As many of you know, last Friday morning one of our crews was involved in a dangerous incident over near the Anzac Bridge, in which they were run over by a barge making its way towards the Anzac Bridge from the Bay. It's extremely fortunate that the crew only suffered mild abrasions and shock, especially given that they were forced and submerged under the barge itself. This crew had good lights on the boat, wore light-coloured high-vis clothing and are very experienced, and in terms of daylight, the incident occurred not in the pitch dark, but towards sunrise when there was some light.

We draw this to your attention to highlight just how potentially dangerous the Bay can be for rowers. Large water craft often have trouble seeing us because we are down low, close to the water, and even with lights on our boats, those lights can be confused with other lights reflecting off the water.

Here is the link to the RMS Code of Conduct for rowers, which prescribes guidelines for the minimum lighting requirements for rowing craft between sunset and sunrise. Clause 3 states that:

Roads and Maritime Services is of the view that for safety reasons any such vessels that are greater than 4 metres in length should, in restricted visibility and between sunset and sunrise, exhibit:

1. Two all-round white LED lights, one attached to the vessel at or near the forward end, and one attached to the vessel at or near the aft end. The lights can be either two continuous white lights, 2 flashing white lights or a combination of the two.
2. A continuous white LED light is considered acceptable if it is visible in clear conditions from a distance of 1 kilometre.
3. A flashing white LED light is considered acceptable if it flashes at least once per second and is visible in clear conditions from a distance of 1 kilometre.
4. Notwithstanding 3.1(a), it is considered acceptable for a light to be masked so as not to interfere with the vision of the vessel’s occupants, provided at least one light is visible from any direction.

Clause 5 of the Code also reminds rowers that where the minimum requirements are not sufficient, rowers are obliged to do more, if that minimum is not sufficient to eliminate the risk of injury or damage.

Please take every precaution possible, both in making sure that when you go out on the water in the dark (or towards sunrise or sunset), you have adequate bright lighting and bright reflective clothing, AND you keep a lookout at all times. Bear in mind that the area near the Anzac Bridge is the passageway for all craft going into and out of the Bay, and it's also one of the darkest areas in the Bay, so keep a particular lookout there. It's probably a good idea not to do racing or high intensity pieces when crossing this area, and to concentrate just on navigating a safe course.

Row safely!