With the race starting unusually late this year (at 6pm) we began our festivities mid-afternoon in our delightful Victorian-style drawing room directly overlooking the start of the race. As the boats lined up we threw open our windows and saw the crews set off and power past. As the crews left the first stretch we turned to our television screen only to see a slight clash of oars between the Oxford seven-man and our two-man, Luke Juckett. This caused a mis-stroke which tipped Luke’s head and shoulders briefly underwater, throwing him off his seat for five strokes and damaging his rigger. This allowed Oxford to steal the advantage early in the race, which they built on, finishing 32 seconds ahead of our crew. We consoled ourselves over a delicious three-course dinner and socialising with stimulating company until late in the evening.
Organised by Alastair Gourlay