1. Safety is our first priority. The Oakland Estuary is a navigable waterway: watch for flotsam, jetsam, yachts, sailboats, marinas, other crews container ships, tugboats. If your boat swamps, stay with your boat until you are rescued. Do not endanger your boat or crew just to save a second or two.

2. Plan to leave Jack London Square 90 minutes before race time. From the grass-field boat-storage area, walk down Water St. to Jack London Square. Take your oars to the dock before you take your boat. After leaving the dock, row down the Estuary in the direction of San Francisco before crossing over to the Alameda side. Watch for crews racing down the Estuary.

3. Arrive at High Street Bridge start-line 15 minutes early. Paddle up the Estuary along the Alameda shoreline. Watch for sailboats emerging from marinas. Paddle through the Alameda sides of each bridge.

4. The start. After you paddle through the High Street Bridge, check in with the timers on the Alameda side of the Estuary. Continue up the Estuary to the staging area. Follow the instructions of the call-up boat and the starter. Competitors will be started at 10-15 second intervals. If you arrive at the start-line after the last boat in your race has departed, you will be disqualified. Boats will be timed as they cross the High Street Bridge start-line. Make sure that the timers see your boat number.

5. The course. Look for red buoys, starting with the buoy between the High Street and Fruitvale Avenue bridges. You must race on the Oakland side of each buoy and on the Oakland side of each bridge. You will be disqualified if you race on the Alameda side of any buoy or bridge.

6. Low tide will be at 8:30 AM at the High Street Bridge; flood tide (i.e., against teh race course) thereafter.

7. The finish-line. Boats will be timed as they cross the Broadway finish-line. Make sure that you finish on the Oakland side of the finish-line buoy.

8. Return to the docks. After rowing well thorough the finish line, turn to port (i.e., in the direction of Alameda) and loop back to the finish-line. Look for the on-water dock master, who will direct you to cross the course in to the docks. Watch for crews racing down the course.

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