Nephthys Head & Regatta
Nephthys Boat Club will be holding the annual Nephthys Head & Regatta on the Isis on Friday 16th and Saturday 17th November. The head race is held over the bumps course and the regatta is a knock-out side-by-side event from Timms to the bumps finish (Christ Church course).
It is the only inter-collegiate event in Michaelmas open to all boats and since it takes place in the week before Christ Church Regatta, serves to provide valuable racing experience for your novice crews. The Head is also a good opportunity for coxes to practice steering the bumps course on the Isis.
Entries are welcome from all Oxford and Cambridge colleges.
The Head will be taking place from 13:00 until 16:00 on Friday, and the Regatta will be taking place from 11:00 until 16:00 on Saturday.
Events
Definitions
Open - Open to all crews.
Novice - For crews with less than 2 terms of rowing experience. Coxes are exempt from this restriction.
Lightweight - All members of the crew must weigh in before racing, and no member may weigh more than 75kg. N.B. we particularly encourage clubs to enter lightweight crews, and the entry fee is lower for this event.
Note that Novice crews may enter Open events.
Eligibility
All competitors must be full members of an Oxford or Cambridge College Boat Club at the time of racing. Competitors' eligibility to race in Novice events may be checked. Please bring your university cards if you are racing in a Novice event.
Note that other events may be offered in the event of sufficient interest. Please contact the Regatta Secretary with specific requests for additional events.
Doubling Up
For people who wish to double up, and row in two crews (e.g. row in an VIII and IV), this will be possible as long as we know exactly which boats you intend to row in so that we can allow enough time between your races on the day.
Eights Events
Open Men's Eights
Open Women's Eights
Novice Men's Eights
Novice Women's Eights
Fours Events
Open Men's Coxed Fours
Open Women's Coxed Fours
Lightweight Men's Coxed Fours
Note: The Race Secretary reserves the right to cancel, or combine Novice, Lightweight and Open events in undersubscribed events.
Crew Information
(All crews must print off a copy of the safety instructions and keep it with them during the event).
Entries
Entries are now open online at:
- pidge cheques payable to "OULRC" to Andrew McGrath at Balliol by Wednesday
14th November - pricing details are available within the OURCS entry system
- there is a 25% refund on the total cost for crews entered in both the head AND the regatta. Therefore an eight entered in both events will be reimbursed £24, and a coxed four £16. Due to complications in the entries system, this will be arranged after the event.
- the OURCS entry system doesn't differentiate between lightweight and open fours. If entering a lightweight four, please insert "lightweight" in the coach section of the crew entry page.
- Nephthys Head this year is open to 2-, 2x and 1x. Competitors in these events from Oxford Colleges must have completed an OURCS capsize drill before competing.
Safety Information
Please note that under ARA Rules of Racing 2-3-8, crews are responsible for ensuring that their boats are safe and prepared to the standard required by the ARA Water Safety Code. For example, bow balls must be secure, heel restraints of appropriate length must be correctly installed and all accessible watertight compartments must have their covers fitted. Boats will be checked by marshals before boating and crews with boats deemed to be unsafe will be barred from racing and reported to the Area Safety Officer (if appropriate). Please ensure that coxes wear lifejackets which are appropriate to the boat used, i.e. no automatic inflation lifejackets in bowloading fours.
All external clubs (not Oxford college clubs) must also hold third party liability insurance, proof of which will be asked for by the Race Committee, in order to be allowed to race. Any crews who arrive to compete without proof of cover will be immediately disqualified. Valid ARA racing licenses will suffice as proof of third party liability insurance.
There will be a limit of one cyclist permitted to accompany each racing crew. Dangerous, thoughtless or imprudent behaviour by cyclists will lead to the crew they are accompanying being punished with time penalties or disqualification. We strongly recommend that all cyclists wear a helmet.
Crews who break the circulation pattern will receive a time penalty or be disqualified.
Please note that the overtaking procedure is different to previous years - the overtaking crew must go around the crew being overtaken, while the crew being overtaken should maintain its line.
All crews must download and print off a copy of the safety instruction sheets (above) and carry a copy in the boat during the event.
Refund Procedures
In the event that the Nephthys events are cancelled, the following refunds will apply:
If there is no racing in either event: 90% of the entry fee will be refunded.
If at least one event (Head or Regatta) occurs, 50% of the entry fee will be refunded.
If a crew withdraws after the draw is published, their entry fee will be retained.