The Boat Race

The Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race, first rowed in 1829 at Henley, has been rowed over the four and a quarter miles of the Championship Course between Putney and Mortlake for more than 150 years.

Saturday 29th March 2008 saw the 154^th running of the race. There were actually two races. The first, between Isis and Goldie, the Oxford and Cambridge Reserve Crews, was won by Isis with an advantage of over three lengths. This was followed at 17:15 by the Oxford versus Cambridge race which again saw Oxford emerge the winners by a considerable margin. This was Oxford's 74th victory since 1829 and the third in four years.

The PLA was very busy in the time leading up to race day. Preparations for the event started with the installation of moorings for the many commercial craft which carry spectators. The moorings used by the stake boats were also checked. The stake boats are the small craft provided and crewed by the PLA and which are used to line up and and hold the competing boats at the start of the races.

During the week before the event both of the PLA Marine Services Driftwood craft, 'Driftwood II' and 'Driftwood III', covered the course to support Thames21, which is the official registered charity of the Boat Race, in clearing any debris or driftwood. There was also a full course inspection by the PLA's Harbour Master (Upper) and Deputy Marine Services Manager with the Boat Race Director on Friday 28th March.

On race day three PLA Harbour Service Launches were on duty. One patrolled the course and then closed the River to all traffic at Kew, another performed a similar task at Wandsworth Bridge, and the third followed the race to help oversee race safety.

In addition, 'Driftwood II' and 'Driftwood III' cleared any floating obstructions to ensure the course was safe before standing by at Chiswick and Fulham respectively. Each had a two-man diving team aboard, supported by the diving vessel 'PLA Diver' on standby at Wandsworth, in case of any emergencies.

The Boat Race has a continuing hold on the imagination of the public which is evidenced by the worldwide television audience and the huge crowds that gather to watch from the River banks and bridges. This interest is attributable to the increasingly rare combination of professional standards and amateur values that the Race displays. Every member of each crew of eight rowers and cox devotes six months of his or her life to juggling both academic and training commitments in the knowledge that he or she has just one chance to win. This chance may be decisively affected by not only how good the other crew is but also by weather or tide conditions.

The Boat Race is always rowed in late March or early April and the crews are instantly recognisable by their colours - dark blue for Oxford University and light blue for Cambridge University.

For more information visit the Boat Race or Thames21 websites. For further information about PLA vessels see "About our Boats" (all websites will open in a new window).