Bedford Amateur Regatta

The 149th BEDFORD AMATEUR REGATTA

Organised by the Bedford Regatta Committee under British Rowing's Rules of Racing
and Guide to Safe Practice in Rowing
over a course of 1200 metres on the River Great Ouse from County Bridge to the Suspension Bridge

SATURDAY 12 MAY 2012

Affiliated to

Note that these are notes from the 2011 event, included here for information. This page will be updated shortly for relevant dates and information for the 2012 Regatta:

The following information is important: please read, even if you are familiar with Bedford events:

The Regatta safety plan (PDF) and water circulation plan (PDF) also posted out to clubs with the draw
Important information about parking and associated map
Regatta Welfare Plan

What sets Bedford Regatta apart from the rest?

This Regatta is for eights and fours only

Pint pewter tankards are awarded to all winners of main events

There are special ‘Plate’ events for events marked with a (P) on the poster, allowing first round losers another opportunity to race

Our entry fees represent excellent value at only £8.50/seat (coxes free) [NOTE: these rates are only for fees received by Wednesday 11 May, a late payment penalty applies to fees received after this date]

Unfortunately the Rowing Almanack no longer includes a table of the number of entries to regattas, but we feel fairly safe in saying that Bedford Regatta remains by far the largest one-day river regatta in the country. We have been forced to turn away a number of entries in recent years as there physically isn't the space on the river or time in the day to run with more crews than we accepted. Clubs will be advised by post with refund cheques to follow where appropriate.

What events are offered?

See the details on the Regatta poster:- we offer a wide range of events including J14 octuple and quad events for those crews who might wish to get some race practice before the National Schools Regatta two weeks later.

If there is sufficient demand, we will consider offering additional events. Write/phone/ e-mail your requests for additional events to us. Keep an eye on our page on the Bedford Regatta website for latest details.

How do the Plate events work?

All first round losers of events marked with a (P) on the poster with twelve or more entries are automatically entered into a new event for no extra charge. Entrants in these events are therefore guaranteed at least two rows (subject to programme timing - if you are doubling-up you may not have sufficient time for your ‘Plate’ event rows). The winners of these Plate events win a small (but very attractive!) prize and DO NOT attract status points

If you are fortunate enough to receive a 'bye' straight through to the second round, unfortunately you will not go through to the Plate event if you lose your first race. Sorry, but the logistics of the draw simply do not allow it.

We require any crew that qualifies for a Plate event that decides NOT to participate to immediately inform Regatta Control as we have previously had crews waiting at the start for opposition that have not turned up.

Am I entering the right status for my crew?

Please advise us when making your draw of any regattas that you will be attending that may change your competitors' racing points total before the Regatta.

Note that some regattas don't upload results instantly, therefore you may enter our regatta mid-week before the closing date and the points for your competitors haven't yet been updated. Please be very careful when choosing which events to enter to ensure that you are taking into account the 'actual' points total rather than the one shown on BROE, which may not be completely up-to-date.

We are delaying the draw this year to the Sunday before the Regatta in order that we can take any wins over the weekend into account. Regattas in the fortnight before our event that may affect your crews points totals include (inter alia):

Durham City
Evesham
York
Thames Ditton
Wallingford
Chester

We must know of any status changes by 10am on Sunday 8 May in order that we can plan our draw correctly. To give as many crews as possible the chance to compete in the Regatta, we are unlikely to put 'status change' slots in the draw as we are leaving it as late as Sunday to perform. If you don't tell us about a win that affects your entry then we will NOT refund your entry fee even if this results in you not racing.

Can I compete in more than one event?

Yes, but doubling-up is at your risk and is ONLY permitted in any TWO events at the discretion of the Committee. Our draw software can detect where individuals are doubling-up, but not boats. To be on the safe side, any doubling and MUST BE REQUESTED in the notes field on the BROE entry. Such entries will only be accepted if they can be fitted in the programme, on the clear understanding that programme timing must be adhered to.

With the co-operation of our competitors and the expertise of our umpires and marshals, we have built up an excellent reputation for racing a packed schedule on time. Our sophisticated draw software manages this by running thousands of iterations of the race timetable to avoid clashes of those doubling-up or boat sharing; it is only as good as the information that it is provided with so (at the risk of labouring the point) please clearly specify any doubling-up with each entry concerned

What is a College crew?

For the purpose of Bedford Regatta we define a College Crew as one which is made up of students from colleges of higher education and not Schools with the title College.

How do I enter the College events, I can't see them on BROE?

This is a quirk of the BROE system. The College events are not constrained to a maximum number of points, therefore are listed as Elite events, differentiated from the mainstream Elite events with '(College)' on the entry system, i.e. 'ELI.8+ College (+Plate)' and 'W.ELI.8+ College (+Plate)'. Please ensure that you enter the correct sex for your crew - we have 'Open' events rather than mens', so you will get no warning if you enter a crew of ladies into the open event. This could work in your favour, as a crew of men short of a body or two is quite legitimately entitled to enter some ladies into the crew.

Do I need to be registered with British Rowing for the 'College' events?

Yes. This is an open event under British Rowing's Rules of Racing, as are all of the other events on offer, therefore all crew members (including the cox) need to be registered. See the British Rowing Website for details of membership and application forms. We are told that British Rowing are returning applications by return of post at the moment so there is plenty of time to get registered before the day of the Regatta.

How do the 1^st boat/'Other' boat events marked # on the poster work?

It is the intention that these events are for clubs making at least one entry in the '1^st boat' category, even if you are not entering your actual '1^st boat' in the regatta. However, we are aware that some schools have entries for their first boats at other regattas instead of Bedford and would therefore look to make an entry in these events without making a '1^st boat' entry. The Committee is minded to accept entries in these circumstances ONLY, not just because you don't feel that the crew would be competitive in the 1^st boat event.

Please provide supporting information in the notes field of your BROE entry to justify any entries in the 'others' event where no '1^st boat' entry is made. The Committee reserves the right to move or reject entries as it feels appropriate to ensure that these events run in the spirit that they are intended.

In the event of insufficient entries, crews entered in the 'others' events will be merged with the '1^st boat' entries.

What are the School 2nd and 3rd boat events?

These events run on a large element of trust, in the same way as the '1^st boat'/'Others' events as noted above. It is the intention to give meaningful races with a chance of victory to those crews that are not expected to be fully competitive in the main junior event. In order that these events are not qualifying for racing status points, the Regatta offers this as a special event that will be drawn on the day. You must enter the crew on BROE with the rest of your crews to gain a place in the draw. To make this happen, all entrants must be entered for one other event in the Regatta, the 2nd and 3rd boat events can then fall within the definition of a 'fun' event created on the day under British Rowing's Rules of Racing.

What are the Intermediate 3 "Club" events?

These were new for 2010, designed for crews from non-academic institutions who are fed up with getting thrashed in the first round by students or school crews. This is in response to a request from clubs, who are perhaps envious of the extra time that many school and college crews can devote to training than many club crews. We'll see: if there are sufficient entries then we will run the events, if not then any entrants to this event will be merged into the mainstream Intermediate 3 event. We are running these events in Open Intermediate 3 eights and fours only.

Travelling to the Regatta

Please note that due to the large number of entries normally received in Novice and College events, it is necessary to start these events early in the morning to accommodate the number of rounds. We therefore recommend you take this into consideration when planning travel arrangements. As a guide, entrants in the most popular events may be racing as early as 8.15am with finals as late as 8pm. Competing clubs need to plan to make themselves available for the whole day when they make their entries; the timetable will be determined during the draw process when the size of the entry in each event can be determined.

Hotel Accommodation

For those competitors travelling from far afield, overnight accommodation is available from our partner the Swan Hotel. When booking please mention that you are connected with Bedford Regatta.

Who do we make Day Ticket payments payable to?

Day tickets are no longer available, and have not been for over four years now: you need to be registered with British Rowing to compete at this - and all future - competitions run British Rowing's Rules of Racing.

Can I make online entries using BROE (formerly OARA)?

Yes, please see the British Rowing's race entry site for details. Cheque payment must be sent to the entries secretary to hold your place in the event. Please note that we are now accepting payment through BROE however this does attract an additional charge to cover banking charges incurred. Payments made through BROE will be charged at £8.75/ head (coxes free).

Can I pay by card?

If you wish to pay by card you will have to do this through BROE.

What about Environment Agency Boat Licensing?

Please note that ALL boats taking part in this year’s Regatta must be licensed with the Environment Agency. Any boats not licensed are liable to be fined by the Environment Agency. It is the responsibility of all competing clubs and not the Regatta to ensure that they have the requisite licenses.

Day licences are not available from British Rowing OR the Regatta but can be obtained directly from the Environment Agency at a cost of £7 each. See this information from British Rowing for further details.

What is the Regatta's cancellation policy?

Entries cancelled or withdrawn prior to the draw will receive a full refund.

In the unlikely event of a total cancellation of the Regatta, we will endeavour to refund entry fees on a pro rata basis once our unavoidable costs have been covered. In the event of a partial cancellation or cancellation of specific events on the day, no refunds will be made.

N.B. You MUST, MUST, MUST have your valid Racing Licence (with photograph affixed) with you at this event, or you will not be allowed to take your prize home and may even be prevented from competing!!! British Rowing are turning around applications very quickly at the moment, so if you aren’t registered apply now.

Hugh Maltby, Hon. Secretary, Bedford Regatta Committee
Tel: 07526 850398 e-mail: Secretary@bedfordregatta.co.uk

[Bedford Regatta 2011 poster] [Bedford Regatta Homepage] [Bedford Rowing Club] [Bedford's event calendar]