The Course
The race is rowed along the St. John’s and Lake Beresford waterways. Crews will start on the St. John’s River and row downstream towards Lake Beresford. Upon entering Lake Beresford, racing crews are to proceed north along the buoy line towards the finish line. The Finish line will be marked clearly with buoys. As this is a navigable waterway, signs, channel markers and other obstructions are present along both the St. John’s River and Lake Beresford. Take caution.

Launch and Return Docks
The dock master shall control all launching of shells. The dock master is ultimately responsible for the procession of crews on and off the docks. Crews are to not exceed more than 2 minutes on the dock for either launching or recovering. Crews in violation of this rule will be assessed a penalty.

Eligibility
NOTE: for exact definitions of Youth, Collegiate, Club, Masters, Novice, Mixed, and Lightweight, see Event Definitions.
a. There is no limit on the number of entries a given organization may make.
b. Wherever relevant, the age of a contestant as of December 31, 2017, governs eligibility.

Bow Number Draw
Bow number draws will be made randomly starting with “A” crews, then “B” crews and so forth. Entry fee payment is required to receive bow numbers.

Bow Balls, Bow Marker Clips, and Heel Safety Ties
Control commission officials will monitor all launching boats. All boats must be equipped with bow marker clips and bow balls. Any boats without a securely attached bow ball will be declared unsafe and will not be permitted to race. Each foot stretcher must have an appropriate footgear quick release system with the heels tied no more than 3 inches from the board.

Bow Markers
Registrants will be furnished number plates. Please return all number plates to the return dock or Regatta Headquarters. Crews not returning a number will be assessed a $20 fee.

Penalties
15 second penalty – Incorrectly passing or 'cutting' a buoy
15 second penalty – Exceeding 2 minutes on the launch or recovery docks
20 second penalty – Starting out of order or interfering with the staging of the start
20 second penalty – Unsportsmanlike conduct (this includes use of foul language)
30 second penalty – Interference, which includes failing to yield the right-of-way

Passing / Right of Way
In accordance with USRA Rules: A crew is deemed to be overtaking another crew when it has moved to within one length of open water of the crew ahead. A crew being overtaken must safely yield the right of way. On straight sections of the course, a crew being overtaken shall yield to the right. In turns, the crew being overtaken shall yield to the outside of the turn and allow the overtaking crew to pass along the shorter path. Nevertheless, passing is not allowed, nor is the crew being overtaken required to yield, in cases where the overtaking crew’s position clearly prevents safe passage or where there is insufficient room to yield. Failure to yield will result in a 30 second penalty.

Protests
All protests must be indicated on the water immediately following the finish of a race to an Official before the crew leaves the finish area. When a crew leaves the finish area, they forfeit the right to file a protest. Each protest must be filed in writing within 30 minutes of the last boat crossing the finish line for the race in question. A fee of $50.00 in cash must accompany each protest. Protests are to be taken to Regatta Headquarters or the Chief Referee. 

First Call
Crews will not be called to the launch dock. It is suggested that all crews launch 45-50 minutes before their race. Late arrivals to the starting line will either be assessed a penalty or excluded from racing depending on the referee’s discretion.

Hot Seating
Crews wishing to “hot-seat” shall notify the Dock Master on the Return Dock prior to launching. All “hot-seating” crews must still follow the commands given by the dock master and follow the 2 minute launch/recovery window on the dock.

Results and Awards
Results for each event will be posted at the results tent after the last boat finishes in each event. “Trophy Blades” will be given to 1st place crews in each event only. No medals will be distributed for this regatta.

Concessions and Vendor Sales
Food trucks will be parked in the area as designated on the “Venue Map”.

2018 Stetson Fall Rendezvous Event Definitions
Please Note: Due to changes in NCAA rules, we have added several entry options and modified entry definitions to accommodate both women’s collegiate varsity and youth/junior teams for this regatta. These definitions are also applicable to coxswains.

Collegiate: This defines a women’s and/or men’s rowing program as an NCAA sponsored or School sponsored sport at an institution. This definition applies to all athletes and boatings from this program including first, second, third, etc. boatings; “JV” boats; “subvarsity” athletes and boats; “novice” athletes and boats; lightweight athletes and boats; freshman athletes and boats; and all coxswains.

Youth or Junior Programs: This defines a scholastic or non-scholastic program with students who are classified by age according to Section 4-104 of the USRA Rules of Rowing. This definition applies to all athletes and boatings from these programs including first, second, third, etc. boatings; “JV” boats; “subvarsity” athletes and boats; “novice” athletes and boats; lightweight athletes and boats; freshman athletes and boats; and all coxswains. Master (singles): All master’s events are organized by boat class only. Age classifications will be applied to the final results at the conclusion of the race. It is the responsibility of the master’s crews to notify the regatta officials of the average age of the crew during registration before the regatta begins. These events are age-handicapped using the formula established in the USRowing Rules of Rowing prorated for the length of the course.

Novice: These events are open to those athletes in the first year of competition.

Coxswains: There is no minimum weight limit for coxswains. Coxswains may be of either gender. Youth coxswains may only be used in youth events or in those events where no collegiate varsity athletes or boats are entered – with prior approval from the Chief Referee and Regatta Director.
 

Mixed: These entries must consist of 50% men and 50% women.