What are the lane, clear water and wash riding rules?

Question

Accepted Answer

Lane: race in the lane allocated to your boat, on a straight line down the middle of it. Crews are responsible for their steering and leave the lane at their own risk. Clear water: keep at least 2 metres of clear water around the boat, measured paddle blade to adjacent paddle blade. Give clear water when course officials tell you to. Penalties: a time penalty of 1 to 5 seconds may be assessed for leaving the lane or impeding another crew, whether or not the result was affected. A penalty is not assessed for an involuntary steering error that is corrected, unless another crew is impeded or the result is materially affected. If warnings are ignored you may get a penalty, or be disqualified if the Course Umpire's opinion is that you impeded another boat or gained an advantage that materially affected the result. Wash riding: in races of 1000 m or less it is forbidden to gain an advantage from the wake or wash of another boat. Officials following the boat decide. The penalty is disqualification from the race at national events (Canadian Championships, Race Off), and a minimum 5 seconds at festivals and sport races. If an advantage is deemed gained, the penalty may be assessed without a warning from the umpire. Keep to the centre line of your lane to avoid it. Finish: a boat has finished when its foremost part (the dragon's head counts) crosses the finish line with the same number of racers in it as started. Races of 2000 m and more: separate rules cover turns and overtaking (race anti-clockwise, pass turn buoys to port). Source: Rules of Racing, January 2026 Edition, rules 9.3, 10.1, 10.2, 11.1, 13.