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HOTL 2021 Singles, Doubles and Pairs Races Cancelled 

Due to weather conditions, HOTL 2021 will be on shortened course. Singles, doubles and pairs races are cancelled. Read the news release for all the details.

Communication to HOTL Coaches and Crews

• If the race course or race events are altered, or racing is delayed or cancelled, we will broadcast on all available outlets: HOTL Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, RegattaCentral and the HOTL Website.
• Normal messages such as Racing Underway, Event Name and Number at start line, etc will also be broadcast on the HOTL Twitter, Instagram and Facebook pages.
• The communication channels along with the HOTL Twitter feed are also on the HOTL Website Communications page.

Hosted by Lake Washington Rowing Club and the University of Washington, the 41st Head of the Lake will be raced on Sunday, November 7. The course starts on Lake Union, passes through Portage Bay and the Montlake Cut into Lake Washington, and makes a dramatic turn to finish near the UW Conibear Shellhouse.

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Important race day details are on the HOTL Regatta Central News Page. There are a number of changes to protocol, so please read this page in detail and forward the link to your team. 

Registration Guidelines

Dates to Know (all 12 noon PDT)

• September 27:  Acceptance and notification of guaranteed and queued entries begins.  Fees are due at time of acceptance.
• October 11: Deadline for guaranteed entries to submit application. After this, applications from those crews will be placed in the general queue.
• October 25: Scratch deadline. After this, no refunds.
• October 28: Registration closes. Entries will still continue to be accepted to replace scratches. Coaches can make lineup changes.
• November 3: No new entries past this date. No changes to lineups for Masters Crews will be accepted past Noon PDT on November 3. We will separate the Masters events into age groups on the afternoon of November 3rd. Masters races will be awarded first place medals based on age divisions. Some age divisions may be combined at the discretion of the registrar. Junior and collegiate crews may continue to make changes to line-ups till race day.

Registration opened on Thursday September 23.  The regatta is limited to 450 entries.

Registration is application only. Applications will be accepted and notified starting Monday, September 27.

Guaranteed entries (for crews that finished in the top 50% of their event in 2019; see rules below) will be accepted starting Thursday September 23. Their places will be reserved through noon on Monday, October 11.  After this deadline, applications from these crews will go into a queue with other entries and will be accepted as space allows.

Non-guaranteed entries will be placed in a queue based on the order in which applications are received.  We will start accepting entries from the (non-guaranteed) queue on Monday, September 27th beginning at 12:00 noon PDT. Registration closes at 12 noon on Thursday, October 28.

Guaranteed entries: 

• All Collegiate entries are guaranteed as long as application is made by Monday, October 11. Collegiate applications received after noon on October 11 will be accepted as the queue allows.
• The top 50% of Junior and Master and Open finishers from 2019 are guaranteed entry as long as application is made by Monday, October 11.
• Junior 1x, Master 1x, Open 1x, Master 2x, Open 2x and Parent/Child 2x crews applying for guaranteed entry based on results from 2019 must retain the same lineup. This restriction is not enforced at time of entry but will be enforced at time of acceptance. If you are registering in one of these 6 events, do not select the guaranteed application if the line-up does not match the 2019 line-up.
• In other events, including the Junior 2x, guaranteed entries belong to the club and can have different line-ups from the qualifying race. 2021 Guaranteed Entry List by Event and 2021 Guaranteed Entry List by Club
• Masters guaranteed entries are not restricted to the same age group in which they qualified in 2019. If you finished in the top 50% of your age group in an event, you can use your guaranteed entry for that event within any age group in which you are now eligible to race. 

After noon on October 11, the guaranteed entry deadline, we will continue to accept applications only as space allows and existing entries are scratched.

After registration closes at noon on Thursday, October 28, we will continue to accept applications based on the number of scratches we receive.  

SCRATCH DEADLINE IS noon on MONDAY, OCTOBER 25. No refunds will be made for scratched registrations after that time.

We will stop accepting entries from the queue at 12 noon on Wednesday, November 3, when schedules go to press.  Up until that time, if you would like to swap an entry you have for a new entry, make an application for the new entry and email [email protected] with your request. We will scratch the old entry, accept the new and apply the fees from the old entry to the new entry.  

Canadian Crews Both guaranteed and new entries from Canadian crews will be provisionally accepted according to these rules.  On October 21, Washington State will update its covid 19 travel restrictions.  If restrictions applied at that time make it impossible for Canadian crews to attend, we will offer refunds or a credit toward the 2022 HOTL entries. We will contact all Canadian entries when we learn of the new regulations.  If Canadian entries must be cancelled, we will (sorrowfully) accept entries from the queue to fill these places.

Refund policy:  If you scratch before noon on Monday, October 25, you will receive a refund. If you scratch after this date, refunds will not be issued.  If the regatta is cancelled for covid-related reasons we will issue partial refunds based on sunk costs or offer credit toward a 2022 entry.