Hosting a Regatta in BC

Hosting a Regatta in BC

Organizations hosting a regatta in BC must follow the steps below to have their event appropriately approved, covered by insurance, and officiated by RCA Umpires.

Questions about hosting a regatta, and the sanction process can be sent to memberservices@rowingbc.ca.

Your process to host a regatta in BC:

1 - Request a Regatta Date

Each Fall, Rowing BC will release a date request form for Local Organizing Committees (LOCs) to use to request dates for their regatta(s). When the deadline passes, Rowing BC will review the dates to create a confirmed regatta calendar for the upcoming year. Rowing BC makes every effort to post the regatta calendar for two years at a time to assist teams and regatta organizers with longterm planning. When it comes to confirming regatta dates, please note:

  • Confirmation is not automatic
  • An effort will be made to avoid more than one regatta on any given day, despite what has occurred in the past.
  • Requests for new regattas, or significant change to an existing regatta, will require discussion with Rowing BC.
  • Additional regattas will not be added to the calendar after this process has been completed for the year ahead.

View the current regatta and events calendar HERE.

2 - Connect with the Chief Umpire for your event

The Rowing BC Umpire Committee will assign a Chief Umpire (CU) to each event. LOCs must work with their CU to complete the sanction application.

For the 2025 regatta year, LOCs can expect to be contacted with an announcement of their CU by the following dates:

  • Q1 (Jan – Mar) Events – November 12, 2024
  • Q2 (Apr – Jun) Events – January 10, 2025
  • Q3 (Jul – Sep) Events – April 3, 2025
  • Q4 (Oct – Dec) Events – July 4, 2025

For events with complex permitting requirements who need their sanction application finalized early, reach out to the Umpire Committee (ucommittee@rowingbc.ca) by December 20, 2024 to indicate that you need an early CU appointment. Otherwise, it is assumed that you will have your CU announced according to the dates above.

If you would like to submit a sanction event earlier, reach out to the Rowing BC Umpire Committee to request a CU to be assigned earlier. Note that early requests can take up to 4 weeks to fill.

3 - Complete your RCA Sanction Application

All regattas must follow RCA’s Event Sanction Policy and submit a Sanction Application in order to have the event sanctioned. Sanction allows the regatta to be covered by RCA insurance and officiated by RCA Umpires.  Umpires are responsible for keeping regattas both safe and fair for all participants.

The CU *MUST* be involved in the creation and completion of the sanction application.

All Sanction Applications are submitted online through the RCA Web Registration System. Detailed instructions for the RCA online sanction application are in the Resources section below.

Sanction applications are due two months ahead of each event, though they may also be submitted anytime earlier. This is a hard deadline. Events which do not meet the deadline will be unable to run.

4 - Have your RCA Sanction Application Reviewed

Once submitted through the RCA Web Registration System, Rowing BC’s Regatta Committee will review your sanction application and connect with you about any questions or required edits. Reviews are done on a rolling basis as sanction applications are received. You should expect to hear from the Regatta Committee within one week of submitting your sanction application.

Requested adjustments to address deficiencies in the sanction application must be addressed before one month until the event date. This is a hard cut off. Events which do not meet the deadline will be unable to run.

During the review, your event details will be posted to Regatta Central so that you can begin building your regatta website. Registration cannot open until the final approval is given to your sanction application.

5 - Have your RCA Sanction Application Approved

Once all questions and required edits to your sanction application have been addressed, the Rowing BC Regatta Committee will send your sanction application to the Rowing BC Board for final approval. Once approved, your event will be marked as such in the RCA Web Registration system, which also triggers Regatta Central to allow registrations to open for your event.

6 - Event Follow-Up

CU Report:

Within 30 days after your event, the CU will write a CU Report which will be shared with your LOC, as well as with Rowing BC. The feedback and information contained in this report is a valuable resource for continuous improvement of your event in future years.

Regatta Feedback: 

Direct feedback from regatta participants is one of the best ways to keep improving the event that you are able to offer! HERE is a sample feedback form that can be used for inspiration as you create your own. Links and/or QR codes to your feedback form posted in prominent locations at the regatta site, as well as in all communications, can increase how many responses you receive.

RegattaCentral Event Certification: 

Following your event, RegattaCentral will require that you double check all entry information, and then use the prompt button to “certify” your regatta details. This will trigger the invoicing behind the scenes to take place, ensuring appropriate funds are released to the Local Organizing Committee, and the payment of Rowing Canada Aviron and Rowing BC seat fees.

Updated Regatta Hosting Financial Structure

As part of our ongoing efforts to align with national standards and ensure long-term sustainability, Rowing BC has reviewed and updated the financial structure related to regatta hosting. This includes a refreshed approach to how umpire-related costs are supported. Volunteer umpires continue to be a vital part of the competition system in BC, and while Rowing BC has historically covered all expenses associated with their participation—setting us apart from other provinces—we are now shifting towards a model that balances support with shared responsibility.

Beginning in September 2025, Rowing BC is implementing a new cost sharing system through which a portion of umpire expenses will be shared between the provincial association and the local organizing committee of each regatta. The majority of costs will still be covered by Rowing BC. Just as local organizing committees budget for items like security, safety boats, food, and awards, umpire expenses are part of the cost of putting on events. Beyond continued support of umpire expenses for events, Rowing BC will continue to cover costs, approved by the Finance Committee, associated with umpire equipment, education and development. Rowing BC has provided equipment and outerwear at no charge and has an inventory of 45 complete Umpire Kits.

For regattas taking place September 1, 2025 onwards, Rowing BC will be invoicing each local organizing committee as follows to cover a small portion of umpire related expenses:

Following regatta certification, Regatta Central information will be utilized to determine appropriate invoice amounts for each local organizing committee and will be due 30 days following the invoice date.

Additional Resources for Regatta Hosts:

Quick videos to teach athletes what to expect at regattas

The following videos have been prepared specifically with new athletes in mind. These quick overviews will give you the information you need to feel confident and prepared as you attend your first regatta, knowing what to expect from Umpires and understanding the basics of the Rules of Racing. Click the links to watch or download each video.

Sanction Application Resources and Templates

The resources below are intended to assist Local Organizing Committees in the process of preparing a regatta sanction application, or while planning aspects of the regatta:

Please note the following about the RCA Web Registration System:

  • An application can be saved as a draft as long as there is something in each of the fields – even just one character. To return to a previously saved application, log on to the system and scroll to the bottom of your “My Account” page. There is a section for your proposed events where you will be able to re-open an application.
  • Once an application has been submitted, you will no longer be able to edit it. An automated alert will be sent from the RCA Web Registration System notifying Rowing BC staff that your application has been submitted.

Regatta Central and Regatta Fees

Regatta Central

Regatta Central is the registration website that all events across Canada are required to use. When your sanction application is received by staff, Rowing BC will trigger your event details to be shared with Regatta Central. This will allow you to begin creating the registration website. No registrations can be processed until full sanction is approved. For help setting up the event details in Regatta Central, contact regattacentral@rowingcanada.org.

Regatta Fees

All sanctioned events in BC will be assessed Rowing Canada and Rowing BC Seat Fees for participants. The fee will be auto-calculated through the RegattaCentral system.

For support with any aspect of this process, please reach out to memberservices@rowingbc.ca

Regatta-In-A-Box! Infrastructure for rent to support your event.

Rowing BC has a curated selection of physical regatta infrastructure components available for rent to any Local Organizing Committee – saving you the cost of the initial purchase and storage! All rentals are on a first-come-first-served basis.

Full details HERE.

Para Rowing at Regattas - information for LOCs

If you are hosting a regatta and want to be inclusive, here are some ideas for including para rowers in your event:

  • Para rowers can go in para events, or in your usual events. Staggering start times and adding time handicaps based on standards are ways to make racing meaningful for everyone.
  • Regattas can also be set up with all athletes racing “Open” but awarded by their division (U19, U17, PR3, PR2, PR1 etc.). This allows similar-speed boats to end up in heats and finals beside each other even if they would otherwise be in different divisions. This creates meaningful races for all, including any para entries. Rowing BC’s Provincial Championships Regatta uses this model.
  • Your event does not need to include formal classification for athletes to enjoy the experience. Rowing BC has written an exception to the Rules of Racing that can be used in your sanction documents:
    • Para Rowing Exception: for this regatta athletes may enter events as PR1, PR2, or PR3 even if they do not meet the FISA definition for these classifications, or have not yet been formally classified. However all para athletes must comply with strapping rules for their respective classification, as set out in the FISA regulations.
    • Other exceptions can be included if your regatta would like to use World Rowing rules instead of Rowing Canada Aviron’s rules. This would allow para rowers to use similar equipment set-ups to what they would use in a national or international competition.

Reach out if you would like to discuss options in more detail to make your regatta as inclusive as possible.

Back To Top