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Event Information:
The University Boat Race, generally
known as "The Boat Race" is a rowing
race in England between the Oxford
University Boat Club and the
Cambridge University Boat Club,
rowed between competing eights each
spring on the Thames in London. It
takes place generally on the last
Saturday of March or the first
Saturday of April. The formal title
of the event is the Xchanging Boat
Race, and it is also known as the
University Boat Race and the Oxford
and Cambridge Boat Race.
An estimated quarter of a million
people watch the race live from the
banks of the river, around seven to
nine million people on TV in the UK,
and an overseas audience estimated
by the Boat Race Company at around
120 million, which would make this
the most viewed single day sporting
event in the world. However,
other sources estimate that the
international audience is below 20
million. The course is 4 miles and
374 yards (6,779 m) from Putney to Mortlake, passing Hammersmith and
Barnes; it is sometimes referred to
as the Championship Course, and
follows an S shape, east to west.
The start and finish are marked by
the University Boat Race Stones on
the south bank. The clubs'
presidents toss a coin (the 1829
sovereign) before the race for the
right to choose which side of the
river (station) they will row on:
their decision is based on the day's
weather conditions and how the
various bends in the course might
favour their crew's pace. The north
station ('Middlesex') has the
advantage of the first and last
bends, and the south ('Surrey')
station the longer middle bend.
During the race the coxes compete
for the fastest current, which lies
at the deepest part of the river,
frequently leading to clashes of
blades and warnings from the umpire.
A crew that gets a lead of more than
a boat's length can cut in front of
their opponent, making it extremely
difficult for the trailing crew to
gain the lead. For this reason the
tactics of the race are generally to
go fast early on, and few races have
a change of the lead after half-way
(though this happened in 2003, 2007
and 2010).
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