I apologize for being late to the 10 am meeting on Saturday. I was
to take notes in place of Steve Wells; however, Steve _____ was able
to accomplish the task. Thank you, Steve!

I spoke up during the meeting about safety. I have attached some
information from a brief search on the web to add to the
discussion. The first is an example of what Capital Rowing Club has
done. The second is from the Red Cross regarding small boat safety
and the the third is from the US Coast Guard.

I really appreciate what I have learned from you, the Sound Rowers,
this past year. I look forward to your thoughts and posted messages
about safety. See you on the water...

Cheers!

Paul Mueller


Membership safety responsibilities
Operators of small boats assume a greater responsibility for safety
because on the water they are responsible for both steering and
rowing the boat. CRC offers coached small-boats sessions, but
outside of those coached sessions, Small-Boats Program members
undertake use of a small boat entirely at their own risk, and are
responsible for their own safety and for making safe decisions
regarding when and how to participate in water outings. All small-
boat activities at CRC must be conducted in conformity with
USRowing's safety bulletin and guidelines and CRC's safety program
and guidelines, and most importantly, by using each rower's own
common sense, and alertness of any hazards, in light of the purpose
and spirit of these safety guidelines. Members are required to sign
out for each outing in CRC's monitored logbook for all non-coached
water outings. CRC also encourages small-boat users to take a cell
phone in the boat with them on the water.
Membership certification
Certification as a member of the Small-Boats Program requires
understanding these safety procedures and guidelines and
demonstrating basic skills and competency to operate a boat safely.
Specifically, membership in the Small-Boats Program requires that
the following elements have been satisfied:
1. Read and understand USRowing's Safety Bulletin and CRC's
Small-Boats Safety Guidelines
2. Read and sign USRowing's standard waiver
3. Read, check, and sign CRC's Small-Boats Membership
Application
4. Pass a safety/competence certification test with the Small-
Boats Program Representative or his/her designee. This generally
requires demonstrating competence launching, landing, and handling a
single shell, and showing you can get back in the boat if you fall
in the water. A recent reference of sculling competence from a coach
at another rowing club or a sculling camp will generally suffice.
A current list of certified Small-Boats Program members is available
here [LINK] and will be updated regularly throughout the year.


Here is the site from the Red Cross regarding water safety:

http://www.redcross.org/services/hss/tips/healthtips/safetywater.html

Here is the site from the Coast Guard:

http://www.uscgboating.org/safety/fed_reqs/intro.htm