London 2 Paris - Frequently Asked Questions

Question - The tide flows very fast on the Seine, how do the rowers handle this?

Answer - The tide from Le Havre up to Rouen does indeed flow at up to 5 knots and rowing against it is not viable. Thus it is crucial that the start date at Westminster Bridge is calculated based on catching the flood tide at Le Havre in daylight. The race start for the leg from Le Havre to Rouen will be dictated by the tidal window.

Question - Why are we using Waterman's Cutters?

Answer - The race organiser's principle is to create a 'level playing field' for all the crews.

Question - What is a Waterman's Cutter?

Answer - Cutters are 34 feet long with a beam of 4ft 6ins and can be rigged for up to six oarsmen (more details at www.traditionalrowing.com) built of fibre glass and finished with wooden internal fittings ~ fixed seat rowing at its best! Bow and stern decking will be added for the event. The boats are tried and tested ~ holders of the Channel record and previous holder of the record time for this event.

Question - Where can one hire a Waterman's Cutter?

Answer - These can be hired from:
   Mark Edwards
   Bridge Boathouse
   Off Water Lane
   Richmond
   Surrey, UK
   TW9 1TH
   Phone +44 (20) 8948 8270

Costs £4 per hr during daylight hours (discounts available for whole day or several days hire)
Life jackets can be provided.

Question - What safety equipment will be in the boat?

Answer - As stipulated by the MCA ~ extra buoyancy, a manual bilge pump, EPIRB, a life ring & lights. The Cox will at all times have a radio and be able to communicate with their support boat and/or the race control boat.

Question - What about life jackets?

Answer - You will need to provide your own individual lifejackets (manual operation NOT automatic as they may get wet!), they must be available at all times, you don't have to row in them. They must be worn at all times by the cox and by all the crew during change overs (see Rules of the Race).

Question - Why can't I just turn up with my own boat and support vessel as in the Celtic Challenge?

Answer - The simple answer is the French Coastal Authorities will only permit craft crossing the Channel escorted by certified Pilots (they do the certification not the UK Coastguard), if you don't comply you risk being stopped and the impounding of your craft.

Question - What qualifications do the boat skippers have?

Answer - All the safety boat skippers are members of the Channel Swimming and Piloting Federation and as such have escorted 100 of swimmers and oarsmen across the Channel each year. The management boat skipper is appropriately RYA qualified. The safety ribs are skippered by HSE certified safety crews some with personal experience of rowing the route.

Question - Do I have to know how to row to compete?

Answer - It will be a whole lot easier if your crew have a reasonable level of competency at rowing as learning on a 90 mile Channel crossing at night whilst racing is not the best place!

Question - I'm a lone rower wanting to get involved, what can I do?

Answer - Register with us and we will put you in touch with crews that are short or other oarsmen who want to make up crews.

Question - How much training should we do?

Answer - We would suggest at least six months preparation for long sessions at the oars and be able to repeat the sessions with little or no sleep.

Question - What sort of diet should we have?

Answer - We'll advise you closer to the time but basically easily digested simple carbohydrates, ready meals and lots of fluids?

Question - Will we have a chance to train in the cutters?

Answer - There will be an opportunity for you to try one out prior to the race and we have scheduled in time before the race start for you to practise crew changeovers from the cutter to safety boat.

Question - When and how often can we change the crews?

Answer - The decision is yours. There are six rowing positions and a coxswain seat, how you choose to use them is your choice. On the River Seine you must changeover between locks NOT at the locks.

Question - When and where will we sleep?

Answer - Other than whilst you're rowing (!) you will be on board your safety boat or with your land-based support vehicle.

Question - What happens if a storm blows up?

Answer - We will either wait it out for a short time in the nearest port or transport the cutters overland to France via a lorry rigged with a scaffold frame to Le Havre where the race will continue.

Question - How will the timing system work?

Answer - A team of timers working on BST will record your start/finish times for each leg thus giving a cumulative time for each crew producing winners for each leg and an overall winner.

Question - When will we find out who has won?

Answer - We will provide up to date information throughout the race (to crews and on the web site) and the winner will be announced after the last boat arrives in Paris.