Safety and the River

Logbook

• Always log in and log out, writing your name and the boat clearly, so others know who is out on the water.
• Read the log, so you know who is out there. Be alert that some rower may be overdue.

Emergencies

• If the club’s launch (and capable crew) are not available, call the river police. Use the phone shack in the Lambertville-New Hope bridge, staffed 24 hours a day.
• Learn to use the throw rope, kept at the club desk.
• Take a stable boat and throw rope, tell someone what you are doing, and search for the missing rower. Be aware of current conditions, so a subsequent search party need not go after the two of you.

Conditions and Flags

      SCRC uses a flag system to warn rowers of hazardous rowing conditions.

• When necessary a flag will be posted at the boat storage site.
• No member may remove or change a flag without authorization from a board member.  The only exception is that a member may upgrade from no flag to yellow or from yellow to red if he or she believes there is a significant risk to rowers.  The member must then enter the change in the site’s log book and immediately notify the board.
• Red Flag indicates dangerous conditions. Nobody rows.
• Yellow Flag indicates caution is needed. Novices may not row. Others should use great care and proceed directly upstream above the free bridge.  Only return below the free bridge to land.  Do not go below the sewer plant wall when approaching the landing area.
• Blue Flag indicates cold water. Novices may not row, and experienced rowers row at your own risk.  Singles should not go out alone.
• Fish Flag means shad fishing is in progress, be alert to avoid the fishing nets around and upstream of Lewis Island.

Capsizing

• Stay with the boat until you are absolutely sure it is safe to leave it.
• Participate in a rollover clinic to learn how to remount. Note that remounting can be hard on a boat and can be exhausting.
• If you capsize, feel for the bottom, and, if possible, walk the boat to shore. If you must swim to shore, use the boat as a flotation device, go easy, especially in cold water. Most water fatalities are caused by exhaustion.

Keeping Out of Trouble

• To avoid collisions, look behind frequently and follow the keep-to-the-right rule on the river and through the bridges (see maps). Watch for novices that are not aware of those behind them.
• Unless you are supremely confident, always head upstream. The current will bring you back. Downstream, the dam and rapids are a real hazard.
• If a thunderstorm threatens, stay off the water. Lightning strikes carbon, metal, and high points on the surface. Always watch the sky for quickly developing storms.
• If possible, row with a buddy. It is better for safety and for boat handling.
• If you are not a strong swimmer, use an inflatable vest at all times.
• Do not row in the dark.

Take some time and learn where the channels and major rocks are.

For information, check the river maps posted on the fishhouse (some of the larger obstacles are marked) and ask more experienced club members for help.

If in doubt, stay close to the center line of the river, mind the upstream and downstream limits, and beneath the bridges always use the very center of the middle two arches.

Remember that as the water level drops, new rocks surface and sections of river that were safe on your last row may now be hazardous.

Be aware that as everyone (not just shells, but other boat traffic) crowds into limited deep water, the chances for collision increase. Be sure to look ahead more frequently.

Launch and retrieve in water that is deep enough so that the hull and skeg do not come in contact with the river bottom when you climb in. You may need to walk much further out in the river than you are used to -- shoot for knee deep.

Remember, the club doesn't assess members for boat damage, but it does mean that we won't have that money to spend on other things, and a damaged boat may be out of service for several weeks.

If you do have an accident, mark it in the log book and notify the Boat Captain immediately. If damage is severe, put a "Do Not Row" sign on the boat so that no one else attempts to row it.

Above all, use caution and "common sense". The river changes every day, reassess it each time you row.