Cam specific information

There are about 30 rowing clubs that use the same stretch of water, that in most places can only just about get 2 boats side by side. These means that it is vital to stick to the rules about where you should be on the river. You will learn all the landmarks on the Cam by experience, but here are some general remarks:

• Stay on the right side of the river (as the cox looks at it), apart from around Grassy Corner. Here, change to the left hand side. This is done so that crews going upstream have the racing line around all of the major corners. The two points at which to change sides of the river are opposite the Plough Pub, and halfway along The Gut. In both cases boats travelling upstream have right of way.
• Crews going upstream (towards the boathouse) have right of way, so keep to the outside of the corners when travelling downstream.
• Faster crews have right of way over smaller ones. This doesn't mean that they can overtake when it's not safe to do so.
• Boat can carry course signs, on the bows of the boat when travelling upstream over the main part of the river. This means that the boat has right of way over other crews (apart from faster crews).
• Try not to stop at all in the narrowest part of the river, the Gut, and not to stop for too long in Plough Reach.

Included in this document is a map of the section of the River Cam that we generally row along. Most outings we set off from the Boathouse (which is marked on the map, number 6) travelling downstream. Our boats will generally travel down to Baitsbite Lock, spin and come back to the Pike and Eel Pub. A single shuffle outing would then return back to the boathouse. If the crew is doing a double shuffle the boat would spin and go back to Baitsbite Lock, and then spin and go home. This is the normal for a senior crew.

General points:

• As the cox you are in charge of the boat. You are responsibly for it and your crew's safety. If anything happens to the boat please report it to someone - the Captain, the head cox, or to Jim Cameron the boatman who works at the boathouse and fixes our boats if we're nice to him.
• You can easily get the college a good or bad reputation on the river by your actions. Try not to aggravate other boats, but if another boat is really being a pain, you can probably get them fined! That said, don't let the other boats push you around (unless their blades are coloured light blue, in which case they are university boats!). You have as much right to be on that river as they do.
• The coxes job does not stick at what I have mentioned in this document. In time as you cox more you will learn how to coach the rowers, which is probably the most valuable asset to a crew. Included at the end of this document is a guide to good rowing technique. You are also there to insult them or praise them if necessary, and to encourage them both in training and in races. After all races are what we train for, and if the cox doesn't get the best out of the crew on race-day, then there is no point in all the hours spent in training. There is nothing worse than a cox who makes it clear by the tone of their voice that they don't want to be there, or that they don't really care about the crew.
• Nobody minds a cox who makes a mistake. People hate coxes who make the same mistake over and over again. If you do something wrong and people shout at you, find out what you did wrong and do it better next time. Then forget it, and don't go on about it. Do not be afraid to accept criticism - you should always be trying to improve. Don't try and justify what you did wrong, just accept it.
• In the boat you must be decisive. Make a decision, preferably the correct one, fast and don't mess about when telling your crew what to do. Don't forget that most of the crew probably think they can do your job better than you, so you really have to be authoritative in the boat. In some respects some of the best coxes are actually feared by the crew, although this can be taken too far.
• Learn to communicate with stroke. They can generally feel more of what's happening in the boat, and should give you ideas of what to say to the crew. You must work together. Generally repeat what stroke and your coach tells you when it's meant for the crew, although this can be taken to far