Re: HORR - 10 sinkings in top 50

anton2468@xxxxxxx wrote:

snip

I think who ever allowed this to start was criminally insane. It
should have been clearly obvious what was gonna happen

(We assume that) the organisers of this race are experienced, were well
aware of the prevailing and forecast conditions and the number of lives and
boats at risk. We would also assume that they spent a fair amount of effort
risk assessing and trying to get the race on/off decision right. In spite
of all this, it turned out that they initially made a wrong decision, with
spectacular and life-threatening consequences.

Consider an average club eight preparing for their average weekly outing:
one imagines their risk assessment for the outing will be a little more
cursory than that of the HORR organisers.

In their Water Safety Code the ARA justifies their approval of the continued
existence of non-buoyant boats, and the lack of a mandatory minimum buoyancy
standard for all boats by pinning the responsibility on the rower thus:

"2.6.1.2.i. If after risk assessment for a planned activity it is judged
that a boat, new or old, does not have sufficient inherent buoyancy,
additional buoyancy should be added."

It seems obvious to us that the ARA has unrealistic expectations of the
ability of rowers, coaches and race organisers (all mere human beings) to
accurately risk assess the effects of the weather and predict the future.
Their reliance on active risk assessment as a catch-all is wholly misguided,
when there is a practical, cheap and easy, passive fail-safe solution: make
it compulsory for all boats, old or new, in racing or training, to be fitted
with buoyancy to at least meet the FISA Minimum Flotation Standard. Then if
the risk assessment proves to be wrong, fully buoyant boats will give the
rowers the best chance of staying in the boat and out of the water - and
able to row themselves back to safety.

Jane and Stephen.





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Relevant Pages

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  • Re: (UK) North West Region goes further than Row Safe rules on buoyancy
    ... rules on boat buoyancy following the NWRC meeting of the 21st ... 2009 boats in events run by NW Region clubs must meet the ARA RowSafe ... This is on the understanding that those bow and stern compartments ... kayak buoyancy air bags, non-absorbent foam blocks, and sealed empty ...
    (rec.sport.rowing)