KRC Buddy Rowing

• This protocol must be followed by any qualified KRC rower when rowing
without a safety boat.
• All KRC members who wish to row without a safety boat must be designated
as Master rowers and pass a written and practical exam.
• Failure to adhere to any of the Buddy Rowing rules will result in the withdrawal
of Buddy Rowing privileges for that individual

Categories of KRC Rowers

• Learn to Row: Persons with no previous rowing experience who need full
instruction on proper rowing technique. These rowers must row under
supervision and within 500m of a Coach boat.
• Novice: Persons who either have taken the LTR program with KRC or
elsewhere and who can demonstrate the fundamentals of rowing technique.
These rowers must row under supervision and within 750m of a Coach boat.
• Master: Persons who have either taken the LTR program and/or who have 1
full season of rowing experience and have passed the KRC Master Rower
written and practical exam. If rowing in a single, demonstrate their ability to
right and re-enter a capsized single
• Buddy Rowing Coordinator (BRC): A scheduled and designated individual
responsible for recording crews who make a request to row under the KRC
Buddy Row protocol. Responsibilities include coordinating hulls with Buddy
requests, recording crews launch and initiating search if crews fail to contact
BRC 15 mins after their planned return. While it is the responsibility of each crew
to follow the KRC Buddy Row Protocol, the BRC has final say on whether a
Buddy row is allowed. The BRC may not participate in Buddy Rowing while
acting as the BRC.

Weather

• Wind shall be less than 10 kph
• No whitecaps
• No thunder, lightning or thunderstorms forecast or in sight
• Visibility 3 km. (The Barona Beach Marina must be visible from the club),
• Minimum combined Lake and air Temperature 15 degrees

Refer to the weather page for more details

Rowing Area

• All buddy rowing is confined to Gellatly Bay defined as between the Barona
Beach Marina and 250M south of the Gellatly boat launch
• All rowers shall conform to the club flow pattern in this area. Rowing Buddies
shall remain within 300m of each other and 500m of shore

Times

• The Buddy Rowing option is available from when the club opens in the spring
until it closes in the fall
• Buddy Rowing is permitted within sunrise and sunset (no night rowing)
• Those wishing to Buddy Row are constrained by organized class times
• Buddy Rowers must have either racked their boats or placed them on
stretchers :15 minutes prior to any established class time
• Master Rowers may row during scheduled LTR or Novice programs under the
Buddy Rowing Protocol however they must advise the Coach that they are
operating as such
• Coaches have a choice of boat selection before Master rowers during these
scheduled programs

General Rules for Buddy Rowing

• You must row with a buddy(s), defined as at least two set of ours on the water
• You must be an adult
• All rowers in all boats must be qualified as per the Buddy Rowing Protocol
• Carry out a safety check of hull (hull in good condition, bow ball present, heel
ties no longer than 7cm)
• You must carry the required Transport Canada Small Vessels safety
equipment: A life saving device, a whistle. Each boat must also have phone
• in the event of an incident or flip, right the boat, re-enter and row to club. If
unable to re-enter inflate PFD, stay with shell and signal for help. Call 911 if
needed, Club address: 4111 Gellatly Rd (West Kelowna Yacht Club). Call BRC
once secure.
• A weekly schedule of designated KRC BRCs will be posted on the KRC
website with contact information
• Prior to going for a Buddy Row you must advise the BRC of your planned
departure time, return time and what shells you are using (A voice/text/email
message is acceptable for this) however you must get a response from the
BRC confirming your booking (voice/text/email)
• Prior to launching, advise the BRC of your departure into the lake and again
upon your arrival back at the KRC compound (a voice/text message is
acceptable for this; no email). Be aware of the return time you gave the BRC;
seek/search begins 15 mins after this time
• Failure to advise of your return will trigger a search
• Buddy Rowers are responsible for locking the KRC compound before they
row and upon returning equipment after their row
• Remember that all the duties the Safety boat operator provided are the
responsibility of the Buddy Rowers as in: unlocking the compound,
withdrawing the wintech dolly, setting up stretchers, extracting boats and
blades, ensure PFD’s for every rower, at least one phone/boat, locking up the
compound advising the BRC you are setting out, being aware of other boat
traffic as you launch and row, maintaining awareness of changing weather
conditions, maintain awareness of the return time you gave BRC, contacting
BRC upon return to dock, advising BRC of any mechanical issues, wiping
down boats/oars, returning boats to racks and tied down, all stretchers away,
wintech dolly back into compound, lock compound gates - nothing left on
grass or dock - another successful Buddy Row!

Master Rower practical exam

• A KRC Coach will evaluate a candidate’s ability as Acceptable or
Unacceptable. The practical exam will be tested on a single shell.
• Rig and launch a single from the dock, return to the dock without
coach’s assistance and return boat to the rack.
• Demonstrate donning of belt PFD
• Perform a 360 to the left and right
• Back the boat 20m
• Perform an emergency stop
• Demonstrate ability to hold a course
• Demonstrate the international distress signal used to attract attention in the
event of an emergency
• Demonstrate a wet launch and a wet landing
• Demonstrate swimming 100m and treading water for 2 min
• Flip and re-enter an overturned single