Collision/Safety Reporting - A reminder to everyone to make sure to report safety issues/concerns on the water. We cannot evaluate data and have informed conversations without the initial input. The goal is to have every rower/coach aware of the email address and reporting link to make reports directly to the system. The representatives from the Schulykill Dragons were in attendance to report on a recent event. We have invited them to attend meetings on a regular basis and shared the reporting link.
Following Rules of the River - Brief discussion about making sure to follow the current rules. All acknowledged that issues with weeds, summer coaches, and low water levels have made it hard to follow the traffic patterns correctly in certain areas on the river.
River Issues by Strawberry Mansion - The low water and weeds have compressed upriver traffic to one lane. Or less. Observations have been made of boats (with and without coaching launches) going upriver in Lane 6 to avoid the weeds.
Weed Removal - Erika reported that Al Wachlin had a temporary mechanical setback but weed removal plans are back underway. She has already emailed the Captains list with the link to sign up for work parties.
Commodore Report - Paul Horvat gave a quick update on launch needs for the Youth Regatta this weekend. Due to the predicted hot weather he indicated that the race may be shortened to 1500m.
Other/New Issues
More Buoys - I brought up the fact that the turn buoys at Strawberry have been on the water for several months. With this in mind I made the suggestion we look into finally putting some safety/turn/traffic buoys on the river on a more permanent basis. Gillin has offered to maintain a buoy below Columbia to that effect. We would remove it during extreme river levels and reattach when safe.
Alternate Traffic Conditions - My second new issue followed up on the safety concerns of weeds and low water. Since we have hit a point where normal traffic rules are being temporarily impacted by mother nature should we consider a set of modified traffic rules when these conditions exist. I asked the group to give it some thought - issues to solve are what the modified rules would be, how to decide when they should go into effect, and how to communicate to all the users of the river.
Safety Education - Ted spoke again about creating an online method for educating rowers, coaches, coxswains, etc. on the rules of the river and also having a method for tracking this process. The suggestion involved a video or slideshow accompanied by a quiz that needs to be submitted online. An automated system can then keep track of clubs, names, and contact information for the users of the river.