Date of
Time Trial
heats

5.1 - At a time to be determined by the Regatta Committee in each racing season, a date shall be set for the conduct of Time Trials prior to Regatta Day. The purpose of the Time Trials shall be to determine the makeup of each Regatta Day race based upon the times rowed by the crews participating in the Time Trial heats.

Time Trial
heat schedule

5.2 - The Chairman of the Rules Committee shall establish a Time Trials heat schedule based upon the number of crews officially registered. Not more than five (5) crews may participate in any one Time Trial race.

Rules for
Time Trials
same as
Regatta Day
events

5.3 - The manner of conducting any Time Trial heat shall be the same as that established for Regatta Day races and the time in which a crew completes the course in a Time Trial race shall be as recorded by the Chief Time Keeper.

Accident
during
Time Trial
heats

5.4 - In the event of an accident or equipment breakage or malfunction after the expiry of the one-minute mark of a Time Trial heat:

i) - the coxswain in the affected crew shall indicate the happening thereof by raising his or her hand over his or her shoulder;

ii) - the Chief Judge/Starter shall not stop the Time Trial heat in question (except when for safety reasons he in his or her sole opinion considers it necessary or prudent to do so) but shall note the signal of the coxswain of the affected crew and adjudicate upon the happening as set out herein;

iii) - where, in the sole opinion of the Chief Judge/Starter, an affected crew or crews would be unfairly prejudiced by an accident or equipment breakage or malfunction, the affected crew or crews shall be granted the opportunity to row again for time only; and

iv) - the affected crew or crews, as nearly as is practical, shall maintain the same boat and stake as it rowed during the Time Trial heat in which the accident or equipment breakage or malfunction occurred and shall row again in an available heat and boat as determined by the Captain of the Course in his or her sole discretion.

Schedule
of results
for Time
Trial heats

5.5 - After the Time Trial heats are completed, the Chairperson of the Rules Committee shall compile a schedule of results of the Time Trials in each division commencing with the fastest time in each division.

Elimination
of crews to
accommodate
a Regatta
Day race
schedule

5.6 - The Chairman of the Rules Committee shall, in consultation with the Captain of the Course, after the completion of the Time Trial heats, compile a race day schedule for the annual Regatta Day races. If more crews are registered than the Regatta Day race schedule can accommodate, the Chairman of the Rules Committee in consultation with the Captain of the Course may eliminate crews from Regatta Day competition starting with the crew in each division having the slowest time at the Time Trial heats until the number of entries remaining can be accommodated in the Regatta Day race schedule. The Chairman of the Rules Committee has the sole discretion to maintain a reasonable ratio of races in each division as justified by the number of crews registered in each division.

Selection
of Boats and
Stakes for
Regatta Day
Races

5.7 - After the Regatta Day race schedule has been established by the Chairman of the Rules Committee, a meeting will be held at which the Official Representative of each crew participating in the Regatta Day race schedule shall be obliged to be present. At this meeting a selection will be held in a manner determined in the sole discretion of the Chairman of the Rules Committee wherein the crew rowing the fastest time in its Time Trial heat Division shall be permitted to select the boat and stake of its choice; That the crew rowing the second fastest time in the same Time Trial heat Division shall be permitted to select the boat and stake of its choice after the first crew has made its choice; that the crew rowing the third fastest time in the same Time Trial heat Division shall be permitted to select the boat and stake of its choice after the first and second crews have made their choices, etc., until all crews in each Time Trial heat of a division has selected a boat and stake of its choice, in accordance with the procedures as directed by the Chairman of the Rules Committee in his or her sole discretion as Chairman of the Rules Committee.

The choice of boat and stake by an Official Representative is final and shall be binding upon the crew that that Official Representative represents.

In the absence of an Official Representative representing a crew, the Chairman of the Rules Committee, or his or her nominee, may in his or her sole discretion accept as the Official Representative of a crew a person nominated in writing by the registered Official Representative of that crew, or nominated in writing by a majority of the oarspersons of that crew. In the absence of an Official Representative, the Chairman of the Rules Committee, or his or her nominee, shall assign a person to select a boat and stake for the crew whose Official Representative is absent and such choice of boat and stake shall be binding upon such crew.

In the absence of notice to the contrary, the meeting of Official Representatives for the purpose of conducting the selection for boats and stakes shall be held at the Boathouse, Quidi Vidi Lake, St. John's, immediately after the completion of the last Time Trial heat.

Postponement
of Time Trial
heats and
resulting
race times

5.8 - In the event that the Time Trial heats are postponed while in progress, and are continued over the next day or several days, the resulting times recorded by crews in all races rowed prior to the postponement shall be official. The postponed portion of the Time Trials shall be completed on a date and at a time designated by the Captain of the Course.

No coaching
of race shell
crews from
certain
locations

5.9 - There shall be no coaching of race shell crews during the Time Trial heats and/or any Regatta Day Racing Events including Championship Races from any designated official Regatta judging location including, but not necessarily limited to: Judges' platform (top of pond); Judges' Boat (bottom of pond); Marquis; Boat House Control Centre Room(s)-(veranda location); Visitors' Boat; and/or any other locations as may be otherwise designated "off limits to coaching" by Chairman of the Rules Committee in consultation with the Captain of the Course.

Delay,
postponement
of Regatta
Day racing
events

5.10 - The Captain of the Course shall have the discretion at any time on any basis he/she considers reasonable in the interests of safety, sportsmanship, fair play, or in the interests of the enjoyment of the Regatta by the participants and spectators, to delay, postpone, or reschedule the annual Royal St. John's Regatta, or any incomplete portion thereof. Prior to the Captain of the Course exercising his or her discretion to make such delays, postponements, or rescheduling to the annual St. John's Regatta Day Program, or incomplete portion thereof, the Captain of the Course may in his or her sole discretion as he/she deems necessary, consult with Regatta Day officials.

Number
of Crews
permitted
in one
racing event

5.11 - No more than five (5)crews shall start in any one racing event.

Coxswain
to be
approved
by Rules
Committee

5.12 - All coxswains shall be determined as being competent and shall be approved by the Chairman of the Rules Committee. Except during practice spins, coxswains shall wear designated colored coxswains jackets in all formal racing events and shall adhere, at all times, to all of the other provisions of Rule 3.12. Coxswains failing to adhere to these regulations shall not be permitted to steer a shell in practice or in Time Trial heats and/or in Regatta Day events.

Ten (10)
Minute Rule

5.13 - All crews must be at their respective starting stakes to start their assigned races within ten (l0) minutes of the race being called over the loud-speaker at the Boathouse. This requirement shall be known as the "Ten Minute Rule." The call of a race and the commencement of the Ten Minute Rule shall not be made until the last boat in an existing race has passed the Marquee on its way to the finish line at the top of the pond.

Crew
disqualification

5.14 - Any crew not in position to commence a race within ten minutes after the race has been called may be disqualified by the Captain of the Course from participating in that race.

Crews to
enter chosen
boats as
soon as
possible

5.15 - All crews shall immediately enter their chosen boat for the next scheduled race as soon as their assigned boat is available at the Boathouse dock and, in any event, no later than immediately after the announcement of the commencement of the 10-Minute Rule, as noted under Rule 5.13 above and shall proceed immediately and directly to its assigned starting stake at the top of the pond.

Crews at
starting stakes

5.16 - When all boats and crews have reached the starting stakes, the coxswain for each crew shall grasp the toggle attached to the assigned starting stake for that crew in his or her hand and the crews shall cause all boats to be lined up evenly as directed by the Chief Judge/Starter.

Chief
Judge/Starter
starts race

5.17 - When the Chief Judge/Starter is satisfied that all boats are lined up evenly he shall address the crews as follows:

"Stake No. 1 - Are you ready?;
Stake No. 2 - Are you ready?;
Stake No. 3 - Are you ready?;
Stake No. 4 - Are you ready? and
Stake No. 5 - Are you ready?"

The coxswain of each crew shall signify to the Chief Judge/Starter the readiness of that crew to start the race. When all coxswains have indicated their readiness, the Chief Judge/Starter shall ask again "Gentlemen/Ladies - Are you all ready?" and, in the absence of an indication from any coxswain that a crew is not ready, the race shall be started by the firing of a gun, or the sounding of a horn, as a signal for the start of the race.

Accident/
equipment
failure prior
to one
minute into
race start

5.18 - In the event of an accident or equipment breakage or malfunction following the start of a race and prior to the boats in that race reaching the one minute mark from the start, and only where the said accident or equipment breakage or malfunction would, in the sole opinion of the Chief Judge/Starter, endanger the safety of any crew member or unfairly prejudice a crew, a second gun shall be fired, or horn sounded, to stop the race and recall the boats to the starting stakes for a re-start of that race. In the event of the occurrence of such an accident, equipment breakage or malfunction, the coxswain of the affected crew shall indicate the happening thereof by raising his or her hand over his or her shoulder.

Official
race after the
one-minute
mark

5.20 - When a racing event reaches the one-minute mark from the start of that race and there are no accidents/equipment failures, etc. prior to that time into a race, the race shall then be designated as an official race and the race shall continue until the completion of that racing event at the top of the pond.

Boat
right-of-way
at turning
buoys;
and finish
race on
north side
of Crew's
selected stake

5.21 - A boat that approaches its designated turning buoy first has the right-of-way at all times including into and out of its designated turning buoy. Any crew whose boat obstructs or interferes with the boat of any other crew engaged in a race shall be disqualified. All boats shall approach and round their respective turning buoys on the south side of that turning buoy (turning one buoy only) and shall finish the race on the north side of their respective stake. Any crew violating this rule shall be disqualified from the race.

Coxswain
shall not
touch stroke
oar

5.22 - Any coxswain putting his or her hand upon the stroke oar during a race shall result in the crew being disqualified from that race.

Official
race results

5.23 - The result of any race shall not be official until all assigned officials have reported to the Chief Judge/Starter at the top of the pond, and it is ascertained and confirmed by the Chief Judge/Starter that none of the rules and regulations with respect to the conduct of the race has been violated by any crew competing in the specific race being reported on.

Objection
to conduct
of a race

5.24 - Any crew objecting to the conduct of its race shall immediately make its protest known to the Captain of the Course or Chairman of the Rules Committee immediately upon disembarking from the racing shell at the Boathouse wharf, failing which the official results of that race when announced at the discretion of the Captain of the Course, shall be final. The decision of the Captain of the Course in his or her sole discretion as to any protest concerning the conduct of a race shall be final.

Official
race times

5.25 - The official time for all races shall be as recorded by the Chief Time Keeper , who shall report directly to the Chief Judge/Starter following any one racing event.

Use of
spare oarsperson
first

5.26 - A crew must utilize its registered spare oarsperson before applying for permission to use a substitute oarsperson.

Admittance
of a
substitute
oarsperson
or coxswain

5.27 - The Chairman of the Rules Committee, in consultation with the Captain of the Course, shall have the right to admit a substitute registered oarsperson(s),or coxswain, at any time prior to a race,

(i) - who through sickness (as confirmed by a Doctor's Certificate) or other compassionate reason is or are prevented from rowing and/or steering; and

(ii) - who because of a conflict in the race schedule, is scheduled to cox with more than one crew in a race;

Postponement
and continuation
of Regatta
Day Race
Schedule

5.28 - In the event that any race, or races, on the Regatta Day Race Program are postponed and continued on any other day, and for the purpose only of compiling and running off the Men's/Women's Championship racing events and, as a minimum, should the first six (6) racing events of the Regatta Day Race Program be completed prior to the postponement of the remainder of the Regatta Day Racing Program, then the five (5) fastest racing times rowed in each of the racing divisions prior to the postponement, shall qualify those crews only for participation in their respective Championship racing event. The boat positions and times for all races rowed prior to the postponement shall be final and official. The postponed portion of the Regatta Day Program shall then be completed on a date and at a time as designated by the Captain of the Course.