Who decides whether racing goes ahead in bad weather?

At an RCA regatta, the Chief Umpire takes all decisions on any delay, postponement or cancellation of races, or changes to the course, caused by adverse weather or other matters affecting the safety of competitors and Umpires on the water. The Chief Umpire does this after consulting the Regatta Chair and the Organizing Committee.

If squalls or other deterioration of conditions happen on the water, the Race Umpire decides whether a race may start, continue or be stopped. The Rules of Racing say the safety of the competitors is more important than any other provision in the rules.

At National Regattas a Fairness Committee (the Chief Umpire, Regatta Chair, Safety Advisor, a representative of team managers or coaches and an RCA Technical Representative) may recommend program changes if weather makes conditions unfair or unrowable, but the Chief Umpire decides on the changes.

Source: RCA Rules of Racing, January 2026, section 9.8 and the Race Umpire's adverse weather duties.