Rowing Victoria have recently released updated Yarra river rules following work with Maritime Safety and the Commercial Operators. Check out this document for detailed river rules including Yarra River bridge navigation guides from the Bolte to Dights Falls.
Yarra River Maps
Take care on the river
You may have noticed with the arrival of Summer the level of river traffic has increased and on top of that a few extra obstacles have been added as bridge works and geotechnical investigations occur.
Could I ask everyone to take extra care whilst out on the river at the moment and also when moving boats in and out of the shed. Please be aware of what is going on around you, talk to one another and ask a question if you are unsure.
Information for river users is displayed on the clubs noticeboard or can be regularly checked on the Rowing Victoria website. Boathouse drive events which result in restricted access or increased activity in the area are also displayed on the noticeboard and on the RRC events calendar, please take the time to check these things.
This week especially there are increased water taxis due to the Australian open tennis and Princes Bridge Arch closures so special care should be taken to ensure you are well clear of Princes Bridge and other traffic before turning. Currently the Northern arch is closed, but over the next month both the central and Southern arches will be closed at some point so be aware.
Please stay safe and enjoy your rowing.
Safety Reminders
It is great to see many people still braving the weather and training over the Winter but with fewer people around at the club I just want to take the opportunity to remind everyone of a few basic safety and important practices to remember.
1. Please complete and update the sign out book AND new safety board everytime you take a boat from the shed. Also check the sign out book to see everyone has returned before you bring the scull rack in and lock up the boat bays. Unfortunately a member was left locked outside with a single last week which we do not want to happen again.
2. With fewer daylight hours, everyone must give their upmost attention to safety and lights on boats. RV has informed us that a patrol was recently conducted on the Yarra River by Maritime Safety Victoria (a branch of Transport Safety) and there were some clubs that did not comply to:
TWO 180° lights = white FLASHING stern light and white CONSTANT bow light on each boat.
Lights must be displayed from sunset to sunrise and in times of restricted visibility during daylight hours. It is more difficult to judge speeds and distances at night or in restricted visibility. Understanding lighting configurations will enable you to take corrective action to avoid a collision. A vessel’s lights should indicate the direction that the vessel is travelling.
By law, navigation lights and their installation on rowing boats are required to comply with the above simple positioning and technical requirements.
Safety is paramount and fines will ensue if proper care and concern is not being demonstrated by ALL clubs AND each of their crews.
Let’s all work together to negate this threat to the personal safety of all water users.
Important all year round but this is a timely reminder.
Any questions do not hesitate to contact myself or other members of the committee.
