The GB racing season has just begun, at the European Championships in Brandenburg. A couple of our alumni are in action and they'll be hoping for seats, and medals, in Rio in August.

The Boat Club have also been busy over the Easter vacation. Apart from racing in the HoRR, they've been to a training camp in the Netherlands and competing in City Bumps. After Bedford Regatta this weekend they'll be settling down to a couple of weeks training for Eights (25–28th May).

Tideway Boat Races 27th March
Women's Blue Boats
OUWBC bt	CUWBC	24 L	21:49
Women's Reserves
Blondie bt	Osiris	3 L	6:19
Men's Reserves
Isis bt	Goldie	2 L	18:55
Men's Blue Boats
CUBC bt	OUBC	2½ L	18:38

City Bumps 16th April
Race	1	2	3	4	Finish
Men's IVs (32 crews)
St Catherine's	=	+1	+1	+1	11th Div II
Women's IVs (28 crews)
St Catherine's	-5	-1	=	-1	11th Div II

Catz Men's IV racing in City Bumps

The Catz crew comprised most of the 1st Torpid, plus alumnus Ben Baron (who may have just been in the wrong place at the wrong time). They had an uneventful race (uneventful is good when it's your first time) and finished 222nd out of 334 timed crews. While that doesn't sound too impressive, they were 5th of the 13 Oxford College crews, and only 1 second behind L.M.H. Oriel were, by some way, the fastest Oxbridge College (and the only one to make the top 100).

In recent years Leander and Molesey have established something of a monopoly over this event. But Oxford Brookes have been raising eyebrows this season, defeating Oxford and causing Cambridge serious problems in their Boat Race warm-up fixtures. Starting 3rd, Brookes passed Molesey and closed 9~s on Leander to register their first HoRR win (and their 2nd boat finished 4th). The Oxford Blue Boat are are going to have their work cut to reclaim the title of fastest club crew in Oxford, but from there it seems but a small step to being the fastest in the country.

Catz men boating for the HoRR at Hammersmith.

Lucy Roberts (stroke) in the lightweight spares race

Anna Corderoy, OUWLRC Cox

The Henley Boat Races took place on March 19th this year, and with a fast stream and strong headwind we really had our work cut out for us. It was a historic day for both Oxford and Cambridge, with the inclusion of the first ever spare pair race. Our reserve pair (with president Lucy Roberts in the stroke seat) overcame the incredibly tough conditions to deliver an incredibly gutsy race. Despite a strong start from the Oxford crew, Cambridge won by 3/4 of a length.

The Oxford Women's Lightweight crew

However, the Intercollegiate Boat Races are now well-established as openers to the Henley programme. In the early years (we're talking 2010 onwards) these races were dominated by Cambridge, but Oxford have been taking them more seriously of late, and this year achieved their first double with Christ Church women and Pembroke men defeating their Cambridge counterparts.

Anna's covered the women's lightweight race but, sadly the rest of the day was very much Cambridge's.

The rivalry relocated to the Tideway the following weekend. This year they managed to fit all 4 races into the same afternoon (last year's Osiris-Blondie race was held the day before, to the accompaniment of pins dropping rather than helicopters whirring, which seemed harsh). And if four races setting off at 20 minute intervals wasn't exciting enough for the spectators, a fresh southwesterly was churning up the waves along the middle stretch, which meant that everyone who won the toss chose the Surrey station and the prospect of more sheltered water.

The Women's Blue Boats went off first. It started predictably enough with Oxford, on Surrey, pulling clear as the crews passed under Hammersmith Bridge. But at that point it ceased to be a race between two crews and more of a competition of each crew against the elements. The Oxford cox was the first to succeed in breaking free of her programming, wandering off the notional 'racing line' in search of calmer conditions, but it seemed to require the shock of finding herself suddenly sitting in cold water before the Cambridge cox could be persuaded to head for shelter. With their boat swamped and Oxford well over the horizon the umpire took pity on Cambridge and asked them if they really wanted to continue. They did, and their reward was to have an official verdict of 24 lengths recorded against them. On the other hand, that decision is likely to be regarded as the pivotal moment at which the Women's Boat Race became well and truly established on the Tideway. And the sponsors won't have been too disappointed by all the photos of the beleaguered Cambridge boat promoted from the sports sections to the front pages.

Next off was the Osiris-Blondie race. Osiris, on Middlesex, looked to be making a determined attempt to get clear water so they could take the Surrey side before they hit the waves, but Blondie pulled them back and after Hammersmith they took full advantage of the Surrey bend, finishing 3 lengths up.

Also having lost the toss, Isis on the Middlesex tried the same plan and had a little more success. They were a length up at Hammersmith, but not enough to take Goldie's water and so then had to endure an uncomfortable couple of minutes battling through the waves while watching Goldie draw level. But the Surrey bend ran out and, with the Middlesex bank now providing the shelter, Isis regained the lead and romped home for their 6th consecutive victory.

Cambridge were already favourites for the Men's Boat Race and that was before they won the toss. The soon established a strong rhythm and had almost a length lead by Hammersmith, although both crews looked relaxed, as if they knew that the real challenge was yet to come. So, into the rough stuff, Cambridge continued to build on their lead, although never managing to break Oxford, and finished some three lengths clear. I note that the Oxford Blue Boat's time was probably less than 10~s quicker than Isis. Just saying ...

The weather was certainly a factor in this year's races, although I don't think it changed the outcomes, given that first part of the race was sheltered and in each case the crew that led at Hammersmith Bridge went on to win. In case you were wondering why no one sank, boats these days have built-in buoyancy, and are designed to be rowable even when swamped, plus the Boat Race crews all had battery-operated pumps (admittedly of limited effectiveness when water's coming in over the sides).

Boat Race Wins: Oxf-Cam	2007-16	Overall
Men's Blue Boat	6-4	79-82
Men's Reserves	8-2	23-29
Men's Lightweights	4-6	16-26
Women's Blue Boat	8-2	30-41
Women's Reserves	7-3	17-23
Women's Lightweights	7-3	16-17

Eights 2016: Wednesday Start Times
Crew	Div	Bungline	Time
Men's 1st Eight	II	2	5.45pm
Women's 1st Eight	II	11	5.15pm
Men's 2nd Eight	IV	10	3.40pm
*Women's 2nd Eight	V	3	1.45pm
*subject to Rowing On}

Anu Dudhia (email: dudhia@atm.ox.ac.uk )