The eight is on the rack. Two crews want it. Both think they booked it first. One has a regatta in three weeks. One has a coach who shouts louder. Welcome to Sunday morning.
The three policies that prevent 90% of arguments
You don't need a 40-page boathouse policy. You need three things written down somewhere everyone can see them:
- Who can book what. Map boats to squads or skill levels. A novice shouldn't be able to book the club's quickest single by accident.
- How far in advance bookings open. A rolling 7-day window is usually enough. Anything longer encourages hoarding.
- What "approved" means. Some clubs auto-approve everything. Others require a coach signoff for race boats. Both are fine - just be explicit.
Permissions, not policing
The trick is to let the system enforce the rules so coaches and captains don't have to. When a junior tries to book a boat they're not cleared for, the system politely says no - rather than the captain having to say it on a Sunday morning, again.
Review it once a term
Squads change. Skill levels change. Don't set permissions in stone. A 15-minute review at the start of each term keeps everything current and saves a season's worth of arguments.