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The 10 Rules of the Boat Race
1. The conduct of each race shall be the sole responsibility of the Umpire, who shall be chosen by mutual consent of the Presidents of the University Boat Clubs.
2. The Umpire shall be responsible for positioning the stakeboats, which shall not be moved after the toss for choice of stations has taken place except with the agreement of both parties.
3. Each crew shall be attached to its stakeboat five minutes before the official start time of each race: lateness renders a crew liable to the award of a False Start from the Umpire. If, once the Umpire has commenced the starting sequence, the Umpire considers that there has been a False Start the Umpire shall at once recall the crews to their stakeboats and shall award a False Start to the offending crew. A crew with two False Starts shall be disqualified.
4. A boat’s proper course is such as will enable it to reach the winning post in the shortest possible time, provided that it allows ample water for the other crew to steer its proper course on the side on which it started, when that crew is in a position to enforce its right to that water. But both boats shall pass through the centre arches of Hammersmith and Barnes Bridges. A boat failing to keep to its proper course does so at its peril in the event of a foul occurring.
5. The Umpire shall be the sole judge of a boat’s proper course. The Umpire may warn either or both crews when the Umpire considers that there is danger of a foul occurring, or if there is any obstruction on the course, but the Umpire shall not otherwise direct the steering of either crew.
6. It shall be considered a foul, when after each race has started, there shall be any physical contact between the boats, oars, or persons, of the two crews.
7. In the event of a foul occurring either crew may claim, to the Umpire, that the other crew be disqualified. If the crew making the claim was in its proper course, and the crew against whom the claim is made was out of its proper course, the latter shall be disqualified unless the foul was so slight as not to influence the race. In this case the crew against who the claim was made shall only be disqualified if, in the opinion of the Umpire, it has seriously or deliberately encroached on the course of the crew making the claim.
8. In the event of a serious or deliberate foul the Umpire shall disqualify the offending crew without waiting for a claim. The Umpire may do this at once or at any later time up to or immediately after the end of the race. (Note: This means that the Umpire may delay this decision, either in the interests of safety, or to see whether a foul has, in fact, influenced the result of the race).
9. The crews shall abide by their accidents. But the Umpire may declare “No Race”, and order a restart, or a re-row,
(i) if either crew is interfered with by any outside agency to such an extent as to influence the result of the race.
(ii) if, before reaching the end of the wall, either crew should suffer any serious accident or sinking or waterlogging, which is not due to the fault of any member of the crew concerned.
10. Refusal to abide by the decision of the Umpire, or to follow the Umpire’s instructions, shall render a crew liable to disqualification.