Just next to Putney Bridge and for the next four miles and 374 sheer brute force and endurance. yards (6.8km) upstream to Mortlake and Chiswick Bridge is a In addition to the lengthier, more difficult course, e Boat stretch of water that is the venue for the most extraordinary dis - Race is rowed by teams consisting entirely of full-time students, play of strength, stamina and teamwork by amateur athletes you not full-time athletes. Each team member must be enrolled either are ever likely to see. e annual rowing race between Oxford as an undergraduate or post-graduate student attending tutorials and Cambridge Universities, or e Boat Race as it’s officially and meeting deadlines all while following a training schedule known, is a 187-year sporting rivalry and tradition that pits the similar to that of a professional athlete. From the preceding elite rowers of both universities against each other on a course September the race crews will start training typically six days a unlike any other in the world. Tens of thousands of Londoners week. e six-month period from September to race day in and others who travel to the city for the spectacle view e Boat March is a relatively short period of time full of intense training Race from along the banks of the ames Tideway and on the and regatta fixtures in which coaches assess the dynamics of bridges spanning the river. Many millions more tune in on TV prospective team members and rowers vie for their spot on the making it one of the most popular sporting events of the year boat. Some team members will have had a few years experience and the only televised non-international rowing event. It is esti - while others, such as ea Zabell, may have started rowing only mated that the race draws more than three times the number of at university. Zabell was a 20-year-old Cambridge student who spectators who attend the FA Cup Final at Wembley. Like the only started rowing at the end of 2014 when she earned her place Grand National horserace, e Boat Race is a one-off event that in the 2015 Women’s Boat Race crew. many eagerly watch. So what sets this race apart from other rowing races? For History of The Boat Race starters, it’s longer than any other course. All Olympic rowing e Boat Race was founded when two old school friends, one at courses are set at 2,000 metres; the world famous Henley Regatta Cambridge and one at Oxford, are said to have met up during distance is set at 2,112 metres and the Head of the Charles vacation and decided to challenge each other’s respective universi - Regatta in Boston is 4,800 metres. e Boat Race route, known ties “to row a match at or near London, each in an eight-oared as the Championship Course, runs over a course of 6,800 metres. Moreover, unlike Olympic rowing events, which take place on flat lakes with competitors separated from each other by lane buoys, e Boat Race takes place on an open, tidal river exposed “ It’s estimated that the race draws more than to elements that can be turbulent and dramatic. It’s not just a three times the number of spectators who longer course, but one that requires approximately four miles of exhaustive, back breaking effort where strategy is as important as attend the FA Cup Final at Wembley. ”
4 FOCUS The Magazine March/April 2017 www.focus-info.org boat during the ensuing Easter vacation”. e invitation to this first race, which was formally issued by Cambridge to Oxford, F UN FACTS A BOUT T HE B OAT R ACE was held on 10 June 1829 at Henley on ames. Oxford easily won this first race and its winning boat is on display at the River First boats had no sliding seats so rowers would use grease & Rowing Museum in Henley on ames. From that first match or sheepskin to slide. the boats have been known as the Blue Boats with Oxford racing No rower can race more than four times as an in dark blue and Cambridge in light blue. Rowers of both uni - undergraduate and four times as a graduate student. versities who earn a place on a boat for the race are awarded their ‘Blue’. 2003 was the closest race. Oxford won by one foot. Perhaps because Cambridge had issued the challenge and was The record for fastest race win was set by Cambridge in then defeated, its enthusiasm for a subsequent match may have 1998 at 16min 19sec. been dampened and the next fixture was not held until 1836. e course for this race was moved to London between Both boats are called ‘Blue Boats’ although neither is blue. Westminster and Putney, but there was too much commercial Mike Wherley, at 36 years in 2008, was the oldest rower to traffic on that stretch of the river and more disagreement fol - compete in the Boat Race. lowed over where to hold the next five races. Oxford preferred London and Cambridge favoured Henley. From 1845 the course Legendary Oxford coach Daniel Topolski won 12 out of 15 was altered once again, setting it from Putney to Mortlake. e races from 1973-1987 including the longest winning streak of race itself was confirmed as an annual event in 1856 and each 10 races. year the losing team officially challenges the winner to a rematch. Race umpires are always called ‘Old Blues’ and sometimes wear a colour to indicate which university they rowed for. By tradition the winning team always throws their cox into the river after they’ve been presented with the trophy. The infamous Mutiny of 1987 occurred when five US rowers dramatically quit the Oxford crew shortly before the race. The Boat Race is one of the longest and hardest races in the world and several rowers have fainted after completing it. Oxford has won 79 times, Cambridge 82. Oxford Women have won 30 to Cambridge Women’s 41.
yards or half a mile. A combination of opposition to women’s rowing, an unfortunate accident on the river in which the The Women’s Boat Race Oxford crew rowed over a weir and were banned from the river, e Boat Race isn’t exclusively the preserve of male rowers. e and a lack of funds meant there were no races for nearly 10 years Women’s Boat Race, as it’s formally known, was first held in until the women’s race was revived in 1962. In the 1970s the 1927 on the ames in Oxford and organised intermittently race was moved to Henley and since 2015 it has finally taken until the 1960s when it was fixed as an annual event. Unlike the place on the same course and on the same day as the men’s boat men however, the first women’s crews were not allowed on the race. Women have competed on the Championship Course prior river at the same time so instead of a side by side race it was to 2015 - Sue Brown coxed Oxford to victory in 1981 and 1982 judged on ‘style’ while rowing downstream and speed while row - and in 1989 both teams were coxed by women - despite belat - ing up. From 1935 it became a proper contest fixed over 1,000 edly giving the women’s team equal standing with the men. Each race starts with a coin toss between the presidents of each rowing club. An 1829 gold sovereign coin, commemorating the H UGH L AURIE first year of the race, is used and the winning team can then pick (Cambridge. Actor best known for House ) which side of the river they will row on. e Middlesex, or north L ORD S NOWDON (Cambridge. Society photographer and side of the river means an advantage on the start and final sec - husband of Princess Margaret) tions of the race while the Surrey, or south side, means an advan - tage around the long middle bend of the river. e team T HE W INKLEVOSS TWINS (Oxford. Best known as the president makes his or her choice taking these factors, as well as disputed co-founders of Facebook) weather, river conditions and the strengths of the team into con - M ATTHEW P INSENT sideration when choosing their side of the river. (Oxford. Four-time Olympic gold medal winner) So how much does winning matter? e actual results some - times are overshadowed by dramatic events on the river. C ATH B ISHOP (Cambridge. World Champion and Olympic Spectators are more likely to remember 2012’s race when a pro - silver medal winner) testor swam into the ames, interrupted the race and was ar - DAN S NOW (Oxford. Author and TV historian) rested than whether light blue or dark lifted the trophy. A L ORD M OYNIHAN (Oxford. Olympic silver medalist, MP sinking boat will always be the most remarkable event in a race and chair of the British Olympic Association) when it happens. Luckily this hasn’t happened since 1978 when Cambridge started to take on water after Hammersmith Bridge www.focus-info.org FOCUS The Magazine 5 ing the race on the north side of the river is e Old Ship be - tween Upper Mall and Chiswick Mall. If you choose to stay south of the river you can follow the race along the ames Path from the start at Putney, but you’ll find the pubs for viewing the race right at or very near the finish line. e Bull’s Head and Ye White Hart are located on either side of Barnes Bridge and are great places to cheer on the rowers as they near the end of the course. Both pubs have views of the river and have live music, food and race day festivities. To see the drama and emotion of the winners and losers as they cross the finish line you need to be at e Ship in Mortlake, which is lo - cated right opposite the finish post. Spectators start lining up outside e Ship in the morning and pack this local landmark, Sunday 2nd April 2017 4.35pm enjoying the DJ and barbecue, so get there early to stake a spot. From this vantage point you will have a ringside seat at the fi - nale of one the great British sporting traditions – a centuries-old rivalry between two ancient universities going head-to-head on a mighty river in an iconic city. e Boat Race and e Women’s Boat Race are two contests with only one possible outcome for and managed to stay afloat until just before the final stretch at each crew and it’s never the same two years running. Barnes Bridge. e most exciting race to watch may have been in 1952 during a blizzard when Cambridge led throughout and then were unexpectedly beaten to the post by about 10 feet. Oxford managed this feat again in 2003, but only by one foot that time. A Rower’s View
Race day pub crawl There is nothing quite like the intensity of life as a full-time e real fun is to be had along the towpaths, parks and the pubs university student combined with the full-time training and restaurants that line the banks of the ames along the race schedule of a rower hoping to win a place on the Boat Race route while the teams are thrashing it out for supremacy on the crew. According to Constantine Louloudis, a four-time Boat river. e atmosphere and the crowds start building from early in Race winner with Oxford “in a nutshell it is very stressful and the day and by noon the pubs will be very busy so get there early draining but also very rewarding”. During his time at Oxford and be prepared to hold your ground. Exactly opposite the starting Louloudis said the only time he was not training or studying point of the race at Putney Bridge are two traditional, Victorian was when he was on the minibus going to training. “Your day pubs that really go big for race day. e Star and Garter and the is very regimented. You have two training sessions a day Dukes Head have TVs screening the race plus DJs and live music starting very early in the morning and continuing until the spread across several floors that continue well into the evening. On evening and in between you are working, going to tutorials or the opposite bank just south of Putney Bridge, spectators have an in the library. But even in the most stressful moments you excellent view of the race from Bishop’s Park, which also puts up don’t ever think of quitting.” Louloudis also pointed out that big screens, bars, food and funfair attractions for the whole family. the level of competition for a spot on a crew depends on the Staying north of the ames means spectators can easily walk the personality of those competing. “One of the funny things is length of the race to Hammersmith Bridge by following the that it attracts both Olympic hopefuls and undergraduates ames Path. with little experience – a real mélange of talent.” In fact Louloudis took a year off of his studies to compete in the Walking past Bishop’s Park and around Craven Cottage, the Olympics in 2012 where he won bronze in the men’s eight. Fulham football ground, eventually leads to e Crabtree, another Once a rower has won his or her place on a crew and despite beautiful Victorian pub with a barbecue and live music in its large having practiced the route so many times, Louloudis adds that river-facing garden on race day. According to some however, the on race day “nothing quite prepares you for the experience of best place on the north side of the river to watch the race is at one hundreds of thousands of cheering spectators, helicopters, of the pubs next to Hammersmith Bridge where, because of the BBC commentators lining the route. It’s all about being bend in the river, spectators have a view of the boats coming and pumped up but not going over the top. You’re going as they cross this crucial point. e Rutland Arms and e motivated because the last seven months have Blue Anchor are extremely popular venues for race watching. e been leading up to this moment.” For Louloudis Blue Anchor bills itself as one of the oldest pubs in London being his first race in 2011 was the most thrilling and licensed in 1722. Both pubs clear out all their furniture to accom - his second the toughest. “Five minutes from modate the hundreds of spectators that crowd the bars, balconies the finish I could feel myself flagging, getting s and terraces of each pub. In good weather there are outside bars, fatigued. In shorter races you feel the burn, i d u o barbecues and even Morris Dancers as well as TV screens along the your legs burn but in this longer race you can l u o river between Hammersmith and the next pub stop, e Dove, in L feel faint and close to collapse.” For his final Boat e n i Chiswick. e Dove is one of the smallest but most beautiful pubs Race in 2015 Louloudis said he tried to focus on t n a t and it’s also standing room only on the terrace on race day at this s
not blemishing his record and going out with a n o west London landmark that dates back to the 17th century. e win. And he did. C Dove counts Charles II and his mistress Nell Gwynn as previous Francine Bosco is a freelance writer customers as well as the poet James omson who wrote the words living in London. to ‘Rule Britannia’ inside the pub in 1740. e last pub for view -
6 FOCUS The Magazine March/April 2017 www.focus-info.org Taking to the Thames
The Boat Race isn’t the only way to explore the Thames and take to the water in London. The Thames has a rich cultural history of being the lifeline of London. Sherlock Actor Martin Freeman once said in an interview that: “You absorb 2,000 years of history just being near the Thames.” Here are some ways to get closer to the Thames this spring.
Kayaking There are a number of places to rent kayaks or canoes in and just outside London to explore the Thames. Kayaking London (www.kayakinglondon.com ) is based at the Cremorne Riverside Centre on the Chelsea waterfront and offers various trips, tours and bespoke experiences year round. Its location makes London’s most popular landmarks such as the Houses of Parliament and the Tower of London easy to reach. Popular tours include Big Ben and back (including a twilight tour) are planned around the tides, so kayakers can ride the incoming tide back to Chelsea. The London Kayak Company ( http://londonkayakcompany.com ) is based in Greenwich, but does similar tours from various locations including a tour to the Thames Barrier. Moo Canoes ( www.moocanoes.com ) near Limehouse is distinctive with its cow-patterned kayaks and reopens for the season just after Easter. Volunteering The Thames has come a long way from almost 60 years ago when it was declared so polluted that it was biologically dead. It is now the cleanest river in the world that flows through a major city. Thames21 ( www.thames21.org.uk ) is a charity committed to being the voice for London’s waterways, working with communities and volunteers to improve rivers and canals for people and wildlife. Thames21 mobilises thousands of volunteers each year to clean and protect London’s 400-mile network of waterways. They offer many ways to protect the Thames, including free clean up events around London, trainings, local projects and more. Mudlarking The Thames could quite possibly be considered England’s longest archeological site. According to Jean Hanff Korelitz, “no fewer than 90,000 objects recovered from its foreshore are in the collection of the Museum of London”. Much of the rich history of the Thames involves it being a dumping ground for unwanted items. Historically mudlarks were impoverished people (usually children and seniors) scavenging the banks of the Thames for things of value at low tide. This practice continues today with hobbyists searching for treasures and historical items in the mud of the Thames at low tide. The mud of the Thames is without oxygen, so found items are often incredibly well-preserved and offer an as - tonishing sense of life many years ago. Mudlarking is better-regu - lated now than it once was, with designated areas and a permit required. There is a community of mudlarkers easily found on Facebook ( www.facebook.com/LondonMudlark ), which can provide some direction for those wanting to explore this hobby as well as reveal where mudlarkers share their finds. The most important rule of mudlarking and exploring the banks of the Thames is to know when the tide comes in since the currents are very strong. www.focus-info.org FOCUS The Magazine 7