course map & launching / head of the housatonic
Competitors at Indian Well State Park launch from the beach by walking boats into the water. The water temperature is comfortable and the bottom is sandy. There is no dock.
In order to make mass launching and landing work smoothly for everyone, please familiarize yourself with these important procedures:
We call crews by bow number, not by race.
We do not allow boats to launch more than 50 minutes in advance of their race. This reduces out of order launching.
Crews may not bring oars to the beach more than one hour before launching. This increases available space and makes it easier for competitors to find their oars.
We do not check all heel ties and bow balls as you launch. The referees instead conduct random checks throughout the regatta.
Extra beach support is available to help you retrieve oars.
ONLY launching crews are allowed on the beach.
DO NOT leave shoes on the beach. All crews including singles will need to either take their shoes in the boat or have shoes collected by the team and removed from the beach.
Once inside the shell, crews must move away from the beach immediately and tie in away from the beach. This reduces wait times for crews in line to launch.
Here is the launching protocol for all crews to execute:
Once the hull is in the water crews are allowed a short loading time to put rowers, coxswains and oars in place and then get away from the beach AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. Crews are expected to row 10–20 strokes and then tie in and get settled.
Bring a laundry basket or other container to collect all shoes. Take them back to the trailer; do not store them on the beach.
Please inform everyone on your team (and all parents) that the beach must be kept clear to make launching as efficient as possible. We appreciate their help in keeping the beach clear of extra people and shoes!
Warm-up: The warm-up area is downstream of the marshaling area. Several large orange buoys mark the centerline of the river downstream from the starting line. Crews should always stay to the right heading either downstream (south) or upstream (north), keeping the buoys on their port side. Do not cross over between the buoys—always go to the end before turning. There is a dam at the end of the warm-up area. Do not row beyond the overhead power lines.
Start: The starting line is wide and is marked by 2 large orange buoys. The buoys will have a black letter “S” on their sides. Be sure to cross the starting line between these buoys.
Course: After the start, there is a series of straight lines of small yellow buoys marking the edge of the course and separating it from the return lane. Turns are marked by one or more medium size orange buoys. Always keep the buoy line on your port side.
After the start, the first orange buoy will be about 300m into the racecourse on your port side. After you clear that buoy, pick a line that points to the second orange buoy which is approximately 1k from the start. The second orange buoy marks a gentle port turn.
Keep the buoy line on your port side as you race the next straightaway. At about the 2K mark, two or more orange buoys signify a turn to starboard. Keep these orange buoys on your port side as you navigate the starboard turn.
Proceed straight under the wire and prepare for the last port turn, noted by two more orange buoys which you must keep on your port side. You have 1000 meters to go at this final turn. Do not go wide at this turn, as there is a hazardous sand bar on the Seymour side of the river marked with a tall white/yellow stripe buoy.
Continue straight to the finish line. The yellow buoys turn red with 500 meters to go, so you will know when you are close to the end!
The finish is marked by a large orange buoy with a black letter “F” across from the NHRC dock. After you finish, continue paddling past every large orange buoy before you turn. There is a penalty for crossing over the orange buoy line, so it is imperative you continue to paddle past all orange buoys.
There are large yellow buoys at several points along the course that warn of various hazards along the shore, such as sand bars or downed trees. Keep those buoys on your starboard side.