Crews Wanted!

Rowing Ireland has purchased a new safety launch to help provide and promote safety at Rowing Ireland licenced events. The safety launch will be made available firstly to the larger events throughout Ireland and as more crew members are trained up on the use of the launch it will be made available to more and more events.

The launch will be manned by personnel that have been specifically trained as coxswains and crew on this vessel.

Rowing Ireland wishes to train interested people to become members of the safety crew. We intend to target interested persons in areas that the launch will be used most. With that in mind if you are interested in becoming a member of the Rowing Ireland safety launch crew, please see the criteria below that we will be using to select crew members from.

Availability

  • Crewing of this launch will be undertaken by volunteers.
  • You must be available for at least three events a year.
  • You must be available to partake in a two-day training session (cost of training course will be covered by Rowing Ireland. Travel and Accommodation to be covered by the individual)

Experience

  • Interested people must have some experience in launch driving. (Qualified instructors will assess each individual before training commences to confirm competency).
  • Persons with a level 1 or level 2 RYA qualification or Irish sailing, powerboat certification or equivalent will place higher on the potential candidate list. 
  • Persons with recognised safety boat qualifications may be selected and only require familiarisation training.
  • Experience of, and a car licence for, towing a boat while not essential will be seen as a plus.

Location

  • Taking into consideration the above criteria a person living close to where large regattas are held may be a deciding factor in selection.  
  • Persons may be selected for strategic locations in Ireland to provide cover for the larger licenced events held in Ireland.

Coverage

  • The launch is suitable to be used as a safety launch to cover all types of rowing events, flatwater, coastal, offshore, and beach sprint events.

While it may take some time, Rowing Ireland will strive to make this safety launch available to events where required. It is proposed that two training sessions (6 students on each course) will take place this year with more planned in 2024.

Initial training course will take place at Lough Rinn as Leitrim County Council (LCC) have purchased a safety launch for use in Lough Rinn. LCC have agreed to allow selected candidates for this programme to train on their safety launch also, this will allow for larger group training.

Safety launch running costs

It is expected that a small charge will be invoiced against event organisers for the use of this safety launch. This charge will be used to cover the cost of getting the rescue launch to the event and the petrol required for the running of the launch at the event.

As is tradition at rowing events in Ireland it would be expected that the volunteers manning the safety launch would get some food and beverage from the event organisers during the day.

Crew Selection process

A selection panel from the Rowing Ireland safety advisory committee will be set up to review the applications and to form a candidate ranking. The panel will use the criteria set out above to rank candidates. Candidates may be contacted by the panel to establish and confirm competencies and experience.

Pat Kiely, Chair of Rowing Ireland Safety Advisory Committee.