For one day each year, rowing becomes the most relevant sport for the British public. Hundreds of thousands of people gather along the banks of the River Thames to catch a glimpse of the country’s most famed rivalry.
The men and women’s rowing crews from Oxford and Cambridge universities battle it out on the waters. The air takes on an electric current of excitement as the teams race against time.
When is the next Boat Race?
This year, the 171st Boat Race will be held on Saturday, April 4, with the women’s race scheduled to commence at 2.21pm, and the men’s starting an hour later at 3.21pm.
The boats will tackle the Championship Course. It is a 6.8 kilometer (or 4.25 mile) stretch from Putney to Mortlake, ending just before Chiswick Bridge.
Cambridge’s Lead in the Historic Rivalry
Cambridge is leading the men’s head-to-head 88 to 81. They also lead the women’s head-to-head 49 to 30.
This year will also see two sisters competing against one another for the first time in the race’s history. Lilli and Mia Freischem are all set to represent Oxford and Cambridge respectively.
A History of Drama on the River
The famous Boat Race is never short of drama. There have been sinking boats, blind judges and underwater protests throughout the event’s almost 200 year history.
The race in 1877 has officially been recorded as a Dead Heat. However, the reality was not that straightforward.
The race was judged by umpire “Honest John Phelps” who was over 70 years of age, blind in one eye, and often found drunk under a bush. Phelps himself admitted his boat had drifted behind several spectator vessels, which ultimately obstructed his view of the finish line.
Both men’s crews were logged to have finished the race in exactly 24 minutes and eight seconds, battling harsh wind and rain. Many onlookers were convinced they saw Oxford finish the race six feet or so ahead of their rivals.
Sinkings and No Races
Held once again in extremely poor weather conditions, 1912 saw a monumental double sinking. Both the men’s crew’s boats took on large amounts of water.
While Cambridge sank entirely, Oxford were able to dump the water out, get back on the lake, and eventually make it to the finish line.
Umpire Frederick Pitman had already called a No Race by that time and set a re-row which took place the following Monday.
The re-race was marred by terrible weather once again, but Oxford eventually came out on top, bagging the hard-earned win.
By 1978, multiple sinkings had occurred during the event, but that year’s was deemed the most memorable of them all.