Guide to Novice Coxes

River etiquette

Novice term in Cambridge is a bit random, but it is helpful to know at least what you are supposed to do.

• When you stop the boat, make sure that you are pulled over to the side of the river to let other boats pass, and that you are in a safe position to stop - ie not on a corner.
• To overtake a slower boat, wait until you can see that you have enough room to do so and shout to the cox of the other boat 'COME BY?'. If you know the college of the other boat (by the blade colour/design) then you can shout 'COME BY JESUS?', or whatever the college is. They will either shout 'COME BY' at you and you can overtake and they should give way to you. Otherwise they will shout 'GOING ON' so you should not overtake.
• When you want to spin the boat, make sure that you will not impede any other boats. You can pull over and tell them to come by if they are following you. You should make sure that it is also safe to spin - ie not too close to a corner.
• If another boat looks like it hasn't seen you and there is a possibility of a collision, shout at them 'HEAD EIGHT!' ('AHEAD EIGHT!'), or whatever the type of boat it is. This especially applies to coxless boats, mainly scullers (single person boats) on the Cam.