Alternative Race Courses

After the “Fog Event” of 2006, CARC designed two alternative courses to increase the likelihood a race occurs given the number of challengers and the distance they travel to participate in the event  These alternative courses have been approved by the Coast Guard to be run in the event of foul weather.  The Coast Guard and CARC want to stress the importance of safety and have agreed that CARC and/or the Coast Guard will modify races when absolutely necessary.

These alternative courses accommodate the logistics of getting 400+ challengers in 300 boats from start to finish in an organized fashion.  The considerations for shifting to an alternative course are as follows:

• We need to hold some sort of event on the scheduled day, as we cannot cancel all of the celebration food and rentals.

• We need to start the race no later than 10 a.m. based on the scenario.  The delayed start time allows for decisions and movement of challengers and boats to the appropriate starting line.

• Wind conditions generating building seas greater than 6 feet over the course of the morning of the race.

• Fog conditions with visibility of less than two miles.

• The safety equipment that is carried by the challenger.

• The ability of the onshore management to track each challenger on the water and knowing what race equipment they carry.

• The number of chase boats needed to ensure safety/tracking on the water.

The North Course alternate would be used in extreme fog conditions and a S/SE wind.  This has challengers starting at the original starting line in the Annisquam at the Gloucester Marina.  Chase boats would be located at the exit of the river and along the course where coves could be a problem.  The race needs to be done within visibility of land (in fog), and inside the chase boat markings.  (Please refer to maps).  The turn around point for the race would be at Front Beach before Rockport Harbor.  The challengers would retrace their steps back to the Annisquam and finish line is the same as the start line.  Take out is at the high school.

In fog conditions that are as severe as the 2006 event, we would know which challengers have GPS, chart and compass.  The management would ensure the challenger has the equipment by checking each challenger at the docks before entering the race and proceeding to the starting line.  The management would already have a start list available for that condition and would be able to switch its tracking to only those boats that are properly prepared to take on “pea soup”.   In lighter fog, challengers need to maintain visibility of land and keep it on the right side of the boat until they turn around.  With this simple idea we feel the entire fleet could go out.

The South Course is a plan for extreme North wind conditions.  Challengers would be protected from the wind by the Cape’s landmass.  Challengers would need to proceed through the canal to the greasy pole for the starting line.  Again, the delay allows for the shift to the beach in a safe fashion. Challengers would exit Gloucester Harbor and proceed left around the cape up to Straitsmouth Island and turn around for a downwind run back to Gloucester Harbor.  If Straitsmouth is too rough we would turn around near Emerson Point. Chase boats would be concentrated along the course for adequate tracking.  The finish line would be the greasy pole.  Take out on the beach as usual.

Should a challenger pull out of the race it is his/her responsibility to notify race officials by phone.  This phone number is given at the pre-race briefing and the ham radio center holds the phone.  Challengers need to have a whistle and life vest on board. Challengers are made aware that this is an advanced paddling or rowing course that is on open ocean.

Charts will be available at the check-in with pre-plotted waypoints for the races.  A ham radio person with be with the race coordinator on land during the morning of the race to communicate changes.

Again, we want to emphasize that challengers will run the Traditional Course of the Blackburn Challenge unless we are experiencing extreme conditions.