The Committee have been monitoring the weather and river conditions for the past few weeks, and deem it highly likely that the river will be under a PLA Yellow Flag. We have therefore had to remove all J15 crews, and crews we deem to have insufficient experience, from the draw. These crews will receive a full refund. This is not a decision that has been taken lightly, and it is never our goal to deprive crews of the opportunity to race, but we have to prioritise the safety of those competitors, and others involved in the race.

We urge coaches and clubs to conduct a risk assessment of their crews’ abilities to safely contend with very strong tidal flows, and urge them to withdraw any crews that they deem to be inexperienced. These crews will receive a full refund. Clubs whose crews are deemed by officials to be too inexperienced on Race Day will not be invited to make entries in future years.