The Isis is the name for the stretch of the River Thames as it flows through Oxford. The majority of Merton rowers train on the Isis, based in the Boathouse. The Isis is also the site of all the Oxford regattas during the year, notably Torpids and Eights Bumps races.


Circulation and Rules

A detailed map of the Isis (opens in new window)

There are some important points that need to be emphasised to ensure that outings are safe for you and other crews. Most of the OURCs rules are there to ensure that crews act safely when out on the water, and don't cause inconvenience to other crews. Breaking these rules costs the club money – clubs can be fined for breaking them.
In general, rowing boats should stick to the right hand side of the river. Try and stick close to the bank: faster boats pull out towards the middle of the river to overtake slower boats. You should aim to have (quite a bit) less than a boat width between you and the bank, although with a very inexperienced crew the boat may not naturally stick to a straight line, so you may have to stay a bit further away than normal. You may also have to edge further out than this when coming up to landing stages.
If you start drifting to the middle of the river, STOP and head back to the bank. Always: if in doubt, stop.

Above the Gut

Launching: Point the boat upstream, and wait for any crews that are close by to go past the raft before pushing off. You will often start off rowing in fours, perhaps with hands only: the rudder is very slow to turn the boat going this slowly, so you must make sure that the boat starts off pointing in the right direction!
The Head (of the River). If you are moving, don't be afraid to overtake crews that have stopped by the bank, but crews waiting to turn at the head will queue up along Christ Church Meadow – no queue jumping! Crews normally spin one at a time, but a crew may spin with the crew in front if they ask permission – usually novice crews won't do this until they have gained experience. You should get away from the spinning area quickly, so that the next crews can spin – if you have to pull into the bank to talk with the coach, do so downstream a little way.
Univ (old OUBC boathouse). Crews boat downstream here, and you may not see them until late. Crews may also land upstream if the river is clear – so be aware of who is waiting there.
Long Bridges (Timms). The entrance to the Gut – the most difficult area.
Novice coxes may not go through the gut until they have been coxing for at least a month so will spin here and stay above the Gut, but experienced crews will go straight through. When spinning, you must keep to the right and leave a clear channel for crews coming downstream to the gut.
The stream going under the bridges to the right is strong, so it is important to easy before the rafts, and start spinning as soon as the area is clear – crews can end up getting pulled into the weir channel or pushed onto the bank, where it is difficult to get away. Always stop early rather than late here, as you will drift with the stream. Once you have spun, don't cross to the right unless you are sure that there are no crews coming downstream towards the Gut. Cross, and then stick to the right hand side up the Green Bank towards the Island.

Below the Gut

Coming down the Green Bank, come out from the bank slightly (you'll probably overtake crews waiting to spin) and start to turn in early. You need to turn right into the bend, aiming to skim close to the bank at a shallow angle well into the bend. The red arrows indicate a typical poor course with a crew turning too late and too sharply, so that the angle through the gut itself is too steep; the stream pushes the crew wide round the bend, so they end up in the bank. The purple arrows show an earlier turn in to the mouth of the Gut, so the angle is much narrower and the boat is already turning right into the bend when as they approach it. You must make sure that enough room is left for crews coming up through the Gut.



Once through the gut, normal navigation applies down to the spinning area.
Normal stream: spin once you're past the spinning post at Haystacks. You should not go beyond the Isis Tavern, ever, except if you are intending to go through Iffley Lock. Crews spinning late have been caught in the weir channel in the past (not recently) and been swept over the weir: the stream gets very fast and rowers have died, so spin early. Again, spin and move off immediately.
High stream (not novice coxes): spin after the early spinning post. You should be fully spun by the bottom of the straight and should never be below Haystacks Corner in high stream conditions.
Paddle back upstream.

Flags

The Isis (and all of the non–tidal Thames) is very prone to flooding in the winter months. As the river rises, the stream gets stronger, and the channel leading into the weir by Iffley lock acts as a funnel, meaning the speed of the stream can be very high – faster than an eight can row. In the past, eights have got jammed on the weir – a potentially life–threatening situation. The rules and flag system are intended to prevent this from happening again.
No flag spin immediately at the normal spinning post. If the area is congested, wait, back down, or even spin in front of a crew if that is safest – do not paddle down close to the lock. Any registered cox is allowed out.
Blue flag – spin between the early spinning post (just below Donnington Bridge) and Haystacks corner. DO NOT go below Hasystacks. Only Senior and Experienced coxes are allowed on the river.
Amber flag – spin as for blue flag, taking extra care to ensure that you spin well before Haystacks. Senior coxes and senior crews only are allowed out on the water.
Red flag – No rowing is allowed on the Isis.

River Restrictions (imposed by OURCs)

No member of OURCs may row without permission from the OURCs Secretary between the following times:

1. Earlier than 1 hour before sunrise, or later than 1 hour after sunset.
2. Between 8.30am and 1.00pm on weekdays during 1st-8th week of each term (graduate colleges exempt, Proctors' Ruling).
3. On the Isis between 8.00am and 1.00pm on Sundays (out of courtesy to other river users).
4. On the Isis after 7.00pm on Wednesdays (out of courtesy to other river users).
5. On the Godstow stretch on Sundays between 2.00pm and 6.00pm, between March and November inclusive (out of courtesy to the Medley Yacht Club).
6. On the Godstow stretch on Wednesdays after 7.00pm during Trinity Term (out of courtesy to the Medley Yacht Club).

OURCs members must observe the following restrictions:

1. Weekdays before 8.00am, from Sunday of 1st week to Saturday of 8th week, no more than 1 crew out on a weekday morning without the written permission of the OURCs committee (to prevent congestion).
2. Sundays, only one crew from each College is allowed on the Isis at any one time (to prevent congestion).
3. Weekdays 5.00pm-7.00pm from Monday of 0th Week to Tuesday of 5th Week of Trinity Term, only University crews or those entered for the Senior Divisions in Eights (as defined in B2.7) plus the top crew of the next division and all College 1st VIIIs, may row in IIs, IVs or VIIIs. There is no restriction on smaller boats (as requested by Captains).
4. During OURCs competitions, or other competitions sanctioned by the OURCs, no crew is allowed on the river except those permitted by the competition rules.
5. Any University or College Boat Club organising a regatta on the Isis must request a river closure from the OURCs Secretary, such a request to be made at least two weeks in advance.

Other Rules

Rules of the River from OURCs (opens in new window)
The most important ruless that you should be aware of are:

• All coxes must wear a lifejacket or buoyancy aid
• Lights – All boats should have a white light on the bow and stern when going out in poor visibility (dark or fog)
• EA licences – there are big fines available, although all our boats are currently licensed, so don't worry too much!
• All boats must have a bow ball – find out what one is.
• All shoes must have heel restraints fitted – the crew should check these.
• Crews should spin in turn and leave the spinning area once they have turned
• Crews should not obstruct the Gut by going slower than whole crew paddling
• Crews should not normally overtake in the Gut
• Crews should not go out if visibility is less than 100m, or ice has formed on the water
• Foul or abusive language is prohibited – be polite!

There are some restrictions on novice coxes:

• Novice coxes may not go through the Gut until 4th week of their first term
• Novice coxes should always be accompanied by a coach
• Novice coxes may not go out under high stream conditions (blue flag or higher).