Safety Information
Anchorage Rowing Association is committed to safe rowing. ARA rowers must observe the following safety rules:
- All rowers must review the U.S. Rowing safety video.
- Alaska law requires those under 13 to wear a personal floatation device.
- Rowers must follow the ARA Sand Lake traffic pattern (linked in the side bar to the right). Even when following the traffic pattern, rowers should assume that float plane pilots cannot see our boats and rowers should do their best to stay out of the path of planes taxiing, taking off, or landing.
- Users of ARA equipment must observe the Four Oar Rule, which is as follows:
From September 21 through June 1 and anytime the air temperatures falls below 50 degrees Fahrenheit, users of ARA-owned equipment are required to:
- Have a coaching launch on the water, or
- Row with at least four oars on the water. In singles and pairs this means two or more boats rowing in close proximity, no more than two boat lengths apart; or
- Wear a life vest.
- Bow seat, stern seat, and singles rowers must wear high visibility clothing.
- Uncoached rowers must sign up in the log book in the shell pen.
- All maintenance issues must be logged in the maintenance binder in the shell pen. Safety issue with a boat must be reported to a coach. Unsafe boats must be have an "Unrowable" tag affixed to the boat.
- Boats must be locked to the racks when not in use. The last person leaving the shell pen must ensure that the shed and shell pen are locked.
- Adult novice or new-to-club adult rowers must obtain coach approval prior to accessing club equipment for uncoached rowing.
- Juniors must have a coach at all practices, with the following exception: Juniors may row with their parent if that parent is an ARA Masters rower. In addition, a coach must determine which boats a Junior is qualified to row during a parent-led row.
- No rower shall be under the influence of alcohol or illegal drugs while rowing with ARA equipment.
