Wells Moat Boat Race

INFORMATION AND RULES
Races will be held on the Bishop’s Palace Moat in Wells. Registration will take place at the Silver Street end of the moat between 9:00am-10:30am.

RAFTS

Each team must have their own raft. Sharing is not permitted except when an organisation has senior and junior teams.

The raft must be ‘home-made’ and the only permissible means of flotation will be oil drums or similar containers, plastic or metal. All drums or barrels must be clean and decontaminated. The decking should be wooden, and any sharp corners must be padded.

No part of the raft should be designed to ‘streamline’ the structure.

Propulsion must only be achieved by ‘home-made’ paddles of any size, shape. Paddles are to be single bladed and made of wood and/or plastic. No metal blades.

You will be allocated a team number in advance. Please display this on a large sign, securely fitted to the raft. This must be clearly visible to the judges at all times. If more than one team within an organisation use the same raft the number must be capable of being changed to show the current user of the raft.

Each craft must have a painter (strong rope) securely fixed to the craft to enable it to be towed. Minimum length 3 metres.

Construction of the raft must conform to these basic rules and any breach will result in disqualification. The adjudicator’s decision is final.

It is not permitted for any crew to try out their raft on the moat before the day of the event without the specific written permission of the Bishop’s Palace.

TEAM INFORMATION

Teams have a maximum of six members, with 2 reserve crew members. All crew members must be capable swimmers.

Junior teams must have their own flotation aids and must be used at all times when on the water.

It is highly recommended that all junior team members wear a protective helmet when on the water.

Closed toed footwear must be worn by all crew members for reasons of safety.

No alcohol is to be consumed in the moat area, before and during the boat race event as local bylaws are enforced.

The minimum age is thirteen years on day of race. Entrants under the age of eighteen must have their parent’s written consent (see entry form).

Junior teams age 13-17 on race day, Adult teams 18 years and over. It is not permitted to enter a team of adult and junior combined.

Only those named on the entry forms are permitted to race.

The moat has a large population of resident waterfowl and anything which will be detrimental to their well-being is not permitted. Therefore, water bombs, loose plastic containers and bags are not permitted on the water. The throwing of weed is not permitted.

ON THE DAY

All boats and trailers must arrive and enter the moat area via Silver Street. Vehicles towing or carrying rafts are permitted to the unloading area. Raft vehicles should unload as quickly as possible and leave the area to allow others access. Other vehicles should park straight away in Palace Fields; items can be carried from there. Raft vehicles should leave area by 10.30hrs at the latest and must follow the one way exit into Tor Street, and return to the Silver Street entrance to get to the parking area.

Please note this area is a public right of way and clear passage must be permitted to those using it.

1 vehicle per team will be permitted to park on the palace field for free.

Registration will be open from 9:00am – 11:00

A safety brief will be held in the Bishop’s Barn at 11:00 on the day of the races. All competitors must attend. Attendance will be recorded, and non-attendance will automatically disqualify the team.

After the Safety Brief judging all teams should make their way to the Moat for Fancy Dress and raft judging. All rafts should take place in a ‘parade’ on the water.

Every effort will be made by the organisers to keep the ‘waiting time’ between races to a minimum and it is hoped that all races will be completed by 17:00hrs at the latest.

All rafts must remain in the water until all races have finished and all competitors are off the water unless special permission is granted by the control team. There will be supervision and assistance to get the rafts off the water. Please follow the guidance of the control team but note that it is the responsibility of each team to remove their raft.

All competitors, vehicles and rafts must be clear of the area by 18.00 (19:00hrs at the latest) on the day of the event. Please can you ensure that no rubbish, rafts parts or paddles are left behind. Thank you.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

A trophy will be awarded to the winning raft in each category at the Presentation Evening to be held on Sunday 13th October at 19.00. The venue is to be confirmed

Each participant is deemed to be aware of the waiver of liability signed by the team captain on behalf of all crew members and incorporated into the entry form.

The decisions of the race organisers will be final in all matters.

Any enquires can be made to cityofwellslions@gmail.com or 0345 833 6736

A copy of these rules can be downloaded HERE.

Presented by Wells City Lions.