Cromwell Cup

  • Hosted By: Riverside Boat Club

Announcements
Official Announcements on race day will be announced by regatta staff in the following ways:
Mega Phone Announcements, Postings on Results & Info Boards, Twitter.com/cromwellcup,
www.riversideboatclub.com. If you are not launching from Riverside Boat Club, you are solely
responsible for learning about announcements. You will not be contacted by a member of Riverside
Boat Club or the Cromwell Cup Committee.

ATMs
The nearest ATM is located in the Courtyard Hotel lobby.
 

Bathrooms
Port‐a‐potties will be available along the sidewalk for the public and competitors. Riverside’s bathrooms
will not be available to the public. Riverside’s restrooms are for members only.
 

Boat and Equipment Safety
Each boat shall have a firmly affixed bow ball and each set of foot gear shall have heel tie downs that
don’t permit heel to rise more than three inches. In fours with lie down coxswain enclosures, the width
of the enclosure shall be sufficient to allow easy exit by the coxswain.
 

Bow Numbers
Competitors that own bow numbers are encouraged to bring and use them. Please check the heat sheet
on the Friday before the race (www.regattacentral.com) for your lane assignment. Riverside Boat Club
will have bow numbers available on the dock for boats requiring them upon launching – they MUST be
returned to the dock immediately after your race.
 

Cancellation Policy
No refunds for cancelled races due to weather, as determined by the Regatta Director and Chief
Referee.

Committee Command Center
The Committee Command Center will be located in the team room at Riverside Boat Club. Only
committee members will be available in this room and safety officials on the day of the event. Lunch and
breakfast for the committee will be provided in this room.
Coxswain Information
There is no coxswain weigh in for Cromwell Cup. Coxswains are highly encouraged to attend the safety
meeting on Sunday at 6:15 a.m on the 2nd floor of the boathouse.


Downstream/Upstream
Downstream is towards the BU Bridge. Upstream is towards the Weeks Bridge. The crews are starting at
Weeks and racing downstream to the finish.
Heat Sheets & Lane Assignments
Schedule and lane assignments can be found on www.regattacentral.com on Thursday, July 7th and at
the information table on race day. Schedule subject to change due to time constraints. Heat and final
sheets, as well as results, to be provided throughout the day at the information desk.
We will accept entries after July 6th on a case‐by‐case basis contingent on lane availability.
Please contact [email protected] to request a late entry. Heat Sheets will be posted at
Registration, by the Front Door of Riverside Boat Club, and near the Finish Line area on the day of the
event.

Inclusion Events
Composition: These events are for mixes Classifications of athletes including a rower and an able-bodied rowing partner. Classification: Official USRowing adaptive classifications are not required for this event. 


Informational Safety Meeting
There will be an informational safety meeting at 6:15 a.m. on Sunday to review the traffic pattern, race
procedures, important safety protocols, and to answer any questions. This meeting is required for all
coaches, and HIGHLY recommended for coxswains, sculling shells, juniors, any athlete that has never
competed before at Cromwell Cup.
Launching
Boats will be launching from the main docks at Riverside Boat Club. If a crew chooses to launch from a
different boathouse, it is their responsibility to have a bow # (crews can row to RBC to pick‐up their bow
#, they must return it immediately after completing their event). Cox or Coach is to accompany crews at
all times. Please make every effort to launch and depart dock in 90 seconds. Notify dock master if an
athlete is hot seating. Please do not bring any oars down to the docks of the boathouse until you are
prepared to launch. Leave all oars at your trailer or at the designated oar storage site. All equipment
adjustments must be done prior to launching. Boat enters dock STERN FIRST using SWING DOCK on up‐
stream side of boathouse. Receive your bow marker from the dock marshal upon entering dock area.
Double check that your boat has a bow ball before launching.

Landing
Boats will be landing at dock located at Magazine Beach. Only hot seating and Riverside Boat Club
members will be permitted to land at Riverside Boat Club. Recovery and Landing Pattern. Rowers must
wait along the magazine beach shore to land (after rowing up to BU Bridge and turning around before
the bridge) and will be summoned to the docks by the dock master. Boats must enter bow first. Please
return bow cards to the dock master. When landing, help us keep the dock clear by having a coach or
teammate take oars.


Lost and Found
Items should be left with the Registration table. After the regatta, items will be stored in the Riverside
Office. Individuals may send an e‐mail to [email protected] describing their lost item.
 

Medals
Medals for 1st place (winning crews only) will be distributed at the registration table 30
minutes after each final.

Novice Events
Novice events are open to any rower who is in thier first year of racing. Novice events will not be handicapped and will be run as flights. Medals will be awarded to the winner of each flight.


Practice
Practice on the course will not be permitted before the event.

Power Boaters
Due to the nature of the river, power boats are a familiar sight during Cromwell Cup. Water marshals
and State Police will control power boat traffic through the race course. Be aware that there will be
breaks for power boat traffic in between races. Rowers are prohibited from rowing through Anderson
Bridge or BU Bridge, due to unrestricted power boat traffic.
Press
Questions from the press should be directed to the Public Outreach Coordinator who may be contacted
via cell phone on race day.

Protest & Appeals
Any protests of races are to be filed upon race completion on the water to the race referee.
Coaches: DO NOT approach the staff on the docks in regards to protests. A decision will be made by the
chief referee and/or regatta chair within one hour. Crews should go to the information table for the
result of their protest. To have a protest ruled protest in your favor, you must have been in a position to
advance to final (if pro‐testing a heat) or a position to win (if protesting a final). Safety infractions will
not be tolerated.


Race Course
The race course is 1,000 meters long (500 meters for dash events). The race starts downstream of the
Weeks Bridge and ends near the end of the Riverside Docks and Magazine Beach.
Racing Format
Morning 1000 heats will be 1000m races from a floating start beginning downstream of Weeks
Footbridge and ending downstream of the Riverside dock.
Afternoon 1000m Finals will be 4‐lane 1000m races from a standing start, on the same course as the
morning heats.
500m Dashes (Open 1x and Mixed Open/Masters 8+ will begin before the River Street Bridge and end
past the Riverside Dock at the same finish line used for the 1000m course.

Recovery:
After completing your race, YOU MUST continue rowing past the finish line beyond the sign. Feel free to
cool down towards the BU Bridge, but DO NOT row through BU Bridge.

Regatta Time
Regatta time is cell phone time.


Registration
Registration will be located on the 2nd floor of the Riverside Boat Club in the main workout room.
Registration will be for those who must: sign their waiver, pay their remaining balance, scratch fees, and
late entries. Registration will open at 5:30 a.m.

Results
Results will be available on‐line at www.regattacentral.com and on www.riversideboatclub.com and
www.row2k.com upon the conclusion of the event. Throughout the day, results will be available at
registration, the front door of Riverside Boat Club, and near the finish line area.


Starting Protocol
Cromwell Cup will use the following floating command procedure: Aligner will call boats to the line and
align them. When alignment called, crews should be sitting ready for the start of the race. Hands will not
be recognized after alignment is called. After alignment is announced, the starting commands will
closely follow. Countdown sequence may or may not be used, at the discretion of the starter. The entire
starting sequence is as follows:
"We have alignment" (hands will NOT be recognized after this point)
"This is the start"
"5‐4‐3‐2‐1" (if countdown start is used)
"Attention"
(variable pause, from 1 to 5 seconds in length) "Go!"
Steering the Course
Once racing, rowers or coxswains are responsible for keeping their course. Referees and launches are
there only for your safety and issue corrections if a boat is off course. Should your course need
correction, the referee will wave a white flag and point to the direction you must adjust towards.
For coxed boats: stroke seats or bow seats may have to notify their coxswain if the crew is directionally
flagged by an official.


Taxis
Cambridge Cab (617) 776‐5000
Cambridge Taxi (617) 492‐7900
Ambassador Taxi (617) 492‐5010


Traffic Pattern
Please see course map to review traffic pattern
1000m Heats AND Afternoon Finals: Warm up area traffic must follow counter clockwise pattern
between Weeks Bridge and Anderson Bridge. Please be aware of other crews and boat traffic going
through bridges. Crews are NOT permitted to row through Anderson Bridge or BU Bridge. If a crew fails
to abide by these rules, they are at fault for any incidents or accidents that occur Upstream from the
Anderson Bridge or downstream of BU Bridge, as noted in the Riverside Boat Club waiver.
500m Dash: Warm up area traffic for dashes must follow the same counter clockwise pattern as the
1000m heats (between Weeks Bridge and Anderson Bridge) and obey normal river rules. AFTER, and
ONLY AFTER the final 1000m heat/final has begun may you ex‐tend your warm up area to the first 500m
of the 1k course.


Vendors
Vendors will be on‐site on the day of the event along the shoreline of Magazine Beach. Vendors hours of
operations are 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.


Viewing the Races
Spectators can see the races from the banks and bridges of the Charles River from the start to the finish.
Viewing will not be available on the docks or ramps at Riverside Boat Club. RBC Members will not be
allowed to watch the races from the docks or ramps.


Volunteers
Volunteers must check‐in at the Registration table located on the 2nd floor of Riverside Boat Club in the
main workout room. Volunteers will be required to sign in at this table. Upon completing their volunteer
assignment, they will be required to fill out their volunteer form and submit it to their volunteer
manager for their assignment. Failure to volunteer may result in punishment by the Riverside Boat Club
Captain.


Water Fountain
A water fountain is located on the 2nd floor of the Riverside Boat Club in the main workout room. Water
will be available at the recovery dock and on the launch dock, as well as in launches for medical
emergencies.

Weather Policy
Weather delays will be determined at the discretion of the Regatta Director and Chief Referee. Should
there be a delay, regatta organizers will do their best to get the schedule back on time but cannot
guarantee all races will occur. Should there be lightning, there will be an automatic delay of 30 minutes
after the last strike of lightning. More details to be provided at the Safety Meeting taking place at 6:15
a.m. on Sunday on the 2nd floor of the boathouse.