Rowing Canada Aviron (RCA) has introduced its first Weather Protocol document to help regatta organizers better predict weather conditions and ultimately run safer regattas. See the full document here.
"This Protocol has been developed primarily for use by RCA Umpires at national championship regattas that are directly sanctioned by Rowing Canada Aviron," said RCA's VP Domestic Competition, Don Hornby "It will also be useful for provincial rowing associations and clubs holding regattas in arriving at decisions in the interests of safety based on weather in their local areas."
Durham Rowing Club member Rob Millikin of Oshawa, Ont, - a retired air traffic controller who has officiated at Canadian regattas for more than 10 years - developed the system. He has served as the official Weather Advisor at the Royal Canadian Henley, Canada Cup, and the Row Ontario Championships over the past five years.
"My specific interest in developing a weather protocol was sparked by two events - a storm at Henley and another at the Ontario Rowing Championships in Ottawa, Ont. Since then I devised my own methods, for my own use, in regattas where I was involved to predict the arrival of adverse weather and how long it would last, and used the methodology at several Row Ontario Championships and the Royal Canadian Henley with considerable success."
Millikin's work was brought to the attention of Rowing Canada's Safety and Events Committee and later approved by RCA's Board of Directors.
Safety is one of the greatest concerns when organizing a regatta. The new document explains how regatta organizers and the Chief Umpire can use weather technology and weather information on a real-time, local basis through Environment Canada and the Internet to enable them to make informed and timely decisions. It is not a rule, but a protocol - a recommended practice to enhance safety at regattas.
The full document is available in both French and English.