are responsible for their members’ safety and conduct, then boats should be identifiable by club, including those privately owned and boating from a club.
Methods of identification were discussed from full name to the use of the three-letter code plus fleet number. Agreement was not reached on this issue, but the Water Safety Committee fully endorse the principle of boat identification on a national basis and recommend that Council accept this principle to enable further progress to be made in bringing forward a specific method, application and exemptions etc.'
Club licensing fees
These are likely to be based on ratable value. Clearly after the Borough Building is built our ratable value will increase and, consequently, we may well be in a higher bracket than most clubs. As I understand it the fees are in the low to middle hundreds but are an annually recurring expenditure and will need to be factored into the house accounts. The new licences are scheduled to come in on the 6th November 2005. If our club license runs out before then, even by one day, it needs to be renewed in order to obtain the new-style certificate. Our applications the new style certificate must be made by 6th August at the latest.
CG suggestion: The House to check this.
There will be a Licensing Development Officer of the local district authority rather than the present system of magistrates.
The request was made that if you wish to object to these fees, and they are a substantial increase for a non-profit-making club, every club and as many members as possible should write to their MP.
CG suggestion
The draft letter should be issued for all members to send their MP's should they so agree.
Junior 14 events
These were retained for this year at the National Championships
FISA
It is likely that the Junior World Championships and the Under 23 were Championships will be amalgamated together
National Report
Vicky Foad has left the ARA and will no longer be involved with our regional CDO and is emigrating to Tasmania
NDC
There was much discussion about replacing National development committee with a regional chairman's forum. I understand that this was due to be considered by a constitutional review party and, hopefully, a sensible compromise suggestion provided
Executive
The proposal put to the EGM, which preceded Council, to reduce the executive voted members from six to four failed and there is no reduction in the size of the board of ARA Ltd.
Staggering of the period of tenure of the ARA chairman and the ARA Treasurer
The dates for the election of these officers were changed by vote of the EGM so that they were in automating four-year periods with a two-year overlap.
The date the next meeting is the 16th of April 2005