[CUCBC Captains] Easter term Captains' Meeting - Sunday 20th April 5pm

[Tom Grimble]

Dear All,

Last term I inspected the outing logs of 6 clubs, chosen at random, 
before the beginning of the Lent Bumps. Of these 6:

4 were electronic outing schedules, with errors/omissions.
1 was an electronic outing schedule, seemingly accurate and correct.
1 was a paper outing log, correct and accurate.

Electronic based systems are wonderful for scheduling 10 people to be in 
the same place at the same time. However, because they are little more 
than a tool for scheduling meetings they do not accurately reflect those 
outings that actually did or did not happen, e.g. because of a red flag. 
They also may not include those outings casually rearranged.

As a result of my observations last term, I would strongly recommend 
that all clubs maintain a handwritten records of outings /actually 
undertaken/ by way of a logbook kept in the boat bay. This should 
include the following data:

  * Date
  * Crew
  * Shell taken
  * Stroke
  * Cox
  * Coach
  * Conditions (e.g. windy, foggy, low glaring sun)
  * Lights taken, and batteries checked
  * Time out
  * Time in
  * Incidents? (detailed as necessary)

When I review outing logs next term, I will not accept later 
corrections/clarifications/adjustments. While electronic logs may be 
used successfully they require a high level of maintenance and feedback 
from the club as a whole, whereas a handwritten log kept in the boat bay 
can simply be filled in by each cox as and when outings happen. As a 
system, I believe it is foolproof and the easiest to maintain.

Last term I tried to take a flexible view of the 10-outing requirement 
where requested in terms of IVs, substitutions etc. This was due to the 
limited navigation and short daylight hours. While I did not allow any 
clear derogations to the 10-outing rule, I realise retrospectively that 
I granted allowances to some clubs that might have benefitted others had 
they asked. In order to avoid this in future, and to set out a simple, 
universal standard, the following will apply in future:

  * All crews must have undertaken a minumum of 10 outings in an VIII
  * All crew members must have undertaken at least 8 outings in an VIII
  * Outings in IVs, II-, 2x etc. do not count towards this total
  * Individual allowances may be made for individuals stepping in as
    last-minute substitutions, but these must be raised with me on a
    case-by-case basis for agreement and must include details of the
    proposed crew member's previous experience, experience this term and
    the reason for their inclusion at short notice.

I trust that the above is all clear, and that it can be applied fairly 
across all thirty-odd clubs. If you would like to discuss any point 
further with me, please let me know.

Regards,

Mark Jacobs,
CUCBC Safety Advisor

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