Transporting Your Crew to a Regatta
Minimize the potential catastrophes with 6 easy steps
Transporting your crew to a regatta can be a hectic affair made more complex in inverse proportion to the age of the crew. It\’s time to accept that THINGS GO WRONG. To combat the chaos theories of the universe you will have to be as organised as humanly possible in advance and we\’re here to help.
1. Venues
Your club has a website, make use of it. Add a page called \’Regatta Venues\’ and have it include maps of how to get from your club to the venue. You can additionally post detailed layout maps of the site, race times and details, nav rules, etc. A website is an excellent place to store useful information because you don\’t have to worry about getting it out to club members – they know where to find it.
2. Route
Research a map of the venue and a route you will take. Allow at least an extra 30 minutes for getting there – you don\’t want to miss your regatta over a flat tyre, detour, google maps giving you batty directions and you having to knock on the door of every small house in the country until you find a local with a sharp sense of direction!
3. Pick-ups
Pick-ups can work two ways. The first is you have every rower meet at one predefined location – most likely the club house, and commence the trip as a whole unit. If you choose this option you want to tell everyone to meet 20 full minutes before your departure time. Because, people, are, late. Certain members of your crew may live closer to the regatta than to your club house. If this is the case, you should consider a second method for pick ups in which you map out your route and pick members up sequentially along the way. They can meet you at a landmark close to their house along your main route so there\’s not too much out-of-the-way driving which can really accelerate the hands on the clock.
4. Digits
Share phone numbers with other drivers so everyone who is going has at least one other navigator to call if they got lost. You can also consider a \’caravan\’ style set up where cars follow each other like a convoy. This ensures that the rowers arrive at the same time as their boats, etc.
5. Parents
If you\’re an under 18s school or club, know that you depend on parents and fans for all kinds of club support, and you need to support them in getting to the event. If you\’re not on the web yet (or they aren\’t), consider making up a printed book for parents. It should include directions to regattas throughout the year, explanations of rowing terminology, when you can and cannot speak to your child at a regatta, what food to bring etc. Parents want to know these things!
6. Insurance
Listed last but definitely should not be an after thought, anyone transporting crews – especially as part of a school needs to have the correct insurance. See our blog post: Coaching and Insurance, and listen in as Scott Bramble talks about what kind of insurance to get for transportation.Best of luck at your regattas!
Will you be toting expensive coxing equipment to your regatta? It\’s time to consider getting a storage and security recharging modular box to keep your equipment safe and charged. We\’ve seen people move these around on trolleys at regattas – a great way to know your equipment is safe and charged.
