Theeventisalongdistancescullingraceover One and a Halflapsofthelake. Theeventis

VSA

AlbertParkGrandPrix

Instructionsforcompetitors

Theseinstructionsaretobereadwiththeattachedmapwhichyouareurgedtoprintandstudy!

1)TheEvent

Theeventisalongdistancescullingraceover one and a halflapsofthelake. Theeventis intendedtopresentchallengestocompetitorsincludingamassstart,andsteeringaroundmarkerbuoysandGunnIsland.

Parkingfortrailersthis year will be in car park – you will have to pay.

2)Fourphases

a)Competitorbriefingandbownumberissue

Acompulsorycompetitorbriefingwillbeheldat7:45 am,outsideAlbertParkSouthMelbourne(APSM)RowingClub.Thiswilltakeabout7minutesandbownumberswillbehandedoutascompetitorsleavethebriefing. Bring your $10.00.

There is a “park run” starting soon after 8:00am which will go past the front of the APSM shed, so get on the water as quickly as possible.

b)Warmupandmarshaling

Nocompetitoristowarmupbeforethebriefing. (CompetitorslaunchingfromthePowerhouse stagingmayscull tothebriefing.) Afterthebriefing,row to the start at the southern end of the lake and warm up withcare inananti clockwise direction around the basin at the St Kilda (Powerhouse or southern end of the lake) below the narrows. Be careful of other scullers coming down the lake from the north and joining in the warm up circuit. Warmingupmustnotincluderacing in traffic.

At 8:15 a marshalin a motor boat will call competitors by number or name from the warm up circuitto the starting grid in bow number order. Once called, competitors are under starter's orders, and must do as instructed, taking up position according to their bow number and the grid diagram.

Please allow one and a half lengths of clear water between grid rows to enable others to haveaccess,andtoensurethere isenoughspaceforthestart. Thismeansthatthehigher numberswillbeveryneartheSt Kilda end of the lake. Nocompetitormaygobeyondthestartingline,whichwillbebetweentwolargeorangebuoys.

Provision has been made for competitors who prefer not to start on the grid to start from "pit lane" which is behind the grid near the lake edge at the St Kilda end.

The race will start between two large (1.2m) orange buoys anchored across the course at the St Kilda end of the lake. After the first lap, competitors must go around both these buoys to make the turn at the St Kilda end.

c)Thestartandrace

The grid and starting arrangements will be determined once the entries arefinalised. We will take into account the number and experience of competitors in laying out the grid and determining the number to be started at any one time.Details will be posted with the drawand will be available at APSM before the event. Once the grid is complete, the race will be started by the starter who will be in a motor boat or on the bank. The starting procedure will be:

Announcement

"OnceIhaveclearance I will start you".

Shortlyafterthisannouncementthestarterwill raiseagreenflag,andsay:

''Attention!",followedby"Go"astheflagisdropped.

Ifthereistobeadelay,thestartermayadvisecompetitors,inwhichcase,hewillagainmakethewarningannouncement.

Inthemassstart,competitorsmusttakecarethattheydonotclashwithothers,andallowenoughspace.

The race proceeds to the northern end of the lake keeping to the east side(Bow side as you go up the first leg), aroundGunn Island anti clockwise. Note there is a pontoon on thenorthernsideofGunnIsland

OncearoundGunnIsland,gooutside the orange buoy anchored off APSM rowing club and startdown the west side of the lake. At the bottom of the lake, go around both orange buoys and start the second lap.

Once around Gunn Island for the second time, the finish line is between a finish desk just to the east of the APSM rowing club and the orange buoy

Overtakingandtrafficcourtesy

Ifacompetitorisabouttobeovertaken,heorshewillyieldtheracinglinebymovingtotheoutsideofthecourse,oncethefasterboatiswithinhalfofonelength. Itfollowsthatifpassing,youmust keeptotheinside. Thisruleappliesonstraightsandinbends. Competitors being overtaken MUST talk to the faster sculler, and let them know that space is being created for them to pass.

Justastalkingtooneanothermakesovertakingsafer, competitors maybe inapositiontowarnothersbehindthem ofobstacles whichmaynothavebeen seenbythosefollowing. Thissmallcourtesywill addtothesafetyandsmoothrunningoftheevent.

d)Afterthefinish

Thereislikelytobecongestionafterthefinish,somovewellawayfromthelineandonceable, goashoreasquicklyaspossible,andreturnyourbownumber.

Exclusion Zones

Our permit for the event requires that all boats remain outside the declared conservation zones on the lake. The most significant of these is the group of islands at the northwest corner of the lake, i.e. between APSM and the Aquatic centre.