Latest venue update

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Flag_SmallVenue Update

The ground at Dorney is still recovering from the Olympic building works and progress has been delayed by a cold Spring. It is now clear that areas we normally use will not be available for the regatta and we will need to adopt some different arrangements this year. Our plans are summarised below, but may be subject to further change, so please bear with us.

Trailer Access

Trailers will be able to access the site between 2pm and 8pm on Friday and from 6.30am on Saturday and Sunday. Trailers will not be admitted to the site after 8pm on Friday or before 6.30am over the weekend. Those arriving on Friday will be able to offload in the main car park at the boat house, but will be required to move their trailers afterwards and park on the Drove Road, which is on the far side of the course behind the island. There will be staff available in the car park to direct offloading and direct drivers to the Drove Road.

Those arriving on Saturday and Sunday will be directed to the Drove Road on arrival and will park and unload there. Staff will be available to organise this process. Later arrivals will inevitably be further from the boating pontoons and may have a long carry. Any trailers leaving the site on Saturday or Sunday will be able to use the road on the island, but must proceed with care as there will be cyclists on the road following races.

Racking and Rigging

Racking will be available on the road behind the boathouse. There may be further racking in the main car park, but clubs should bring trestles as a contingency. There will be no racking on the grassed area beside the boathouse and no access to that area, which has been re-turfed.

Traffic Flow and Parking

General traffic will enter by the Arboretum Road and will be directed towards car parking from the Ash Tree. Cars may be parked only in designated areas as much of the site has been reseeded and would be damaged. The general car parking area will be adjacent to the spectator tents. There will also be a designated area for regatta sponsors and officials.

Spectator Marquee and Retail Concessions

As the usual site on the bund has been reseeded and will not be available the spectator marquee will be located near the Ash Tree, about 1500m down the course. Retail concessions will be adjacent to the spectator tent.

Turfed and Reseeded Ground

Competitors and spectators must not enter any areas of the site that have been roped off. These areas are under recovery and not yet ready for use. Cars or footfall could do significant damage. Please follow any instructions from regatta officials or volunteers or Dorney staff to avoid damaging these area. Competitors should note that the regatta reserves the right to disqualify competitors who disregard this request or instructions from regatta officials.

Entries for the 2013 Regatta are now open.

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Flag_SmallEntry and event information can be found here. Please ensure you read the Entry Rules carefully prior to making your entry.

Visit to www.britishrowing.org to make entries via the online entry system. If you have any questions about how to make entries, esepcially if you are a foriegn crew or entering a composite, please contact British Rowing directly or contact the Entries Secretary with your query.

Venue update

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Flag_SmallMetropolitan Regatta returns to Dorney Lake again on 1-2     June.  As was the case last year we will have use of the full    2000m course and the Met will be unaffected by preparations for the World Cup Regatta later in the summer.

The wet winter and cold spring following the Olympic Regatta have delayed the recovery of the grassed areas at Dorney that were used for the grandstands and other structures.  New turf has been laid near the boat house and other areas have been seeded and much depends on the weather between now and June.  Depending on progress we may have to make some alterations to the usual location of boat racks, marquees and stalls normally placed on the grassed area adjacent to the boat house and at the finish.  These may also have some knock-on effects for traffic flow and trailer parking.

All this is manageable and we do not anticipate any major disruption on land.  Other major events are being held successfully at Dorney despite the recovery works.  We are monitoring the situation closely with the Dorney management team to define the art of the possible and adjusting our plans accordingly.  When these become clear we will update this page with the final details.

We look forward to seeing you at the Met – good luck and good racing!