WELCOME TO RV E-NEWS

National Volunteer Week (19th – 25th May) is Australia’s largest annual celebration of volunteering. It comes at an appropriate time, providing us with the opportunity to celebrate and recognise the vital work of all our volunteers this season, and to say thank you.

Rowing would not be the same without them. You can celebrate the special volunteers at your club by putting them on the volunteer map! Can you spot anyone from our community?

On the water over the last week, we had Mercantile athletes competing in Shanghai, whilst Dom Frederico joined 34 of Australia's best at the Beach Sprint Selection Trial.

Read more below.

Stay Safe, Stay Rowing!

Rowing Victoria

       UPCOMING REGATTAS

AMRC PREVIEW

Less than a week to go before Masters crews flock to the Sydney International Regatta Centre for the Australian Masters Rowing Championships!

Members from 24 of our Victorian clubs will be heading north to compete across four days, with the action spanning from Thursday 29 May to Sunday 1 June. We wish them all the best of luck, including our Victorian Masters Team who will be racing on Saturday morning. 

For those supporting from afar, all four days of racing will be livestreamed, ensuring friends, family, and clubmates can share in the action from wherever they are.

Everything you need to follow the regatta can be found via the link below.

DREW GINN AWARDED RA LIFE MEMBERSHIP

Rowing Australia (RA) has bestowed its highest honour of Life Membership upon Drew Ginn OAM, Nick Hunter OAM, and Ellen Randell, with the trio officially added to the illustrious list at RA's Annual General Meeting on Wednesday.

A special congratulations to Victorian Drew Ginn on this much deserved recognition.

A triple-Olympic Gold Medallist and Thomas Keller Medal recipient, Drew Ginn is one of Australia’s greatest rowers. He was a key member of the renowned “Oarsome Foursome” that famously won back-to-back Gold in the Men’s Four and also achieved success in the Men’s Pair. 

His international achievements are complemented by his deep involvement in athlete development and high-performance leadership within Australian sport. A fierce competitor, respected mentor and influential voice, Drew remains a strong advocate for excellence, innovation and athlete wellbeing.

Credit & Image: Rowing Australia

SHANGHAI ROSE REGATTA

Well done to Mercantile RC athletes Jessica Evatt-Davey, Zoe Korr, Clodagh McCarthy, and Ann Pinneke, who ventured to Shanghai for the Rose Regatta last weekend.

The Rose Regatta is currently the only women's rowing competition in China and the only officially organised women's rowing competition in the world.

Coached by Jordan Roberts, the women competed in a quad and two double sculls, claiming 2nd and 4th place in the doubles race.

Rowing WA athletes also featured at the regatta, pipping the Mercantile crew for Gold.

Images: Mercantile RC

EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST - RV COMMISSIONS

Rowing Victoria is now seeking Expressions of Interest for the 2025/26 Competition Commission & Umpires' Commission.

If you are interested in being a member of either Commission, and are committed to being an active participant and contributor, please register via the link below.

More information regarding the responsibilities of the commissions can be found on the nomination pages.

EOI close Tuesday 27 May.

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.