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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.
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.
This years theme is "Battle of the Bands". Music related
fancy dress and craft decoration is encouraged, such as Glam Rock, Punk or even
X-Factor.
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
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Category
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Description
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Junior Timed:
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The fastest junior team to complete the course in any
self-built craft
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Junior Best Craft:
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The junior team judged to have the best turned out craft
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Junior Fancy Dress:
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The junior team judged to best reflect this year’s
theme "Newbury Rocks"
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Company Timed 1st:
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The fastest company team in a purely paddled self-built
craft
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Company Timed 2nd:
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The second fastest company team in a purely paddled
self-built craft
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Adult Timed (paddled):
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The fastest adult or charity team in a purely paddled
self-built craft
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Adult Timed (pedalled):
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The fastest company, adult or charity team in a self-built
craft involving pedal power
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Adult Women’s Timed:
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The fastest all female team in any self-built craft
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Adult Fancy Dress:
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The adult / company / charity team judged to best reflect
this year’s theme "Newbury Rocks"
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Adult Best Craft:
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The adult / company / charity team judged to have the best
turned out craft
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Slowest:
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The adult / company / charity team taking the longest time
to complete the course by 3:30pm
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Adult "Pre-Fabricated" Timed:
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The fastest adult, company or charity team in any craft
deemed by the start judges to be prefabricated or inflatable.
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Junior "Pre-Fabricated" Timed:
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The fastest junior team in any craft deemed by the start
judges to be prefabricated or inflatable.
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The Spirit of Crafty Craft:
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The junior, adult, company or charity team judged to
exemplify the fun spirit of the event
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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.
11a. Any craft not travelling from lock to lock on water shall be
disqualified.
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.
13a. Should any
participant retire during the race, please notify race control on the
mobile phone number provided. Where possible please also notify the nearest
marshall.
13b. All teams must
remove their craft from the park and the course following the race. There
is no facility for the disposal of craft. Each team is responsible for the
collection of their craft following the race.
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:-
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No. of Crewmembers
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Adult Craft
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Junior Craft
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4
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600 Litres
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300 Litres
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5
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750 Litres
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375 Litres
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6
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900 Litres
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450 Litres
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7
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1050 Litres
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525 Litres
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8
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1200 Litres
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600 Litres
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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)
8a. The construction
should not unduly impede the escape of any crew member should the vessel
capsize.
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.
14a. The Marshalls may
disqualify any craft, which in their sole opinion belive
may be unsafe to crew members, other canal users or the environment.
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