@Annie Winkler we can ask Team Ukraine: after their epic swamping... they kept on going! A partially swamped boat is only going to paddle so well. Maybe 20-30 meters back to a dock, etc. Think of how heavy the boats get with just the holds full of water. A foot of water sloshing around in the bottom is going to be terrible - plus the height displacement etc. Those of us who remember having Big Blue on a mooring can attest to that!

@Sonia Rogers Oh lordy, I'm so sorry! That's a really interesting question... why do you ask?

@Christina Potter oy vey

@Jill Schieve oh goodness. It's crazy how many new details are still coming out about this event. And it's so sad that so many people came away with such negative experiences too.

@Jill Schieve i agree. i tell my team i don't want to see or hear from them the whole month of October haha!

@Tina Giangrande

@Jill Schieve that's definitely something we can chat about on the call!

@Annie Winkler I like assigning that call for a stop to the back of the boat. And also perhaps adding a "steer overboard" or similar to help reinforce this is not a joke or someone randomly taking charge. We were having a discussion yesterday around why crews keep paddling into a crash... and it's largely because you're all taught to trust the steer and wait for a call to stop — otherwise, keep going. When the call doesn't come (because steer is focused on something else or incapacitated) it becomes more understandable that crews paddle straight into a crash.

@Erica Bernstein yes - i just watched the horror show last night and have been chatting with @Cory Graham (who was steering boat 1 which got rammed at the very end of the race) about creating a conversation around that asap. So stay tuned for that and her very important perspective. That is a horrific experience to live through. But thankfully everyone was ok. Massively shaken up but ok. Hopefully they continue to be ok. Ultimately it comes down to a multitude of things that went wrong. It's very easy to lay blame from the sidelines, but we are lacking the perspective of being actually on that water in that race. That said, the steer of boat 2 apparently lost her footing which caused her to careen off course. Her drummer should have called an immediate stop as should the pacers. SOMEONE in that boat must have noticed they were going sideways -- and paddlers (or designated ones) must be empowered to call a stop for safety. Boat 4 should have been stopped the minute it crossed into the next lane. That it crossed THREE is insane. Officials likely couldn't get to it in time. But if the steer didn't call a stop, the drummer and paddlers should have done so. There is really no excuse for three crossed lanes and a collision THAT hard for being allowed to happen. Yes it happens fast, but oof... again, someone saw that coming. I don't know what the water or wind or other conditions were like, those have to be examined. I also know that as a steer when you are in an oh-shit moment it is REALLY hard to think clearly and process what is happening. It's a slow-mo explosion. So it's critical to have someone on your crew who is your second brain and your backup. The natural person for this is your drummer, as they can see what you're doing and what you cannot see. This is why the steer/drummer relationship is key. The two of them need to be so connected that they can finish each other's sentences and understand from a gesture or a facial expression what the other is thinking and what needs to be done. All too often in our sport we throw the smallest person on the drum and say "just hit the drum in time and hold on" when it's WAY more than that.