Junior, Development and Performance Squads compete in regattas throughout the season. The Pennefather Club encourages all parents to drop their rower at the campus and then head straight to the regatta to enjoy the day and to watch the crews compete.
At the end of each regatta, it is preferred that rowers return to school on the bus with their crew, however if a rower needs to return home with their parent, the Rowing Administrator at the School is to be notified in writing.
Regattas usually start at around 9am and conclude by about 3pm - however they are all slightly different so it is best to refer to Rowing Victoria to obtain exact times.
Don't forget to bring your own drinks, food, chair, warm/cool clothes, comfy shoes and if you're a keen cyclist, bring your bike so you can ride the track alongside the river.
Buses are provided to and from each campus for all regattas that are outside the Melbourne Metropolitan area, such as Geelong, Ballarat and Nagambie. If a regatta is held in Carrum or the Yarra, then parents are responsible for transporting rowers to and from locations.
With all regattas, irrespective of location, we do encourage parents to come along and cheer for our rowers. After they row and as they row past the spectator area, they will be listening for the Caulfield cheers and will be looking for your face.
At the end of each regatta, it is preferred that rowers return to school on the bus with their crew, however if a rower needs to return home with their parent, the Rowing Administrator at the School is to be notified in writing, as well as your rower's coach.
We encourage all our rowers to be respectful and friendly to our bus drivers and to be responsible and leave the bus in a clean and tidy manner as they exit.
All rowing clubs and schools who participate in regattas throughout the season, are required to provide Boat Racing Officials, to supervise the various areas of the regatta. This means that all 11 APS schools have a roster of rowing parents who have obtained a BRO qualification. At each regatta, Caulfield therefore nominates several BROs to perform official duties at each regatta. This may mean, supervising the starting point; timing races; holding the boats at the start; and sometimes BROs can travel in the motor boats that follow the rowers up the river. It can be a fun experience!
To obtain a BRO qualification, it is a 30-minute online course. BROs must also hold a WWCC.
For the course, click on the link below:
There are 3 major regattas at the conclusion of the season:
The Pennefather Club erects large and impressive marquees at each of these regattas the day prior to the regattas and they are decorated and decked out to cater for at times up to 500 Caulfield spectators. Therefore the infrastructure and planning that goes into these specific regattas is immense.
Setup days will be:
HOSG - Thursday 16 March (Geelong)
SM - Saturday 18 March (Nagambie)
HOR - Saturday 25 March (Nagambie)
At the APS Heads of the River setup in Nagambie, parents will usually meet for a lovely lunch in Nagambie before heading to the river for setup. During setup, parents enjoy a fun time (with refreshments!) as they watch the senior rowers of all schools do their final training. After setup, parents head to their accommodation in Seymour to get ready for the parent dinner.
At the Head of Schoolgirls and APS Heads of the River regattas, parents get together to celebrate a wonderful season for our children.
The Head of Schoolgirls is a 3-day regatta for all girl rowers. On the Saturday night in Geelong, Caulfield parents get together to enjoy a wonderful dinner and evening in Geelong. We encourage all girl rowing parents to attend.
The APS Heads of the River is a 1-day regatta and is the final regatta for the APS season. On the day before the regatta, senior parents and volunteers will head to Nagambie to set up the marquee site. After setup, parents and committee have a beautiful dinner in Seymour at 'The Winery Kitchen'. Principal Ashleigh Martin and other school dignitaries will join parents after they have had dinner with the senior rowers.
Each year, parents often seek accommodation options for the Head of Schoolgirls Regatta in Geelong and the APS Heads of the River Regatta in Nagambie.
Head of Schoolgirls (17-19 March 2023)
All girl rowers are accommodated by the School at the Big 4 in Queenscliff and buses will transport them of a morning and afternoon to and from the accommodation to the regatta in Geelong.
Parents often stay Saturday night (18th) somewhere in Geelong, so they can attend the parent dinner. Most schools and clubs do the same, so we advise to book accommodation early. The following options, walking distance from the river, may be available:
APS Heads of the River (25 March)
Girls and Boys Senior crews only travel to Nagambie on Friday 24th for final training. They stay overnight, accommodated by the school, and have a final dinner with the Principal before their final race. All other rowers are bused up to Nagambie on the Saturday morning.
On the Friday (24th) parents of these seniors, and other parents who are helping with setup also stay in and around Nagambie and attend a parent dinner in Seymour. Therefore it makes sense that accommodation is also in Seymour, which is 20 minutes south of Nagambie. Accommodation options are:
We look forward to parents getting together for these fantastic evenings in celebration of our children.
All parents and crew will need to adhere to any Covid/health measures determined by Rowing Victoria or the school. Details and draws of regattas can be found on the Rowing Victoria website below. Some regattas are live-streamed.
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