Is it safe to put to water

Is it safe to put to water

It is outlined in the safety statement that “Weather Conditions should be suitable for the task”.

Before putting to water it is important to assess

1. the weather and water conditions for the duration of the event,

2. participants personal limitations,

3. limitations of their equipment

4. Safety facilities available.

5. Take due regard of any advice or direction provided by relevant water authorities (Coastguard, RNLI etc).

As such it is necessary to have guidelines in place for the following conditions, so as to be in a position to properly assess whether it is safe to put to water or not:

a. Wind

b. Rain

c. Tide and Current

d. Wave height

e. Poor visibility

f. Low light

g. Heat / Cold

As per the rules of the Association boating activities will be suspended when the conditions are assessed as unsafe.

On the Majority of occasions it will be possible to assess the conditions by completing the Pre Event SWCYRA Safety Check List. However on occasion there may be disagreement as to whether conditions are suitable for rowing or not. When these circumstances arise a “GO – NO GO” check list has been drafted (Appendix 2.) which should be completed at the beginning of each regatta by the Association Safety Co-ordinator and all clubs should be aware of its findings before any boats are put in the water. The completed document must be available in the Association Safety File should it be required at a later stage

{Note: In preparing this policy it has been established that the “one design” yawl has never been put through formal trials by the manufacturer. As such there are no guidelines in place that state the maximum conditions to which the boat is suitable or safe to operate. The bench mark conditions set out in the attached appendix have as such taken a particularly cautious approach in determining what conditions are considered safe before putting to water.}