Swan Creek Rowing Club

Sign up for towel duty (washing the boat towels). The sign up list is on a clipboard in the key cubby.

High Water Caution:

This week’s rain has increased the river water elevation to rise above 12 feet. It is predicted to go below 12 feet by Saturday morning.  Remember, if it has been raining, to check the Club website before you row to make sure the river is not too high. Sometimes, it may not rain much in Lambertville, or where you live, but it may rain heavily further up in the Delaware River drainage basin. That can cause high water in Lambertville. So always check! This week, we posted the river hydrograph (the chart showing river elevation at Trenton) on the website homepage in order to serve as an alert. However, you can get the up-to-the-minute hydrograph by clicking on “Forecast TREN-4 Delaware River at Trenton“, on the right side of the homepage. That tells you if it is safe to row, whether or not the red flag is up. Also, any member can put up the red flag; but only a Board member can take it down.

Unsafe conditions can also be caused by high winds or large debris in the river. Use your common sense to stay safe.

Reporting Boat Damage:

If a boat or oar is damaged while you are using it, please report it to a Board member. Chris Bowley is in charge of maintenance, but you can report the damage to any Board member. Do not attempt to repair the damage yourself! We recognize that equipment gets damaged and we have a budget to pay for professional repair.

We are also asking that all organized groups (youth, women, men) have their coxswains ask each rower if there is any damage at their seat as they are coming off the water. This will aid in getting damaged reported and repaired quickly.

Ted

Expect high water beginning overnight Wednesday 5/16/12 through the remainder of the week. No rowing when the water is over 12′ on the Trenton gauge. Novices should not go out when the level reaches 11′.

Our SCRC Youth have several upcoming fund raising events. Please swing by and support them, we all benefit from their hard work.

• April 28 and 29
  • Shad Fest Cotton Candy Concession @ Lambertville
• May 5, 10 AM – 2 PM
  • Car Wash @ New Hope Solebury High School
• May 19 and 20, 10 AM – 4 PM
  • Hot Dog and Soda Sale @ Giant Supermarket in New Hope

Thanks for your support. If you have any questions, please contact Carol Hey.

-Chris

There are several tasks that need doing at the site so we’re looking for some help this Saturday, 4/21/12. The youth are away at a Regatta so we’ll need a strong adult showing to help out. Please let me know if you can volunteer, we’ll start working around 9:30 and should be done before noon. The following needs to be done:

• ALL Boats need to be cleaned down after winter storage (inside and out), bring sponges and towels if you have them
• Rigging needs to be checked and hardware replaced
• Install the new sweep oar rack
• Prep the site for the new shack

Thanks for your help and hope to see you on Saturday.
-Chris

BE ALERT – The river level is quite low (normally what we experience in August) and it seems the shoals downstream of the Route 202 bridge are only wide enough for one boat to pass at a time. Two 8s will NOT fit and MAYBE an 8 and a 1X would fit, but avoid trying to fit an 8 and any other boat in shoals. The shoals are also totally different and shallow in areas that used to be deep and deep in areas that used to be shallow. Its going to take some time to learn the new patterns. Also note that the Swan Creek disgorged tons of rocks into the river during last year’s storms. You must row further out from shore than previously when passing the mouth of the creek.

And, of course, before you can row, your membership dues need to be paid. The membership application is on the website (check out the new website design – Thanks to Steve Platt) under the “Membership” pull-down menu. If you have trouble accessing the file, send an email to swancreekrowing@comcast.net As always, remember that all pages of the application need to be filled in. It is important for our insurance policy that you sign the waiver and the swim certification. Your membership is not considered current until all paperwork is complete

BE ALERT – The river level is quite low (normally what we experience in August) and it seems the shoals downstream of the Route 202 bridge are only wide enough for one boat to pass at a time. Two 8s will NOT fit and MAYBE an 8 and a 1X would fit, but avoid trying to fit an 8 and any other boat in shoals. The shoals are also totally different and shallow in areas that used to be deep and deep in areas that used to be shallow. Its going to take some time to learn the new patterns. Also note that the Swan Creek disgorged tons of rocks into the river during last year’s storms. You must row further out from shore than previously when passing the mouth of the creek.

On the other hand, river conditions are far more rowable than practically any time last season! Always keep safety in mind, and keep Club boats in good repair.

Thank you to everyone who participated in the site cleanup and boat move day. Almost everything that needed to get done was done.

And, of course, before you can row, your membership dues need to be paid. The membership application is on the website (check out the new website design – Thanks to Steve Platt) under the “Membership” pull-down menu. If you have trouble accessing the file, send an email to swancreekrowing@gmail.com As always, remember that all pages of the application need to be filled in. It is important for our insurance policy that you sign the waiver and the swim certification. Your membership is not considered current until all paperwork is complete.

It is important that we have up-to-date information on you, like emergency contact name and number and, of course, your preferred email address. Ted

ErgFest Videos by Paul Savage now posted here:

http://www.swancreekrowing.com/ergfest-2012-videos/