Oxford University Rowing Clubs

Abuse of Other River Users

PostAbuse of Other River Users
AuthorLaura A
laura.addis@wolfson		Posted At09:40, 12th May 2008
10 weeks ago
After spending quite a lot of time sitting by the river this weekend, especially near the Head, I have been quite shocked by the behaviour of some of the College crews and their coaches towards other river users. I totally understand that it is very frustrating if you are trying to do a piece and there is a punt or rowboat in the way. However, I would say 99% of the time they are not in the way on purpose, they just have no control of their boat and actually get very scared when an Eight is bearing down on them, panic and make the situation worse. This does not excuse you verbally abusing them. If you feel you must say something to them to get them to move out of the way, please do so with some manners, shouting and swearing from coxes, coaches and rowers is extremely rude - you do not own the river.

I would also like to mention the number of punts I saw hit at high speed this weekend as well, especially by a St Antony's mens crew at lunchtime on Sunday who actually succeed in knocking the poor punter in the river because the cox hadn't seen him. It would appear that many coxes can't see punts at all - this doesn't bode well for your cox trying to see the crew you are aiming to bump
 
PostRE: Abuse of Other River Users
Authorht
hannah.thomas@lincoln		Posted At11:35, 12th May 2008
10 weeks ago
In defence of coxes, there is a rather large blind spot in a eight, particularly if you are coxing a men's boat. Sometimes you just don't see things in front of you when you're not expecting them to be there (unlike in Eights, when you're actively tracking down the crew in front)

The more important point to make for coxes is not 'improve your eyesight', but rather 'make sure your crew know how to hold it hard'. And when you tell them to hold it hard, make sure they hear the urgency in your voice.

And finally, for the umpteenth time, let's all use some common sense?!! You KNOW the river's going to be busy - take a look before you start doing a piece (even to the point of standing up in your seat), get your coach to yell if there are any obstacles and IF IN DOUBT, STOP.
 
PostRE: Abuse of Other River Users
AuthorLiz
platts_liz@allergan[dot]com		Posted At15:25, 12th May 2008
10 weeks ago
Which is why I want a bow-mounted grenade launcher, so that if there's a punt in the way of my crew, the cox doesn't have to worry about it - one press of the button on my bike and the offending craft is blown out of the water.
I wish - any engineer out there can make me one?
 
PostRE: Abuse of Other River Users
AuthorMSH
matthew.swires-hennessy@theology		Posted At10:01, 13th May 2008
10 weeks ago
This was a problem on the weekend, and I saw an 8 hit a punt last night.
Could someone (from OURC?) ask those companies that hire out punts/rowing boats/small motorboats to explain to those who hire the circulation pattern of the river? Also alert people to where boats may be spinning?
 
PostRE: Abuse of Other River Users
AuthorLiz
platts_liz@allergan[dot]com		Posted At10:23, 13th May 2008
10 weeks ago
During the period that I was Regional Safety, I went to speak to the hire place at the Head to enquire whether they give out any instruction to the punters. At the time they told boats to cling to ChCh meadow and then head up the Cherwell. I then spoke to the EA about this, to absolutely no effect whatsoever.
From the mayhem at the weekend with hire boats & punts everywhere, it seems that they give no instruction at all now - when you advise these other river users of the navigation rules, you generally get a blank stare of incomprehension.
I would suggest that it probably needs to go beyond OURCs and may be something that COUR could liaise with the EA and Salters about?
 
PostRE: Abuse of Other River Users
AuthorThomas Chapman
thomas.chapman@some		Posted At11:49, 15th May 2008
10 weeks ago
Might this be something that we should deal with before eights, in case of nice weather that could be quite dangerous.
 
PostRE: Abuse of Other River Users
AuthorNic
nicola.mangion@merton		Posted At12:44, 15th May 2008
10 weeks ago
Can we not simply put up a sign next to Chch boathouse as they come onto the Isis stretch warning about the danger and giving brief instructions? Surely too a member of the OURCs committee could just drop a note to the guys who hire the punts.

It's not so much regular punters that annoy me, but its when they are drunk or they clearly have no idea how to maneouvre their punt/rowboat, or think the whole thing is one big joke - it makes them so unpredictable and dangerous. When you factor in novices coxes, sculls, barges, crews wanting to do pieces, and those doing warm up drills, the whole thing becomes quite nightmarish. There's a very serious accident waiting to happen...

 
PostRE: Abuse of Other River Users
Authorht
hannah.thomas@lincoln		Posted At13:11, 15th May 2008
10 weeks ago
It\'s another accident waiting to happen - they\'ve happened in previous years and by the sounds of things there\'ve been collisions this year too. I don't know of any Oxford cox who's never had to call 'Hold it hard' because of an erratic punt.

There is, as far as I am aware, no regulator of punting in Oxford, and there\'s more than one company hiring the punts (and don\'t forget students on college punts - most of whom probably neevr go near the river at other times of years so don\'t know the circulation plans either).
They don\'t just come in from the Cherwell, there are the ones that boat from the Head too, don\'t forget.

OURCs doesn\'t have any authority over any of them - so any letter could only be a polite suggestion and, given the fact that this has always been a problem, and punters continue to be haphazard, I\'d guess any response in the past has been little more than a nonchalant shrug.
Might be worth a try anyway though.

Sadly the most unpredictable ones (ie the drunk ones) are those who we are least likely to be able to do anything about, and who are most likely to ignore the signs.
 
PostRE: Abuse of Other River Users
AuthorNic
nicola.mangion@merton		Posted At15:19, 15th May 2008
10 weeks ago
Yeah, good point. But someone really does need to do something about it - it's inconsistent at best that on the one had we are abiding by all our safety regulations (which is obviously a good thing) and on the other we are allowing this degree of congestion to occur.