Australian Coastal Rowing & Beach Sprints Championships

Mooloolaba Beach, 15-18 August 2024

Welcome to the Australian Coastal Rowing and Beach Sprints Champs, where the thrill of competitive racing meets the beauty of Australia's stunning coastlines. This annual event brings together rowers and sprinters from across the country to showcase their skills in challenging and picturesque settings. Whether you're a seasoned athlete or a spectator looking for some seaside excitement, this championship promises an unforgettable experience. So grab your oars and get ready to feel the sand between your toes as you compete against the best in the country. Join us for a weekend of adrenaline-pumping races, camaraderie, and the chance to be crowned a champion on the Australian shores.

Important Dates

Entries Open | Saturday June 1 2024

Entries Close | 11.59 pm AEST Monday 5 August 2024

Withdrawal Without Penalty | 11.59 pm Thursday 8 August 2024

Entry Fee Payments Due | Monday 12 August 2024

Course opens for training | Tuesday 13 and Wednesday 14 August 2024

Competitors Briefing (compulsory) | Wednesday 14 August 2024 (CR & BS) & Thursday 15 August 2024 (BS) Alexandra Headland Surf Club 5.00pm - 6.00pm

Racing Begins | Thursday 15 August 2024

Making Entries

Entries will be taken via Rowing Manager only

Crews entering the Beach Sprint Championship events must nominate their “Boat Handlers” for their crew. This person is considered an integral part of the crew, though does not compete in the boat.

Restriction to Entries

Entries will be capped to 12 per open event and 6 per masters and para event in Coastal Rowing.
Entries will be capped to 24 per solo event, 16 per double event and 8 per quad event in the Beach Sprints.
Entries will be capped at four entries per club for the Beach Sprint 1x
Rowing Australia may review and adjust caps during the entries open period.
Any entries over these amounts will be placed on a waiting list. After entries close, crews on the waiting list will be added to the crew entry lists at the discretion of the regatta organisers.
Waitlisted crews will be updated in Rowing Manager if their entry is accepted.
Where there is space available in an event, late entries may be accepted from athletes already entered the championships (pending approval).
Crews with new rowers will not be accepted after the close of entries.

Rowing Australia reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to reject any entry or to move the entry to a waitlist position to ensure a diversity of entries in each event.

Preliminary Races
Preliminary races in CR will be conducted (where there are 6 or less entries) but will not be compulsory.

International Entries

Please contact coastalrowing@rowingaustralia.com.au for access to make entries from international federations and rowing clubs

Thinking about Volunteering at the event

We are always looking for enthusiastic passionate volunteers to assist us in running out championships.

We have a full rundown of Volunteer Roles available here. Click here for the link to nominate
More information on volunteering opportunities can be found on our volunteer page to register your interest.

Rules of Racing

The Australian Coastal Rowing and Beach Sprint Championships will be conducted according to the Rowing Australia Rules and By-laws of Racing & the Beach Sprint and Coastal Rowing Appendices to these Rules.

Boat Hander information is available here

Preliminary Races
Preliminary races in CR will be conducted (where there are 6 or less entries) but will not be compulsory.

Exceptions to the above rules:

Uniforms | Crew members will NOT be required to display their family name or state on their uniforms (in either Coastal Rowing or Beach Sprints). We will not be requiring crews to wear a specific shirt or bib during racing
Radios | Crews will be permitted to carry a maritime radio in the Coastal Rowing event. These may be carried for emergency use only and cannot be used for coaching or directional guidance.
Health | we will not be requiring written confirmation that a health screening has occurred, however, it is the rowers’ responsibility to ensure they have gone through a health screening and that they are fit and able to compete in the event.

Course Maps/ Location Maps

The course maps attached are indicative only and will be subject to change once the course is laid in the lead-up to the regatta.
Due to the changing environment, it may not be possible for us to place the buoys in exact locations at the time of the event.

Booking Training

The specific training days will be Tuesday 13 (afternoon) and Wednesday 14 August at the venue. Booking for boats and training sessions during these training days are available online here

Boat Classes Offered

Under 19

U19 W BS 1x*
U19 W BS 2x
U19 M BS 1x*
U19 W BS 2x
U19 Mix BS 2x*
U19 Mix BS 4x+

Open

O W BS 1x*
O M BS 1x*
O W BS 2x
O M BS 2x
O Mix BS 2x*
O Mix BS 4x+*
O Mix CR 2x
O Mix CR4x+

*Oceania Championship

Masters

M M BS 2x
M W BS 2x
M Mix BS 2x
M Mix BS 4x+
M Mix CR 2x
M Mix CR 4x+

Para

PR3 Mix BS 2x*
PR3 Mix CR 2x

FAQ for SLSC

How do I enter?
SLS club members will email coastalrowing@rowingaustralia.com.au with your name, gender, date of birth, club and which events you would like to enter.

Do I need to wear a zoot suit?
No, you can wear club colours, in whatever you are comfortable to row in.

Can I try Coastal Rowing?
Training days are on Tuesday pm and all day Wednesday (see training info in bulletin).
Rowing QLD are running some come and try days, for more information go to this link.

How far is the row?
250m out (slalom) and 250m back for the sprint, 4km loop for the endurance.

What is Sculling?
Two oars.. one in each hand.. a bit awkward to start with but great when you get used to it.

What do the Boat Handlers Do?
See the information here that describes the role of the boat handler

Can I compete for my club?
Yes, absolutely, we would love to have surf clubs entered... email through your entry query and we can add you in!

Are composite entries allowed?
Yes, currently all crew boats are allowed to be mixed clubs (can be a mix for surf club and rowing club too!

Submit further questions to coastalrowing@rowingaustralia.com.au

Activities

As part of the event we have some free activities you can take part in:

Yoga

Yoga as the sun rises is the perfect start to the day. We have 2 sessions you can join for free. Starting from 7am. Register your interest by clicking the below links

Friday 16th August at 7am - Click here to register

Sunday 18th August at 7am - Click here to register

Beach Volleyball

Have you ever wanted to try beach volleyball? Here is your chance. We are running a free 2hr coaching session on Saturday 17th August at 12pm.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why are not all events offered in all categories?

We believe the 2024 Australian Coastal Rowing and Beach Sprint Championships are providing the most diverse offering of events and categories of any international coastal rowing regatta, with Open, Masters, Youth, and Para categories across Solo, Double and Quad events in both the Endurance (Coastal Rowing) and Sprint (Beach Sprints) formats of the discipline.

Based on interest and participation, this will guide our decision making with regard to the inclusion of future events and categories.

Why are there limited single gender events, aside from the solos? According to World Rowing, Coastal Rowing is a discipline where mixed events are the preference. RA are not trying to replicate flatwater rowing in a coastal setting, and there are a multitude of flatwater single gender events and regattas for rowers to participate in. Mixed boats enables us to offer more boat classes and categories than we could with single gender events, based on the timeframe available for the Regatta. In order to allow multiple racing opportunities for crews, we have offered the same events for both the Beach Sprints (Sprint) and the Coastal Rowing (Endurance) formats during the regatta. As the ACR&BSC grow, we would like to ultimately include more single gender events however mixed events will remain the priority.

Can anyone enter the Open events? Yes, anyone from any age category can enter the Open events.

Why aren’t all underage and master age categories offered?

All competitors are able to enter the Open events. We have opened the opportunity to offer Masters and Under 19 events at this regatta in some boat classes to test see what the uptake of these are. This will help guide decision making for the future events program.

What events will likely be offered at the Olympic Games, if this becomes a future Olympic event?

Coastal Men’s Solo (CM1x), Coastal Women’s Solo (CW1x), Coastal Mixed Double (CMix2x).

Will there be more events and age categories offered in the future? We will look to offer more age categories and events in the future, based on interest and participation at this year’s Regatta.

Team Tents “Team Tents” may be erected on the beach or grassed areas but rowers must note that there is absolutely no vehicle access to the site, any equipment must be brought in by foot.
Beach shades and umbrellas are ideal.
No equipment will be able to be left onsite overnight.
Tents must be weighted but must not be tied to trees or any other shrubbery. Tent pegs are not permitted on grassed areas.

Will there be more events and age categories offered in the future?

We will look to offer more age categories and events in the future, based on interest and participation at this year’s Regatta

Will the ACR&BSC be a longer regatta in the future? Yes, we will look at increasing the number of days for the regatta in future years as the event and discipline grows.

Schedule

The entry fee calculation covers the full 4 days of the regatta, so $100 for the first seat and $50 per seat thereafter capped at $300 for the four-day event.

Do all rowers in a masters event have to be 43+ years of age?

No, as long as the rowers are all 27+, the average crew age only needs to be 43 or higher.