Images of the 160th Boat Race Part 1: The Prelude

‘Humours of the Boat Race’, 1879. Clearly, humour does not age well.

Tim Koch writes:

Other reports on the 2014 Boat Race were rather conventional in that they all came out within hours of the event. Here at HTBS, we like to be different and so have waited several days before putting our take on the day online (nothing to do with me starting a new job). Part 2 will show the race, pictured from my very privileged position in the photographers’ launch.

Putney Embankment, 14.00 (2 p.m.), four hours before the 18.00 (6 p.m.) start. The Putney ‘Hard’ is fenced off to the public.

‘National Treasure’, BBC presenter Claire Balding, manages to get slight smiles out of the normally recalcitrant coaches, Steve Trapmore of Cambridge...

...and Sean Bowden of Oxford.

Oxford’s balcony scene at 15.45 (3:45 p.m.), two and a quarter hours to go.

A young Old Blue (Dark).

Two Old Blues (Light).

Six future Old Blues? Girls from London Youth Rowing sell home made cakes to raise money for new equipment.

The coin toss for stations. Umpire Richard Phelps holds the gold sovereign minted in 1829 (the year of the first race), which was presented to the Boat Race by the late John Snagge.

OUBC President Malcolm Howard flips the coin, CUBC President Steve Dudek calls.

17.05 (5:05 p.m.), Oxford takes to the water.

The Oxford bow man Storm Uru in a reflective mood. The first New Zealand Maori to row in a Boat Race, it is also unusual to find a sculler and a lightweight in the event.

Oxford ‘2’ man Tom Watson, one of many Boat Race oarsman that have originated out of the University of Victoria, British Columbia.

17.14 (5:14 p.m.): The final words of wisdom from coach Bowden are absorbed by cox Harvey and stroke Louloudis. I presume that the reflective band around the cox’s wrist is so that, if he raises his hand on the start to indicate that he is not ready, the umpire will not miss it. While this may not actually be necessary, it is a great attention to detail.

17.15 (5:15 p.m.): Oxford leave for their warm up.

17.15 (5:15 p.m.): Cambridge leave for their warm up.

The view from the photographers’ launch. Leaving the crowds on the Embankment. Old hands said that it was better before the television helicopter hovered noisily overhead when the only noise was the excited murmur of the crowd.

Going through Putney Bridge, away from the start, to await the crews going onto the stake boats.

Ten minutes before the race. Having completed their warm ups, the crews wait downriver, alone with their thoughts.

Six minutes to go. Bowden’s boys pass him on the way to the start.

Cambridge on the stake boat. Only President Dudek (4) finds humour in the situation.

17.57 (5:57 p.m.): On the start. The culmination of 1,200 hours of training. One chance. No second place. 

Photography © Tim Koch

Coming up next – ‘Images of the 160th Boat Race Part 2: The Race’.

Broadcasting The Boat Race

Tim Koch writes,

Eighty-five years ago, on 2 April, 1927, the BBC broadcast their first Boat Race commentary. Read about it here.

A contemporary edition of the BBC listings magazine, the Radio Times, produced a cod ‘Olde English’ proclamation to mark this technological wonder.

Be it known to His Majesty’s Lieges and all Loyal Listeners that on the Second Day of April in the year of Grace One Thousand Nine Hundred and Twenty Seven a Race in Row-boats will be navigated between Putney Bridge and Mortlake on the River Thames in which eight poor Scholars of Oxford University and a like number of the Clerks of Cambridge will vie with each other in Prowess.

And that all men submissive to Authority may hear the same worthily broadcast; the like of which is a Marvellous Thing and hardly to be believed.

If this is how they reacted to a radio broadcast, I am not sure what they would say to today’s use of twenty-five cameras on land, nine on water, and one in the air sending high definition pictures around the world and with coverage on television, mobile / cell phones and the internet. It is certainly an improvement to the first television coverage in 1938 when there was one camera at the start and one at the finish. The middle of the race was covered by John Snagge’s commentary and a cardboard chart in the studio showing the progress of the two boats.

British viewers can see live coverage of the race from 13.00 on BBC1 and BBC1 HD. BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra’s Boat Race programme starts at 14.00. The BBC website will stream the race as it happens and BBC America and BBC World News will also report live. Other satellite broadcasters are listed on the official Boat Race website. The race starts 14.15 local time, 13.15 Greenwich Mean Time.

For the first time, Cover it Live, will produce Live Text on www.theboatrace.org/live-text.

Sir Matthew Pinsent’s Guide To The Boat Race course is on the BBC Sport website.

The HTBS Guide To The Boat Race is that it starts here…..

(University Stone)

....goes via here......

(Mile Post)

….. and, 600 strokes and 4 miles 374 yards / 6.8 km later, finishes here…..

(University Post)

What could be easier?