Rules and regulations

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Right of participation

 

The race is open to club crews.

Mixed crews between several clubs are allowed. The participants of mixed teams will however represent only one club, previously chosen by the crew during the registration.

 

Terms of registration

 

The registration period runs from 17/08/2020 to 21/11/2020.

Each participant has to provide, during the registration process, a medical certificate that reveals no contraindications for participating in coastal rowing competition.

Registrations are on a first-come, first-served basis, subject to availability.

It is possible to change up to 50% of the composition of a crew after the closing of the registration and prior to the Delegates and Captains’ meeting that is organized the eve of the preliminary races and heats, on Thursday 3/12/2020 at 18h30.

 

Age categories

 

Senior

Master:

A. At least 40 years old or older

B. At least 50 years old or older

C. At least 60 years old or older

Being understood that rowers must be of the minimum age required at the time of the competition.

The minimum age for participation is 16 years old.

 

Coxswain

 

Coxswains must be at least 16 years old.

A male coxswain can bar a female crew and vice versa.

 

Boat categories

 

Women:

Solo (CW1x)

Double (CW2x)

Coxed Quad (CW4X +)

 

Men:

Solo (CM1x)

Double (CM2x)

Coxed Quad (CM4X +)

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Mixed:

Crew composed of 50% women and 50% men, coxswain not included.

Doubles (CMix2X)

Coxed Quad (CMix4X +)

 

Authorized equipments and identification

 

With regard to the authorized equipment, the standards in force and the identification of the boats, refer to Appendix 1: "Authorized equipment and standards in force".

The Jury may, at its discretion, refuse the boarding of a crew if it considers that the boat does not fulfill the minimum security requirements or the identification standards defined in the aforementioned annex.

In any case, no crew will be able to use substances or products capable of modifying or improving the performance of their boat, under penalty of disqualification.

 

Racing distance

 

The qualifying races, preliminary races and B finals are run over a distance of 4km.

A finals are run over a distance of 6km.

The President of the Jury, in agreement with the Organizing Committee, has the right to modify the race distance according to the external conditions.

 

Competition Format

 

Preliminary races and Heats take place at 20 boats. The number of boats can vary according to the number of registered boats.

Finals are run with a maximum of 20 boats.

 

Heats

Heats are organized in each category where the number of registered boats exceeds 20 boats, unless other decision by the Jury, along with the Organizing Committee.

These races are held on Friday.

 

Preliminary races

Preliminary races will be organized in each category where less than 20 boats are registered.

These races are held on Friday and are mandatory.

If, for security reasons, a crew decides not to race in its preliminary race, it will still be able to take part of its A final but will not be in the final ranking of its event.

 

Final races

The first 10 of each heats qualify for the A Final. The others are qualified in B Final.

In the case where there are more than two heats in one boat category, the Organizing Committee has the right to modify the qualification system which will then be communicated during the Delegates and Captains Meetings.

In the case where the boat categories have more than 40 entries, the crew not entering the first 40 after the heats will not be able to run in the final phase.

 

Rewards

 

Rewards are awarded to the top 3 of each senior category.

One reward will be awarded to the first of each other category.

 

Prize Money

 

Prize Money is awarded to the top 5 boats of the following senior categories: 

• Solo (CW1x / CM1x) 

• Double (CW2x / CM2x) 

• Coxed Quad (CW4x + / CM4x +) 

• Mixed Doubles (CMix2X) 

 

The distribution of Prize Money is as follows: 

• 1st:  500 € per crew member; 

• 2nd: 400 € per crew member; 

• 3rd:  300 € per crew member; 

• 4th:  200 € per crew member; 

• 5th:  100 € per crew member. 

Example: the winner of the CM4x+ wins €500 per team member, for a total of € 2.500. 

Note: If a race has 5 crews or less, the last ranked crew is not awarded any Prize Money.

 

Points system for the Prince Albert II Challenge

 

The Prince Albert II challenge is awarded to the club that wins the most points at the end of the competition.

Depending on their classification in final A, the teams will win the following points:

• 1st: 25 points

• 2nd: 10 points

• 3rd: 5 points

 

Delegates and Captains Meeting

 

A meeting is organized by the Organizing Committee under the direction of the Jury President the day before each racing day. Race information and weather reports will be communicated to the participating Delegates and Captains.

The participation of one representative by boat is mandatory.

These meetings take place at:

6:30pm, Thursday, the eve of the qualifying series.

6:00pm, Friday, the eve of the final stages.

 

General principles of safety

 

For general safety principles, refer to Annex 2: "General Principles of Safety.

 

Departure procedure

 

For the departure procedure and all the relevant elements, refer to Annex 3: "Race sequence".

 

Running of the races

 

For information related to conduct of the races and related elements, refer to Appendix 3: "Race sequence".

 

Race director

 

The Race Director:

- Is in contact with the maritime authorities and the only one able to communicate and receive information with them;

- Authorizes the departure or the cancellation of the races;

- Ensures that all safety measures are operational;

- Is in permanent relation with the President of the Jury;

- Intervenes if the regatta conditions are unfavorable as regards safety.

 

Composition of the Jury

 

A Jury ensures that the regatta is held in accordance with this Regatta Rules & Regulations. The Jury is on the regatta course one hour before the start of the information meeting until the signing of the regatta report.

 

1) Collaboration with the Organizing Committee

The smooth running of a regatta requires a close collaboration between the Organizing Committee and the Jury.

 

2) Composition of the Jury and missions

The Jury is composed of referees who can occupy the functions of:

 

- Jury President: is responsible for the arbitration and ensures the smooth running of the regatta. He must hold a national referee degree. He gives assignments to the members of the Jury whose activity he supervises. He is in charge of the coordination with the Organizing Committee. He draws up the minutes of the regatta. He can not perform any other function within the regatta.

 

- Jury Board member: The Jury President appoints two referees who compose with him the Jury's Board. The Jury's Board adjudicate on any complaints filed by the clubs. The referees can not be judge and judged in a complaint, the President designates two alternates at the time of filing the complaint.

 

- Control Commission: Its mission is to carry out controls on competitors and equipments and is managed by one of its members. Controls are conducted randomly and include:

- The identity of the competitors;

- The weight of the boats;

- the equipment;

- The uniform of the competitors.

 

- Starter: gives the start.

 

- Start Judges: decide the regularity of the departure.

 

- Course Referees: are responsible for the course or parts of the course, called « zone of competence » that is entrusted to them. They ensure the regularity of the race on their "zone of competence" as well as the safety of the competitors.

 

- Turn Stewards: make sure that competitors respect the course (buoys).

 

- Finish Judges: establish the ranking and make sure that the race has run correctly.

 

Several functions may be held by the same person or several people may hold the same function.

Thus, depending on the configuration of the course, the Course Referee(s) may be at "fixed positions".

 

Medical prevention

 

The Organizing Committee foresees the presence of a medical team capable of providing first aid in case of need, for any problem that would arise during the Prince Albert II Challenge.

 

Doping prevention

 

Participants undertake to comply with the World Anti-Doping Code issued by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and to refrain from using the prohibited substances, products and methods included in the list issued by WADA.

The Organizing Committee undertakes to facilitate any measures necessary for the conduct of unannounced anti-doping tests on participants, at the request of the Monegasque Anti-Doping Committee, recognized National Anti-Doping Agency in Monaco.

 

Image rights and authorization

 

Participants accept to be filmed, photographed and registered during the duration of the Challenge Prince Albert II in order to communicate and broadcast the event and insure promotion of the Challenge Prince Albert II.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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ANNEX 1

Authorized Equipment and Standards in Force

 

 

Standards and safety of boats

 

Coastal rowing boats authorized to race at the Challenge Prince Albert II must meet the following requirements:

 

 

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- All rowers must be lined up in the axis of the boat. In the case of coxed boats, the coxswain shall be placed at the stern, facing the rowers.

- Coastal rowing boats must be built with three watertight compartments, accessible by watertight hatches.

- Boats must be self-draining.

- The boats must meet the international standards of buoyancy and each boat must be equipped with:

• Lifejackets, meeting international standards, for each of the crew members. On board a coxswain must wear his lifejacket at all times;

• A towing ring located approximately on the bow of the boat, 100mm above the waterline, along with a 15m rope. The towing ring and the rope must be strong enough to allow the boat and its crew to be towed safely in the wind and the rough sea. The end of the rope must be within reach of a rower.

- All ballast must be securely attached to the structure of the boat.

- The Jury may, at its discretion, refuse the boarding of a crew if it considers that the boat does not fulfil the minimum safety conditions.

- However, the Organizing Committee has the right to allow boats whose design differs from these standards to take part in the races. The decision will be taken collegially by the Race Director, the Jury President and the President of the Organizing Committee. All requests must be submitted at the registration of the crew.

 

Identification of boats

 

Each boat used for the Challenge Prince Albert II must be identified in advance (national registration number) by the clubs or manufacturers to which they belong. It is the responsibility of the crews to ensure that the boats used are properly numbered.

 

For boats without any identification, the Organizing Committee will provide a number which will be kept for the duration of the competition, regardless of the crews who will use it.

 

 

 

 

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ANNEX 2

General Principles of Safety

 

 

Specific safety information will be provided during the Delegates and Captains Meetings.

 

Obligations of the participants

 

Generally speaking, the participants (rowers and coxswains) must:

- Be able to navigate and control their boat in all types of conditions, as soon as the Race Director validates the start of the race;

- Assess their ability and feel able to cope with the conditions;

- Renounce the start if they judge/feel not to be able to cope with the race conditions;

- Know and respect local maritime rules;

- Have a lifejacket for each crew member and keep it within reach. Aboard, the coxswain must wear his lifejacket at all times;

- Know what to do in case of boat submersion or towing.

 

Obligations of the Captain

 

Each boat will designate, among its crew, a « Captain ». This will be notified to the Organizing Committee in writing during the registration of the crew. Any crew for which the Captain has not been designated will not be allowed to board.

 

The Captain is responsible for:

Before each trip:

- Taking responsibility for assessing the risks and the ability of its crew to cope with prevailing and forecast conditions;

- Becoming familiar with the weather and the local conditions;

- Signing the attendance sheet of the Control Commission before each boarding, except during training time;

- Checking his boat and the safety equipment on board.

 

On the water:

- Ensuring that the crew complies with all navigation and safety rules;

- Ensuring, if necessary, that all crew members wear their lifejackets;

- Taking the necessary decisions for the safety of his crew if the weather deteriorates;

- Monitoring any changes in weather or sea conditions that could affect the safety of his crew.

 

After the race and upon arrival at the landing dock:

- Sign the attendance sheet of the Control Commission attesting the return of the crew on shore.

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Traffic direction

 

During training and warm up, boats are required to respect the course and traffic rules provided by the Organizing Committee.

 

Also, if two boats are on a potential collision course, both boats must move on their starboard to allow themselves to pass.

 

Any breach could lead to disqualification.

 

Each crew that does not sign the attendance sheet will be disqualified.

 

 

 

 

 

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ANNEX 3

Race Proceeding

 

 

At the boarding

 

Prior to the boarding of the crew and between 1 hour and 20 minutes before the start time of its race, the Captain of the crew has to go to the Control Commission to do the following actions :

- Check the composition of its crew (names and place of the teammates) ;

- Add the identification number of its boat ;

- Sign the attendance sheet authorizing the crew to go on the water.

 

At the start

 

The start line is materialized between two buoys. The distance between these two buoys is about 200m and can vary depending on the weather and sea conditions.

 

The Starter can initiate the starting procedure even if all the boats engaged in the race are not present.

 

The starting procedure

 

Positioning on the start line

Each boat is free to find its own position on the start line but it is the responsibility of each crew to ensure that it does not interfere with other boats.

 

Where such interference occurs or is likely to occur, each concerned crew shall take appropriate measures to prevent it. In any case, the crews must respect the instructions of the Referees.

 

The Starter may be assisted by other Referees under the authority of the Jury President. The Starter is placed approximately 50 meters behind the center of the start line.

 

The "Start Judges" are positioned at the extremities of the start line and are responsible for identifying boats in false starting position.

 

The starting procedure

It is the responsibility of each crew to ensure that the bow of their boat is upstream of the starting line when the start signal is given.

 

No instructions will be given to the crews regarding the line-up at the start line unless the Starting Judges consider that too many boats are either on or in front of the start line and that the race cannot be run safely and / or equitably.

 

Three minutes before the start, the Starter must simultaneously:

Hoist up three balls (each ball must be at least 50 cm in diameter, red with a white cross); and shoot 3 distinct, clear and short blasts of a hooter when the third ball has been hoisted up.

 

Two minutes before the start, the Starter must simultaneously:

Lower one of the three raised balls; and shoot two distinct, clear and short blasts of a hooter.

One minute before the start, the Starter must simultaneously:

Lower one of the remaining two balls, and shoot a clear and short blasts of a hooter.

 

At the exact start time, the starter gives the starting signal by simultaneously:

Lowering the remaining ball; and shoot a continuous blast of a hooter for several seconds.

 

It is to be understood that during the start procedure (announcement of the 3 minutes, 2 minutes, 1 minutes, start) sound announcements prevail on the movement of the balls.

 

Summary of the starting sequence:

 

 

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The Starter may, in his sole discretion and for any reason that it finds necessary, delay the departure. The delay is then communicated to all participants.

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False start

 

A crew commits a false start as soon as any part of their crew, boat or equipment crosses the starting line in the time between the announcement of the last minute before the start and the start of the race.

 

In the event of an individual false start or in a maximum of four boats: the offending boat(s) is(are) informed of his(their) penalty(s) during the race. It(they) is(are) notified, at the latest, at the first buoy of the course. The penalty given to the offending crew(s) is 2 extra minutes added to their final.

 

In the event of a massive mass false start (5 boats or more): the race is stopped. The Course Referee calls the crews to line up and a new starting procedure is given. No penalty is awarded to the crews responsible for a massive false start.

 

Should a new false start occur during the second starting procedure, the concerned boat(s) will be disqualified from the race. He(they) is(are) notified, at the latest, at the first buoy of the course.

Any disqualified boat is excluded from the competition.

 

Navigation rules

 

On the long edges

Each boat is free to choose its course, making sure it does not interfere with other boats.

As soon as two boats are engaged (at least, the stern of one is at the level of the bow of the other), the advantage is given to the boat ahead of the other.

Rowers and coxswains may call each other to avoid any collision or interference.

Any collision between two or more boats will be considered as "race incident" and will not be sanctioned by a penalty. In addition, as regards to "race incident", no appeal will be admissible by the Jury President.

 

Crossing buoys

As soon as two boats are in contact (at least, the stern of one is at the level of the bow of the other), the advantage is given to the boat ahead of the other.

When two or more boats follow each other without being in contact (the stern of one is not at the level of the bow of the other); each crew is free to follow its own course but it is the responsibility of each crew to ensure that it does not interfere with other boats.

Any collision between two or more boats will be considered as "race incident" and will not be sanctioned by a penalty. In addition, as regards to "race incident", no appeal will be admissible by the Jury President.

 

Collisions

In case of collision and / or interference (between boats or oars), the crews must cooperate in order to extricate themselves.

Any collision between two or more boats will be considered as "race incident" and will not be sanctioned by a penalty. In addition, as regards to "race incident", no appeal will be admissible by the Jury President.

 

Overtaking

It is the responsibility of the overtaking crew not to interfere with the overtaken crew. The overtaken crew must not intentionally obstruct the overtaking during the maneuver.

 

End of the race

A crew finished the race when the bow of their boat crosses the finish line, materialized between two buoys specifically identified. Each arrival will be signaled by a blast of hooter shouted by the Finish Judge.

In order to be included in the ranking, all crews must respect the route of the race, as defined by the Organizing Committee, by going through all materialized buoys and crossing the finish line.

 

Penalties

 

Only the penalties related to false starts will be sanctioned and reported to the concerned boats as previously defined.

Any other altercation between two or more boats will be considered as "race incident" and will not be sanctioned by the referees.

In addition, as regards to "race incident", no appeal will be admissible by the Jury President.

 

Equality

 

In the event of a tie between two or more boats during the qualifying races, and if conditions permit, the concerned boats will progress to the next round of the competition.

If conditions do not permit, the President of the Jury and the Race Director, in the presence of the relevant Captains, will draw lots to determine which of these crews will continue to the next round.

In the event of a tie between two or more boats during the final stages, the crews will occupy the same place in the final classification. The next place will be left vacant.

The distribution of "Prize money" is done according to the same principle.

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At the landing dock

 

Immediately after landing and maximum 1 hour after the end of their race, Captains are required to sign the attendance sheet at the Control Commission attesting the return of the crew on shore.

 

Responsibility of rowers

 

In order to ensure that the races run smoothly, each participant is required to read and abide by the navigation rules described above.

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