Crafty Craft – Guidance, Trophies, Rules and Forms

Newbury Round Table, a registered charity, organises Crafty Craft as an event to raise money for its community service activities. With your help, this event allows us to distribute around £10,000 to local charities and other worthy causes in the local area.

Crafty Craft is above all a FUN event. We believe that competition is good, but that competitors should be entering to have a good time. We enjoy organising the event and hope you have a great day too.

In order that the race is enjoyable and safely conducted, all competitors must comply with the rules. Crafty Craft takes place with the kind permission of British Waterways. In allowing us to use the canal, they require that craft meet the technical requirements, and everyone taking part to uphold their bylaws. The British Waterways staff who run the Kennet & Avon canal give us a lot of assistance with the running of the event; we appreciate their support.

We would also appreciate that everyone taking part in the event respects the canal, property, countryside and wildlife along the route and give consideration at all time to other canal users. PLEASE bear in mind that it is the nesting season so try and minimise disturbance to nesting birds. Throwing eggs and other hard objects is dangerous. The mess created by flour bombs is not appreciated. Please refrain from these activities and discourage spectators from doing so also.

 FANCY DRESS

To add to the fun aspect of the event and to add to the spectacle for spectators we ask that teams make every effort to come in fancy dress and to design or regale their craft with the theme in mind.

The theme is "Animal Antics"

We now allow the entry of pre-fabricated or inflatable craft. This has two aims:

(a) to increase the number of entrants by enabling those without the time or energy to build their own craft to join in

(b) to reduce concerns on the extent of pre-fabrication in recently entered craft. The preference is still that all craft are home-built – and the major trophies will continue to be available only to home-built craft. However, the judges at each start will assess the extent of pre-fabrication in each craft, and, if necessary, move those craft to the pre-fabricated / inflatable category. Where craft are entered in the pre-fabricated category, the craft must be decorated and the crew in fancy dress.

Prize Categories

RULES

Please read the following carefully – failure to adhere may result in disqualification.

1. Each team will be made up of "crew" and "supporters". Only crewmembers are allowed on the craft. Supporters must remain on the towpath but they may help the crew launch, recover and transport the craft.
   
2. Each craft must carry a minimum of 4 and a maximum of 8 crew. However, a team can have up to 20 crewmembers in total to allow for substitutions.
   
3. There must be at least 2 team members attending the craft at all times from the towpath. They can either be crew or supporters. Their job is to render assistance in an emergency.
   
4. All crewmembers must at all times wear a buoyancy aid and must also be able to swim. Whistles must be carried by at least two crewmembers, to be used solely to attract attention if the craft or its occupants are in distress.
   
5. Junior entrants must be aged sixteen or below and be fit enough to complete the course. They must be accompanied by at least 2 adult supporters. All other entrants will be in the adult categories.
   
6. Where single sex teams are specified, this only applies to crewmembers. Their supporters may be of any sex.
   
7. There are two start points for the Crafty Craft race. Adult, Charity and Corporate/Company teams start at Hungerford (below Dunn Mill bridge). Junior teams start at Kintbury (below Station Lock).
   
8. The finish line is at the Wharf, Newbury. Craft can be removed from the water there. Support vehicles can park in the Football Club car park at the end of Faraday Road. There is access to the Wharf from there.
   
9. Individual start times and team numbers will be issued closer to the start date (typically, start times are staggered between 8.30-10.30am). The race ends at 3:30 p.m. Any team failing to complete the course by that time must remove their craft from the canal at the nearest convenient point. Damaged craft and debris must be removed from the canal after this time.
   
10. Teams will be issued with a briefing sheet detailing the route and any hazards along it. All crewmembers must be briefed on the rules, the route and its hazards (weirs, sluices, locks etc.) before venturing onto the canal. It is the team's responsibility to ensure that their craft conform to the technical requirements before it is used.
    
11. Passage by craft through locks or over weirs is not permitted. In no circumstances must the locks be opened. Areas of land will be set aside by the organisers to allow craft to be carried around locks or weirs.
    
12. Craft must pass oncoming boats on the right.
    
13. Newbury Round Table will provide marshals along the route; they will be wearing Round Table tabards. Their instructions and those from British Waterway employees must be followed.
    
14. Crafty Craft is organised to raise funds for Newbury Round Table's charity activities. We expect that every team member obtain as much personal sponsorship as possible from friends, family and employers. This can be done, for example, on total miles covered, total time on the water, locks passed, number of times the team falls in etc. etc. Where a team elects to support their own nominated charity, we ask that they donate 50% of their sponsorship money to Round Table and 50% directly to that charity. The name of the charity can be prominently displayed on their craft.
    
15. Craft entering the "pre-fabricated" category to pay an additional charge and boat/crew to be in fancy dress.
    
16. When a team elects to display their Company's name or advertise its products on their craft, they must enter in the Company/Corporate category. As much business advertising as you can fit on a craft is allowed.

ABOVE ALL – Have a Plan in case of Emergency. Know how to respond. Newbury Round Table have Marshalls at ALL locks to assist in contacting the Emergency Services.

Technical Requirements for Participating Craft

1. Craft must ideally be designed and built by the teams themselves. The use of commercially manufactured boats, canoes or any other vessel without adaptation is only allowed for two specific categories – the start judges will determine if the craft falls into the "pre-fabricated" category. Craft entered in previous Crafty Craft events may be used provided they adhere to the current technical requirements.
   
2. The craft must be propelled by human effort. No form of engine or motor may be used. However, mechanisms and/or paddles may be employed to convert the human effort into thrust to propel the craft. It must not be towed from the towpath. Any moving parts of the propulsion system must not present a hazard to the crew, supporters, other canal users and wildlife. If oars are used, they must not be so long as to obstruct the passage of other canal users.
   
3. The craft should carry a minimum of 4 and a maximum of 8 crewmembers. The design must be stable with the crewmembers onboard.
   
4. To maintain stability and allow for overloading and waterlogging they must have inherent buoyancy. Craft must remain afloat and stable when carrying a load 50% greater than the total crew-weight it is designed to carry (i.e. a 4 man craft must still be stable with 6 onboard etc.). As a guide the following amount of inherent buoyancy is the recommended minimum:-
   
   

No. of Crewmembers Adult Craft Junior Craft 4 600 Litres 300 Litres 5 750 Litres 375 Litres 6 900 Litres 450 Litres 7 1050 Litres 525 Litres 8 1200 Litres 600 Litres



5. The weight of the craft is to be such that its crew and two supporters can easily carry it.
   
6. The overall width of the craft should not exceed half its length. The maximum craft length permitted is 4.25 meters.
   
7. Where outriggers are used, they should run parallel to the main body of the craft and remain in contact with the water over their whole length.
   
8. The entire construction must be free from sharp edges, burrs, spikes or other projections. No nails should be used. (The reason for the no nails rule is that wood swells slightly when it gets wet, so nail joints tend to pull apart easily. This is particularly true when lifting a craft out of the water, and can make the nail into a dangerous spike sticking out of whatever it was hammered into)
   
9. The hull should be constructed from sound materials that will not become waterlogged on immersion in water.
   
10. All materials used for construction of the craft and its decoration must be non-toxic and non-polluting especially when in contact with water.
    
11. If containers such as oil drums or plastic barrels are used, they must be thoroughly cleaned and sealed to prevent leakage. Each container should have a capacity no greater than 150 Litres (30 Gallons).
    
12. The overall construction of the craft must be strong enough to allow it to complete the course without breaking up. Any lashings must be done with marine quality rope. All joints must be screwed, bolted or welded.
    
13. The craft design must allow ready escape for the crewmembers in the event of capsize or sinking.
    
14. The craft entry number must be displayed on the hull above the waterline or on a board rigidly fixed to the craft's superstructure. The digits must be at least 12 inches high and legible from the banks of the canal. The team's name and/or supported charity can also be displayed.