Please take a brief tutorial on how the Umpires apply the interference rules. Test your knowledge with a short self grading quiz at the end. No one wins in interference situations. Please spend a few minutes on this important subject.

Tutorial on How To Avoid Penalties

Competitors are required to become familiar with all of the 2011 Official Handbook, Available Summer 2011.

6. The Race Course

The Race Course can be downloaded as a (PDF format). You need Adobe Acrobat Reader 4.0 (available free of charge at Adobe), to successfully download the map of your choice.

6.1. Race Course Description: The race course starts at the Boston University Boathouse and goes almost immediately under the combination of a railroad trestle bridge and the B.U. Bridge. It then proceeds through 5 (five) triple-arch bridges to the Finish Line approximately 3 miles upstream.

While the railroad trestle bridge's second arch from the right (Cambridge) shore is the preferred lane and the center arch of the five remaining bridges is the preferred route over the rest of the course, the right (closest to the Cambridge shore) arch of four of those remaining bridges may be used when a center arch appears too congested, the exception being the Lars Anderson Bridge (by Harvard's Weld Boathouse), whose right (closest to the Cambridge shore) arch is out of bounds. Going through the right arch (closest to the Cambridge shore) of the Lars Anderson Bridge (by Harvard's Weld Boathouse), or going through any bridge's left (closest to the Boston shore) arch, will result in a 60-second penalty in addition to any buoy violation penalties incurred by doing so.

6.2. B.U. Bridge/Railroad Trestle Bridge: While the railroad trestle bridge's second arch from the right (Cambridge) shore is the preferred route, the right (closes to Cambridge) arch of the railroad trestle bridge may be used (WITH EXTREME CAUTION) when the center arch appears too congested. Use of this arch is permitted but strongly discouraged.

6.3. Race Course Boundaries: From the coxswain's view on the race course from the start line, the right hand shore (to starboard) is the Cambridge shore and the left hand shore (to port) is the Boston shore. The race course is bounded by a continuous line of orange buoys to the left (Boston side, coxswain's view) and an intermittent line of green buoys to the right (Cambridge side, coxswain's view). Where there are no green buoys, the Cambridge shore is the right side boundary of the course.

6.4. Coxswain's Clinic: All coxswains in the Club events and coxswains who have never before raced in the Regatta are strongly advised to attend the Coxswains' Clinics.

Bridge Traffic Diagrams can be downloaded (63.0 KB) as a (PDF format). You need Adobe Acrobat Reader 4.0 (available free of charge at Adobe), to successfully download the map of your choice.