No light Blues – the Boat Race Crews weigh-in

The traditional challenge from the previous year’s losers.

Tim Koch writes:

The BNY Mellon Boat Race and the Newton Women’s Boat Race weigh-in and announcement of the crews were held on 10 March. The combined event was part of the move towards parity between the two Races by 2015.

In the background, the ‘5’ men, Helge Gruetjen from Cambridge and Malcolm Howard from Oxford weigh in. In the foreground is the trophy that both hope to lift on 6 April.

The weigh-in is a mildly undignified affair with the slightly bemused athletes paraded before the assembled press and sponsors, rather incongruously wearing rowing kit the City of London offices of sponsors, BNY Mellon. The occasion produces all sorts of statistics about weight, height and age (and that are probably ultimately meaningless) plus lots of sound bites, all of them resolutely positive. It is difficult to think of an original question to ask the coaches on such an occasion and I suspect that it is not their favourite event, perhaps they are fearful that they should reveal their tactics or any doubts that they may have.

Oxford coach, Sean Bowden. He has coached eleven Boat Race victories, two for Cambridge and nine for Oxford. Clearly he has already earned his place amongst the legendary Varsity coaches – and he has not finished yet.

The weigh-in is not, however, without its uses. For the non-rowing media it is the first indicator that the Boat Race is near, for the athletes it is an affirmation that their hard work has paid off and for the sponsors it is a manifestation of their investment.

Cambridge President and ‘4’ man, Steve Dudek as I see him.

Oxford stroke, Constantine Louloudis, known to his crew mates as ‘Stan’.

The statistics showed that the Cambridge men have a height and weight advantage and coach Steve Trapmore says that it is his best CUBC squad yet, but their opponents boat an intimidating three Olympic medallists. Oxford have Malcolm Howard (Gold in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and Silver in the London 2012 Games), Storm Uru (World Champion and Olympic Bronze medallist from London 2012) and Constantine Louloudis (Bronze at London 2012, looking for his third Boat Race win). Karl Hudspith and Michael DiSanto have both rowed for GB and the USA, respectively, at senior international level, while New Zealander Sam O’Connor was a Junior World Champion.

OUWBC President and ‘3’ woman, Maxie Scheske.

The biggest person in the race, Oxford ‘5’ man, Malcolm Howard.

Who will win? For a ‘two horse race’, the outcome of the Boat Race is surprisingly difficult to predict. I think it could be Oxford – but perhaps it will be Cambridge.....?

The Men. Photo: Getty Images.

CUBC  (Average weight excluding cox: 92.3kg)
Bow: Michael Thorp – British (Blue)
2: Luke Juckett – American
3: Ivo Dawkins – British
4: Steve Dudek – American (Blue/President)
5: Helge Gruetjen – German
6: Matthew Jackson – American
7: Joshua Hooper – Australian
Stroke: Henry Hoffstot – American
Cox: Ian Middleton – British

OUBC (Average weight excluding cox: 89.7kg)
Bow: Storm Uru – New Zealander
2: Chris Fairweather – British
3: Karl Hudspith – British (Blue)
4: Thomas Swartz – American/Canadian
5: Malcolm Howard – British/Canadian (Blue/President)
6: Michael DiSanto – American
7: Sam O’Connor – New Zealander (Blue)
Stroke: Constantine Louloudis – British (Blue)
Cox: Laurence Harvey - British

The Women. Cambridge give a smile. Oxford say ‘Are you looking at me.....?’ Photo: Getty Images.

CUWBC (Average weight excluding cox: 73.2kg)
Bow: Caroline Reid – British (Blue)
2: Kate Ashley – British
3: Holly Game – British (Blue)
4: Isabella Vyvyan – British
5: Catherine Foot – British
6: Melissa Wilson – British (Blue)
7: Claire Watkins – British (Blue)
Stroke: Emily Day – British (Blue)
Cox: Esther Momcilovic – British (Blue/President)

OUWBC (Average weight excluding cox: 69.2kg)
Bow: Elizabeth Fenje – Canadian
2: Alice Carrington Windo – British/German (Blue)
3: Maxie Scheske – British/German (Blue/President)
4: Nadine Graedel Iberg – Swiss
5: Anastasia Chitty – British (Blue)
6: Lauren Kedar – British
7: Amber De Vere – British
Stroke: Laura Savarese – American
Cox: Erin Wysocki Jones – British

Earlier in the day the crews visited the flagship store of one of the sponsors, Hackett, for publicity photographs. The last time that I saw a shop window full of women, it was in Amsterdam.... Photo: @theboatrace

There was some nice media coverage of the story in the London Evening Standard and The Guardian. Independent Television produced this video (not sure this video will work in all countries outside the UK).

HTBS 5 Years Anniversary with Luncheon

Five years ago, on this date, the first blog post on ‘Hear The Boat Sing’, popularly known as HTBS, appeared on the web. Some 1,540-ish posts later, this can be worth celebrating at an informal anniversary luncheon at the pub ‘Coat and Badge’ in Putney, London, on Sunday 16 March. The rowing entertainment of the day will be ‘Cambridge crews racing Molesey Boat Club crews over the Boat Race course. Goldie goes off at 12.15 and the Blue Boat at 12.45. We could wave them off from the Putney Embankment and then retire to lunch’, Tim Koch writes.

HTBS readers and contributors are most welcome! No dress code! If you would like to attend, please contact HTBS host, Tim Koch, at: tim(dot)koch123(at)gmail(dot)com

#HTBS5Years

Battles with the Blues

Tim Koch writes:

The Oxford and Cambridge Tideway fixture season is in full swing with the men’s and women’s Blue Boats taking on various challengers over the Thames Championship Course. Unfortunately, I have not been able to post coverage of these as soon as I would have wished (this is due to my employers expecting me to do what they pay me for, a sad state of affairs). I have previously reported on the races between Oxford and Molesey women on 1 March and now, a little late, can bring you coverage of the Cambridge and Thames women’s races of 2 March and, from the men, the Oxford v German Under-23s clash held on 8 March

(Click on the pictures to enlarge them.)

2 March: Cambridge women passing the Mile Post, the monument to the great Cambridge coach, Steve Fairbairn. The Highland Cow in the left middle ground must be lost.

Tony Reynolds (Regional Rowing Safety Adviser), Ann-Louise Morgan (Race Director) and Judith Packer (Umpire) survey the presently unpredictable Thames.

CUWBC and Thames RC did two races, both between the Boat Race start (above Putney Bridge) and Hammersmith Bridge, about forty per cent of the full course. The first piece was a walkover for Cambridge who went off strong, immediately went in front, were a length up before the end of Putney Embankment and continued to extend their lead to the finish.

Thames in an embarrassing position in front of their club house.

Passing Harrods and approaching the finish at Hammersmith Bridge.

Rob Baker, CUWBC Chief Coach.

The second piece was a very different race. Both crews went off well and were initially level. By the time they approached the football ground, Cambridge were a couple of seats up but it was still anyone’s race. As the bend worked in favour of Thames (on Middlesex), they drew level and were for a brief time in the lead. Excitement was added when both boats moved together, which produced the threat of a clash, and by the water being very rough, it became a real test of boatmanship. Ultimately however, Cambridge showed their class and moved ahead and away from their opposition.

D-R-A-W! Cambridge on their first stroke.

Cambridge go up.

Thames go up.

Cambridge pull away.

The 8 March saw a German Under-23 crew take on OUBC. While the Germans were big lads with international experience, it was a lot to ask them to take on a crew like Oxford, particularly with three Olympic medalists (Malcolm Howard, Constantine Louloudis and Storm Uru) on board.

Oxford. Bow: Storm Uru, 2: Chris Fairweather, 3: Karl Hudspith, 4: Tom Swartz, 5: Malcolm Howard, 6: Michael DiSanto, 7: Sam O’Connor, Stroke: Constantine Louloudis, Cox: Laurence Harvey.

Germany, Under-23 and Under Pressure. Bow: Jonas Wiesen, 2: Finn Knuppel, 3: Malte Daberkow, 4: Maximilian Korge, 5: Johannes Weissenfeld, 6: Arne Schwiethal, 7: Ole Schwiethal, Stroke: Eike Kutzki, Cox: Torben Johannesen.

Oxford will be using the same boat that they used last year, the Empacher Acer, named after the late Acer Nethrcott.

The press launch was full but I was lucky enough to get a seat in the umpire’s launch. In the stern was, on the left, Peter McConnell, Boat Race Archivist and the man who writes the excellent race reports that appear on the Boat Race website and, on the right, Liz Box of the Boat Race Company. Among many other things, Liz Tweets the progress of the races for @theboatrace. She is well qualified to do this as she coxed Goldie in 2010 and CUBC in 2011.

The first piece was from the Boat Race start to Chiswick Steps. Underrating the visitors for most of the way, a composed Oxford led a rushed-looking German crew by half a length by the end of Putney Embankment. By Barn Elms the lead was over a length and this continued to grow in the approach to Hammersmith Bridge. The pictures tell the story.

Germany (left) and Oxford (right) at the end of Putney Embankment. Umpire Phelps was kept busy.

Both crews went wide at Hammersmith Bridge as they had just taken avoiding action around another boat.

Germany trails Oxford near the finish above Chiswick Eyot.

The second piece from below the Chiswick crossing to the Boat Race finish was more exciting, the Germans having a length start. Peter McConnell’s report on the Boat Race website captures it succinctly:

Oxford got off slightly quicker, pulling back half of the German advantage within the first 30 strokes. The Germans were tenacious on this occasion though, keeping the rate at 37 and with the advantage of the Surrey bend made a competitive race of it. However Oxford’s cohesion and power saw them creep back onto terms, man by man. At Barnes Bridge the lead was down to a canvas, then at the apex of the bend Oxford accelerated, going the long way round with a decisive move seeing them take a length out of the Germans in 20 strokes. Soon there was clear water with Oxford’s lead increasing with every stroke to 4 lengths at the finish.

The beginning of the second piece with Germany having a one-boat length start.

Approaching Barnes Bridge, Oxford creeping back.

At the finish, a four-length lead to Oxford. Legendary Oxford coach Dan Topolski (right) looks on.

Oxford rehydrate by The Bandstand on Duke’s Meadows.

A full timetable of all of the fixtures for the Men and the Women is here. The Newton Women’s Boat Race takes place on 30 March and The BNY Mellon Boat Race on 6 April.

Of the Will

Photo: Rowable Classics

Of the Will

The scull sits still
in the quiet Sound
awaiting the rower.
But the water rocks,
the water that won't wait,
the water that rows, regardless,
the water a will
unto itself, a will
it is up to the rower
to harness, to come
to terms with.

Philip Kuepper
(1 January 2014)

What the Rower Reads

What the Rower Reads

The geese just now
are in flight south
after the snow has left
white the world,
geese whose flight illuminates
the manuscript of the sky
the rower reads intently
waiting for the river to unfreeze.

Philip Kuepper
(4 January 2014)

International Women’s Day - That is Why

(Click on the image to enlarge it)

Tim Koch writes:

Following today’s earlier post for International Women’s Day, the caption on the cover of the Rowing magazine of December 1960 is a reminder of why such a thing is necessary.

A Morning Row...

Today, on International Women’s Day, I though we should relax and watch a beautifully shot rowing video from South America. A woman setting out in a single scull in the morning from the club Grêmio Náutico União, which was founded in 1906 in Porto Alegre, in the south of Barzil. Enjoy!

A Ramshackle Room

'And some groups of young oarsmen in shorts on the wall'

A Ramshackle Room

When the gusts are at play with the trees on the lawn,
        And the lights are put out in the vault of the night;
When within all is snug, for the curtains are drawn,
        And the fire is aglow and the lamps are alight,
Sometimes, as I muse, from the place where I am
My thoughts fly away to a room near the Cam.

‘Tis a ramshackle room, where a man might complain
        Of a slope in the ceiling, a rise in the floor;
With a view on a court and a glimpse on a lane,
        And no end of cool wind through the chinks of the door;
With a deep-seated chair that I love to recall,
And some groups of young oarsmen in shorts on the wall.

There’s a fat jolly jar of tobacco, some pipes –
        A meerschaum, a briar, a cherry, a clay –
There’s a three-handled cup fit for Audit or Swipes
        When the breakfast is done and the plates cleared away.
There’s a litter of papers, of books a scratch lot,
Such as Plato, and Dickens, and Liddell and Scott

And a crone in a bonnet that’s more like a rag
        From a mist of remembrance steps suddenly out;
And her funny old tongue never ceases to wag
        As she tidies the room where she bustles about;
For a man may be strong and a man may be young,
But he can’t put a drag on a Bedmaker’s tongue.

And, oh, there’s a youngster who sits at his ease
        In the hope, which is vain, that the tongue may run down,
With his feet on the grate and a book on his knees,
        And his cheeks they are smooth and his hair it is brown.
Then I sigh myself back to the place where I am
From that ramshackle room near the banks of the Cam.

R. C. Lehmann
(9 February 1910)

When Rowing Ideas are Running Dry....

NEW FASHION FOR LONDON ROWING CLUB

As you readers know, here at HTBS we are interested in both rowing and 'style', so we cannot help posting this film about a London RC crew who, in 1967, goes from an outing to the gentleman shop Moss Bros. for morning suits as one member of the crew is getting married.

Not everyone knows the rules for when to wear a morning suit, but at least a few of us are aware that it can (should?) be worn by a groom at his daytime wedding. Some ill-advised fellows are trying to get away by wearing a 'tux' for their daytime wedding. Read what GQ magazine's 'Style Guy' says about that here. If you wonder, yes, I wore morning dress for my wedding, however I did not wear my school tie, but I did have a boutonnière.

Regarding formal dress, read also this.

Bring your WWI Story to RRM!

For an August 2014 exhibition on the First World War in Henley-on-Thames and along the River Thames, the River and Rowing Museum is asking people to share stories, photographs, objects or documents with the Museum at a drop-in session between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. on Sunday 9 March. The River and Rowing Museum would like to record it for future generations.

The 1933 Cambridge Trial Eights Heat

WELL TOGETHER ALREADY!

While this is the period of pre-Boat Race fixtures on the Thames when Oxford crews and Cambridge crews race other university crews or club crews, I thought I should throw in an old race that happened 81 years ago, a Light Blue Trial eights heat from 1933, probably rowed in the month of December that year, at Ely. The film is from British Pathe with the title: “Ely. Well Together Already! Light Blues show winning form in trial eights to select crew for 1934’s race.” It was not surprising that the editor of this newsreel would proclaim Cambridge a winner of the 1934 Boat Race. The Light Blues had won every race against the Dark Blues since 1920, but one, in 1923. Although, it is hard to see who is actually in the winning trial eight, I believe I see three of the most important Cambridge crew members during the mid-1930s, the three 'rookies': Ran Laurie, Jack Wilson and cox Noel Duckworth - all three men have been mentioned multiple times on HTBS.

With this trio, the Light Blues won three more Boat Races, in 1934, 1935 and 1936, before the Dark Blues managed to win both in 1937 and 1938.

Joists of the Currents Support the Rower

Joists of the Currents Support the Rower

Finnegan saw in the choppy
water an anarchy of words,
a white-capped anarchy of words
the pen of his oar
could give order to.

The inky river seethed,
the river determined not to receive
editing of any kind,
the wild-worded, white-capped
river the rower's pen

sought to give order to,
sought to make sense of.
Finnegan oared the inky
anarchy of the river,
oared the inky will of the wild-

worded river, watched
as Icarus touched
the sun, set fire
to the river, burning away
the anarchy until the sun

had drawn on the water its bloom
of light in Finnegan's wake.

Philip Kuepper
(27 August 2013)

Black and Blue: Molesey v Oxford

Oxford at Wandsworth. Will they have to dig deep?

Molesey at Wandsworth. Is the writing on the wall?

Tim Koch reports from the Thames in London:

The forces of nature combined with man-made engineering to produce challenging conditions for yesterday’s (1 March) pre-Boat Race Tideway fixture between Oxford University Women’s Boat Club (OUWBC) and women from Molesey Boat Club (MBC). From upriver, natural forces produced a huge flow of water from recent heavy rains while at the other end of the Thames, human intervention came with the opening and closing of the Thames Barrier. A spring tide added to the fun. The result was, at times, confusion as to which way the water was flowing and it called for the experienced judgement of London Rowing Safety Advisor, Tony Reynolds.

How London might be affected by flooding from the sea without the Thames Barrier. Someone on Twitter said that it looked like a manic version of the BBC soap, Eastenders. Graphic: The Environment Agency.

Determining flow was important as some navigation rules on the Thames between Putney and Brentford, unlike the rest of the water borne world, are not determined by ‘Colregs’. Here, rowers must do what the old watermen did and ‘work the slacks’. This means that when going against the flow of water they must keep close to the shore (where the opposing stream is not so strong). When going with the flow of water, rowers need to keep to the starboard side of the central navigation fairway.

Navigating the Tideway (or possibly a map of the Tokyo subway system).

Partly because of the conditions, the plan was to do four race pieces between Wandsworth Bridge (below the usual Putney start) and Chiswick Eyot (approximately the mid-way point of the Putney - Mortlake course). However, this scheme was abandoned after the first piece.

Piece 1: Five minute race from Wandsworth Bridge.

Molesey took an early lead but they looked rushed and were overrating a more relaxed looking Oxford who, in this and their other pieces bar one, rowed their own race. The Dark Blues soon had clear water over their rivals. Neither cox was in the fastest water but the MBC boat constantly stayed far from the stream and ignored umpire Judith Packer’s calls to move.

Initially it looked good for Molesey (on the right)....

...but Oxford were strong to the finish.

Piece 2: It was decided that the tide had turned so the second race was back in the opposite direction, from the Mile Post to Putney Bridge. It was another high rating start by Molesey but it did not take Oxford long to establish a convincing lead at which point their opponents heads went down and the fight ended.

Oxford take an early lead....

.... and reach Putney Bridge first.

Piece 3: Five minutes from below Putney Bridge towards Wandsworth. This was easily MBC’s best performance and showed that they were in fact a better crew than their pervious two performances had indicated. Their aggression seemed more controlled but perhaps Oxford were complacent regarding their ability to win while rowing at a lower rate. Certainly, in the latter stages of this close race the Blues had to work hard for their marginal victory.

No danger of a clash.

Close at Wandsworth Bridge...

.... close at the last stroke.

Piece 4: Five minutes from Wandsworth towards Putney. Going against the flow of water in a part of the river where the ‘keep to starboard’ rule applied meant racing close to the Middlesex side. The crew on the outside would be disadvantaged by having to row against a stronger stream and I would have put Oxford, the better crew, in this position. However, the opposite was decided. Not surprisingly, OUWBC took an early lead but the Molesey cox salvaged some honour by wisely taking her opponent’s station when Oxford inexplicably moved out into the stream. Coxswains steering a Tideway race must know how the river works. Here, more than anywhere, they can win or lose a race for their crew.

The last piece. The beginning...

...the middle (changing stations)....

...and the end. A moral victory for Molesey?

Oxford were as follows. Bow: Elizabeth Fenje, 2: Alice Carrington-Windo, 3: Maxie Scheske, 4: Nadine Graedel Iberg, 5: Amber De Vere, 6: Lauren Kedar, 7: Anastasia Chitty, Stroke: Laura Savarese. Cox: Erin Wysocki-Jones.

Oxford chief coach, Christine Wilson (right) and assistant coach, Natasha Townsend.

There were two other fixtures not followed by the press launch. Here, Goldie (Cambridge men’s heavyweight reserves) lead London Rowing Club.

CUBC lead Leander. Race reports should appear on theboatrace.org soon.

The Rower and the Rowing

The Rower and the Rowing

Overnight the river
iced over.
To row to the island
was out.
Marsh grass stood stiff there.
Frost furred the reeds
where, in good weather,
he would shelter his scull,
and walk the island
where he would go
when the need in him rose
to come, again, to terms
with death,
death never a done thing with him.

He was in no hurry to row to God.
Nor would he help Charon row his boat.
But bleak winter was
the season of death.
And rowing helped him shed
the skin of death from his conscious.
But with ice the only path, instead,
he would row to the island in his mind.
He would be the rower and the rowing.

Philip Kuepper
(8 December 2013)