Head of The Yarra Conditions of Entry
2.0 Overview
Entry open dates and format
Date for Crew Entry Open is Tuesday March 10th at 9.00 am (to facilitate planning opportunities for the more than 75% of entrants from outside Victoria who traditionally make up the race field).
Australian entries are with ROWING MANAGER and International entries via Google Form for International entries.
On registration of crew entries the only information required is the club name, crew race category id (e.g. Men’s Open # 1), and a crew contact who will be able to finalise your crew names & composition 6 weeks out from race (by 16th October 2026).
No part of the entry registration fee is refundable within 10 weeks of race day (after 9am on Saturday, 19thSeptember 2026).
While the entry process is managed by Rowing Victoria’s online management system, please note that all crew contact details entered will be provided to the race-host to assist in the event communications and safety management.
The entry cap is 320 crews - exclusively eights. The seat fee is $82.50
Upon registration of a crew entry, an entry invoice will be raised to ensure commitment to the limited number of race entries. Payment of the entry invoice is required within 7 days. If payment has not been made within 7 days, the entry will be forfeited for redistribution. Note that 50% of race fee is non-refundable. This component is treated as an entry commitment.
Crew contacts will be required to finalise their crew names, crew composition and race category by 9am on Saturday, 19th September 2026.
When the event entry cap is reached, a waitlist will be maintained to offer crew spots that become available on a first-in basis.
Limited trailer parking will be offered along Boat House Drive in the city, and at the race finish in Creswick Street, Hawthorn. Trailer parking bookings can be made <Here>
Additional Information will be provided on offsite trailer parking with procedures to decant with drop-off and pickup of equipment.
ALL BOATS RETURNING TO THE CITY WILL BE STORED AT THE FINISH UNTIL THE RIVER OPENS (usually after 3 pm).
2.1 Start Ranking
Ranking will be derived from the 2025 HOTY results. The ranking belongs to the entering club, and for Masters crews, the ranking is for an age bracket, not for individual rowers. As crews age, they may move into an older bracket for which the entering club does not hold a ranking.
They may also inherit a ranking from previous events if there was an older club crew which held a ranking.
See tab Race Categories, Handicaps & Start Order via link Race-Categories-Handicaps
2.2 TERMS OF ENTRY
By making an entry, all competitors agree to following :
You also agree as participants of a public event that rowers, participants and spectators consent to their filming, sound recording and photography as participants of the race or as part of the spectator audience for this public event which is being filmed and photographed. By entering the event you agree to being filmed or photographed which may be used for marketing or promotional purposes.
Australian Consumer Law and Fair Trading Act
WARNING if you participate in these activities (activities associated with rowing or rowing clubs) your rights to sue the supplier, Hawthorn Rowing Club Inc, Rowing Victoria Inc and Rowing Australia Ltd, under the Australian Consumer Law and Fair Trading Act 2012 if you are killed or injured because the activities were not supplied with due care and skill or were not reasonably fit for their purpose, are excluded, restricted or modified in the way set out in or on this notice.
NOTE the change to your rights, as set out in or on this notice, does not apply if your death or injury is due to gross negligence on the supplier's part. Gross negligence, in relation to an act or omission, means doing the act or omitting to do an act with reckless disregard, with or without consciousness, for the consequences of the act or omission. See regulation 5 of the Australian Consumer Law and Fair Trading Regulations 2012 and section 22(3)(b) of the Australian Consumer Law and Fair Trading Act 2012.
The above wording is as prescribed by Consumer Affairs Victoria
www.consumer.vic.gov.au Hawthorn Rowing Club Inc
2.3 Risk Management
All racing will be run in accordance with RV Rules of Racing. Anyone contravening the Rules will be disqualified.
Masters and Mixed categories will be handicapped - handicaps will be applied at the finish, and your time adjusted.
The course is circa 8,000m. The river will be closed for the duration of the race to all other river users.
All crews must be in the start area 5 minutes before the start of their race.
If your boat or crew should become damaged or injured or for any reason and be unable to continue to row as a full crew, you will be unable to complete the race. You must pull over to the bank as soon as is practical and wait for the race to pass. Marshalls will let you know when you are able to resume your row. If you require medical assistance refer to your coxswain’s medical card for guidelines.
If a competitor boat is being overtaken by a faster boat, then the slower boat must yield the best racing line to the overtaking crew and warn the faster crew if they should alter their course. A crew is deemed to be overtaking if a faster crew has its bow ball within half a length of the stern of the slower crew. For safety reasons, the faster boat must be prudent and delay the act of passing if a pass cannot be accomplished without incident.
It is very important for all crews to continue rowing lightly once having crossed the finish line.
All crews must obey marshal’s and umpire’s instructions at all times. Failure to do so may result in disqualification or incur a time penalty.
Respect for the safety of other competitors and their equipment must be observed at all times.