WELCOME TO RV E-NEWS

It was an exciting weekend of rowing, with many athletes racing for the first time in both Bendigo and Geelong. It’s always great to see new faces on the start line, and we look forward to watching them develop as the season unfolds.

This week, more than 400 athletes will head to Nagambie to tackle the 5.2km Foot of the Goulburn course + many more participation & learning opportunites coming up!

Read more below.

Rowing Victoria

       UPCOMING REGATTAS

REGATTA UPDATES

NOMINATIONS OPEN - STATE TEAM SELECTORS

Rowing Victoria is calling for nominations for selectors to assist in the selection of 2026 Victorian Pathway (U18), OTRC (U22), & Masters State Teams. Selection activities for the teams occur at various times between January and March.

Do you have experience and are you up for the challenge of being a Selector for one, two, or all of these teams? Rowing Victoria would love to hear from you!

Nominations close 5pm Wednesday 5 November.

HEAD OF THE CHARLES REGATTA

Congratulation to the two Upper Yarra Men's Veteran Eights on their success at the Head of the Charles Regatta last weekend.

Taking on the 4.8 km course with challenging bridges and turns, both crews claimed Gold in their respective age categories. The 60-69 crew also smashed their previous course record set back in 2017, continuing their strong form at the regatta.

Veteran 60-69 crew celebrate their victory

MELBOURNE FALL SHORT AT AUS BOAT RACE

The 160 year old rivalry between Melbourne University and Sydney University continued on Sunday with their annual showdown in the Australian Boat Race.

Despite their best efforts on home waters, both Melbourne crews finished behind their rivals, with Sydney claiming both the Bella Guerin Trophy and Edmund Barton Trophy.

However the locals didn't go home empty handed, with Melbourne's Trinity College claiming victories in both the Men's and Women's College races over St. John's College.

AUSTRALIAN INDOOR ROWING CHAMPIONSHIPS

The Australian Indoor Rowing Championships starts tomorrow! Hosted on Row Nation, this years championships will run until next Sunday 2 November.

🚣‍♀️ Row anywhere on a Concept2
📊 Live leaderboard with every result - fair for ages and abilities!
🕒 Unlimited attempts — your best score counts.
💥 Simple entry. No travel.

It's not too late to get involved, enter yourself via the link below.

ROWING IN THE PORT OF MELBOURNE

The Port Authority are hosting an edcuation/information session specifically for rowing & paddling in the Port of Melbourne. All clubs and schools are welcome and encouraged to send at least one representative to this session.

The in-person session will begin at 10am and include presentations from Ports Victoria, Parks Victoria, and the Water Police, with a Q&A and lunch to round out the morning.

LEVEL 2 UMPIRES WANTED

The Rowing Victoria Umpires' Commission is recruiting new Level 2 Umpires to help with the growing demand to run regattas in a safe and fair manner.

Umpiring is a fantastic way to be involved in rowing and allows people to gain a great appreciation of the sport while developing lasting friendships with fellow umpires, athletes and coaches.

You will be provided all the training necessary, supported by Umpiring mentors, and can select where and how often you volunteer.

If you have any questions or would like to get involved, please contact 📩 secretaryumpires@rowingvictoria.asn.au

REMINDER: BOW & STERN LIGHTS

It is important that ALL rowers on ALL waterways (and coaches on bikes and powerboats) between sunset and sunrise have adequate lighting for your safety and the safety of others. 

Rowing boats, in restricted visibility and between sunset and sunrise, are required by LAW to exhibit;

• Two all-round white lights - one attached to the boat at or near the forward or bow end, and one attached to the boat at or near the stern end.
• Bow light - A continuous white light is considered acceptable if it is visible in clear conditions from a distance of 1 kilometre.
• Stern light - A flashing white light is considered acceptable if it flashes at least once per second and is visible in clear conditions from a distance of 1 kilometre.

Not withstanding the above, it is considered acceptable for a light to be masked so as not to interfere with the vision of the vessel’s occupants, provided at least one light is visible from any direction (see diagram below).

BIKE LIGHTS

In addition to safely lighting our boats, it is important that coaches are also meeting requirements off the water. By law, your bike must be fitted with a rear red reflector, a bell, and at least one working brake.

When riding at night and in low-light, you must use a front white light and a rear red light. The light can be flashing or steady but must be seen from 200 metres away. It is also a good idea to use flashing lights during the day to help other road users see you.

SAFETY REMINDER

Rowing Victoria would like to remind all members the importance of using our equipment and waterways safely and appropriately.

Please follow traffic rules, including correctly using designated turning zones. Rules and maps for all waterways can be found on our Venues webpage. By following these rules, our waterways are safer for all. 

We have also been made aware of a number of incidents where rowing coaches have been sighted either riding without helmets, using megaphones at incorrect hours, or using mobile phones while riding (both in conversation or filming their crews).

For your own safety, to avoid fines, and to respect other members of the community, we ask that you please ensure you are obeying the law and not partaking in the behaviours above.

WATERWAY ACCESS & INCIDENT REPORTING

Could all waterway users please ensure they are acquainted with their local waterway rules; traffic direction, turning points, stationary obstacles etc.

So that RV, Maritime Safety Victoria and now, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority can support the community in providing safe waterways, please register all incidents via the RV Report an Incident tile on the home page of the RV website.

A consistent management of reporting will assist us in ensuring we are kept safe on the water and the chances of equipment damage is mitigated.