Frequently Asked Questions

General

When will entries open?

Entries for the 2025 race will open in mid-January 2025.

What is the entry fee?

The entry fee for the 2025 race is £TBC per crew.

When is the closing date for entries?

Entries will close at 11.59pm on Thursday 13th February 2025 or when 320 entries are accepted, whichever occurs first. We will provide updates on the number of entries through our social media channels.

When can substitutions be made?

Substitutions can be made right up until the day of the race.

Before the entries close, unlimited substitutions can be made and switches between status and pennants can be made.

After the entries have closed, only 50% of the crew may be changed and no changes to a higher status can be made. No status changes can be made after the draw. Any substitutions which create a higher status crew will automatically move the crew to Open (so remaining eligible for the Head Pennant and given a finish position). On the day of the race, substitutions may be made NO LATER than one hour before the scheduled start of the race.

Crews are reminded that ALL substitutions MUST be made before the race via BROE or, on the day of the race and no later than one hour before the scheduled start of the race, by informing the Entries Secretary IN PERSON. Any crew who makes a substitution without informing the event will be disqualified. The committee reserves the right to review the entries of crews who have substituted athletes to ensure that all competitors are accredited members of the clubs for which they are competing.

What if I spot a Pennant error in the start order?

The start order will be published after entries close. There will then be a 72-hour period in which crews can notify the Entries Secretary of any errors (for example if the crew is eligible for the Club Pennant but this has not been shown). During this time the Online Entries system will be frozen so that no substitutions can be made. Only errors with regard to Pennants can be corrected during this time.

After the 72-hour period, the Online Entries system will be opened again so that substitutions can be made as per normal rules.

It is the responsibility of the crew to ensure that they have been entered into the correct Pennant category. Any Pennant-related errors or omissions notified to the organisers after the 72-hour period will not be changed.

If the crew this year is of a much lower status than last year is it sensible to retain the finish position of last year’s crew?

A crew will automatically be given a start place based on the finish position of any crew from the same club finishing in the top 50 crews the previous year. If, for example, the crew this year is beginner, whereas the previous year’s crew was Senior or Open, it is suggested that the club may wish to notify the Entries Secretary and request to take a lower start position.

However, there is no requirement to do this. Any such request must be made before entries close.

Can we change the Pennant category prior to the race – e.g. into Club?

Before entries close this change can be made at any time. However, after the Final Draw is published, no Pennant category changes can be made – other than dropping out of a category (e.g. becoming ineligible for the Club Pennant due to substitutions made).

Does a composite crew have to have exactly the same composition of clubs to retain its finish position from the previous year’s race?

Yes – If a composition of clubs is not exactly the same then the crew will be given a new starter position.

Do coxes have to be members of the same club as their crew?

Yes, unless the crew is a composite or another specific exclusion applies as per the official pennants criteria document.

What is the date of next year’s race (2025)?

Saturday 8th March 2025, start time 11:00.

School/Junior

Are Junior rowers and coxes allowed to enter the race?

The WEHoRR age limit has been amended in line with British Rowing Rules of Racing. Entries will be accepted from J15 crews (minimum age 14 on 1st September 2024). However, any member of the crew who is under 15 on the day of the race must have raced in a Tideway or tidal HoRR in 2025 before competing in the WEHoRR on 8th March 2025, thereby showing experience of competing on the Tideway. No competitors who are under 15 on race day will be allowed to compete unless they have fulfilled this requirement for safety reasons.

The dates of birth of all J15 competitors will be checked and confirmation sought that the crew has raced in a suitable tidal HoRR.

For Junior Crews, who should the ‘responsible adult’ be?

The responsible adult as entered in the crew entry must be someone who is easily contactable on the day of the race and can make decisions regarding the crew.

Does the cox of a school/junior crew have to be a junior themselves?

No, a school/junior crew can be coxed by an adult.

Academic Pennants

Do coxes also have to be students?

Yes. Coxes of crews entered in the following pennants must be bona fide students: University Pennant, Challenge Academic, Beginner Academic.

Overseas

How do Foreign crews make an entry?

Contact British Rowing (onlineentry@britishrowing.org) & give your club details and the names of your competing crews. British Rowing will register your details enabling you to enter online through British Rowing Online Services. We advise you to do this as early as possible to ensure you do not miss the entry deadline.

Beginner Crews

How much experience does a Beginner crew need to have to enter the race?

We request that all Club Entry Secretaries confirm on the online entry form that at least 6 of the 9 crew members have raced in at least one British Rowing run Head Race or Regatta prior to racing in the WEHoRR. If the crew does not have this pre-requisite, please use the “Evidence of Crew Competence” field on the online entry form to describe where the crew has raced. No entries will be accepted unless the crew has sufficient experience and they have satisfied the Entries Secretary and Chief Umpire that they are capable of racing on the Tideway without posing a danger to themselves or other crews.

Note that coxes for beginner crews are allowed to have more than 3 years experience (and we encourage Beginner crews to have experienced coxes).

In the rules you say ‘started rowing’ – what does that mean?

In plain English, it means “got in a rowing boat, and picked up an oar(s)”. In other words, when the athlete first started learning to row and train.

If you learnt to row some time ago, but had a break, and have recently returned to rowing can you qualify for Beginner?

No. The pennant is aimed at crews of people who have recently started rowing for the first time.

Masters

How do I make a Masters entry on BROE?

There is only one Masters event in the WEHoRR. All masters entries should be made as Masters ‘A’ on the Online Entries system regardless of the average age of the crew. The race organisers then handicap all crews using the British Rowing handicapping data for long distance races/heads.

Small and Medium Clubs

What is the background to these pennants?

The pennants were introduced for the 2016 race to ensure that racing at the WEHoRR is relevant and exciting to all competitive rowers. The WEHoRR is the preeminent long distance race in the UK rowing calendar and we aim to attract the fastest women’s eights to come and race against each other. We want to help clubs of all sizes to put out their fastest crews and to encourage female rowers to get out there and get racing.

How are these lists compiled?

The lists are created by tracking the number of crews a club that has entered at the WEHoRR in the past ten years. Each crew is awarded 1 point. From the 2015 race onwards, 1/8th (0.125) point is awarded for each rower in a composite crew. For races up to and including 2014, the Committee does not hold the data to determine the number of rowers from each club within a composite crew: for these races each club listed in a composite is allocated 0.5 points. To prevent clubs being unfairly penalised where they have been represented by national team athletes in composite crews the Committee have removed pre-2015 national team composite crews from the weighting (i.e. those clubs have not been given the 0.5 points).

What are the boundaries for the Medium and Small Clubs?

The Medium Club Pennant is open to crews from British clubs which over the last 10 years have accrued 12 points or fewer and more than 5 points.

The Small Club Pennant is open to crews from British clubs which over the last 10 years have accrued 5 points or fewer.

My club isn’t on the list (or is a new club), but I think it should be – what do I do?

The lists of Medium and Small Clubs are published by the Committee prior to the opening of entries for the race. A deadline for queries to these lists will be announced at the same time.

Are there any clubs or crews which don’t qualify for these pennants?

To ensure that the spirit of the rules is followed, clubs and crews that are deemed to be any of the following are not eligible for these pennants but may still qualify for the Club Pennant subject to its qualifying criteria:

• “Clubs of convenience” such as Thames RC’s United Universities or Leander Club’s Star and Arrow.
• ‘All star’ crews put together to race the WEHoRR.
• Clubs linked to schools and universities (alumni clubs).
• International clubs or clubs linked to performance systems.

The WEHoRR Committee has the final say on the lists.