How Do I Use the Booking Page

The TL;DR

To book a seat in a boat;

0. (First time only) You'll receive an email from the web site. Use the one-time login link in that email to set up your account.


1. Go to the booking page or the Calendar and find a session you want to join. Any that say "Crew : 4+1" are already full, but the rest still have space.
2. Click on the session you want to join.
3. If you are not already logged in, enter your user name and password.
4. Go to the Crew List tab and tap the "Add Me as Cox" or "Add Me as Crew" button.
5. Turn up at the right time and place and row.
6. Erm - that's it.

Or

1. Let us know when you are available to row via WhatsApp and we'll add you to a crew.

To make sure everyone gets a fair chance to row, you can only add yourself as a rower to one session that is more than 48 hours in the future. You can, however, cox as much as you like. Once a session is less than 48 hours away, anyone can sign up to it to fill in any spare slots to make sure there is a full crew.

New sessions will appear on the calendar once or twice a week - typically on Tuesdays and Fridays.

FAQ

Can I cox?

Yes. Yes you absolutely can. We need more coxes. Coxing is a good way to become a better rower. You will always be in a boat with at least one experienced rower (the crew lead) who will be able to coach you and keep you right, usually from the stroke seat, so by all means feel free to add yourself as a cox to a session. Perhaps the session immediately before or after one where you are rowing, so that your cox can get a row too?

How do I see all the crews I'm in?

Go to your user account page and click on the All Sessions tab or the Booking page. You'll see a list of all crews for upcoming sessions with your name highlighted.

There is a link to your account at the bottom left of every page.

What does the padlock mean?

Sometimes you will see a padlock next to some of the sessions in the Booking page. These sessions are locked by the '48 hour rule' and you will need to wait a bit before you can join them. To make sure everyone gets a fair chance to row, you can only add yourself as a rower to one session that is more than 48 hours in the future. You can, however, cox as much as you like. Once a session is less than 48 hours away, anyone can sign up to it to fill in any spare slots and make sure there is a full crew.

What does 4+1, 3+0, etc mean?

You'll see (e.g.) "Crew : 3+0" against in session in the calendar page. This tells you how many seats have already been filled. The first number is the rowers and the second is the cox. So, for example, "3+0" means "three rowers and no cox". "4+1" is a full crew.

There is a space in the crew but I can't add myself. Why?

We always have at least one "crew lead" in the boat. This person is an experienced rower who can supervise the session. They are often the cox, but not always. Crew leads have a "+" next to their name in the crew list.

If a crew does not have a crew lead in it yet, one space is saved for them and only a crew lead can fill it. This means you may see a boat that is "3+0" but you can't join it. It is waiting for a crew lead to join.

What seat will I be in?

The crew list is shown with the cox first and then the rowers in alphabetical order. Seat position is decided by the cox and crew before getting in to the boat.

What happens if there isn't enough crew for a session?

Use the Catterline Coastal Rowing group on WhatsApp to try to find more rowers for your crew. If it becomes clear that there isn't enough to crew a session, then that session will have to be cancelled.

What about the weather?

Your crew lead will monitor the weather before the session and will try to make an early decision to cancel if it is clear that the weather is not suitable. However, this can be difficult to do and sometimes conditions at launch are very different from the forecast - sometimes better and sometimes worse. You should plan to be there at the start of the session and make a decision about whether it is fit to row with the rest of your crew.

In general, sustained winds above force 3 and/or gusts above force 5 is too severe for rowing. Bear in mind that marginal conditions can change very quickly and there is a good chance they will get worse. If that happens, you will not want to be in a boat that is two miles from a safe harbour in a force 5.

I can't make my session. What should I do?

Things happen. Sometimes plans have to change. That's absolutely fine. If you can't attend a session you've signed up for, please let us know via the club WhatsApp chat as soon as you can so that someone else can fill your place.

You can remove yourself from a crew on the Crew List page, but please don't just do this without telling us.

How do I remove myself from a session?

Click on the session you want to leave in the calendar, or on the link in the Session column on the Booking page, go to the Crew List tab and tap the "Remove Me" button.