It's time, once again, for the Oxford and Cambridge rowing clubs to put out their finest students for a little boat race down the River Thames. Lasting just about twenty minutes, the race is both exhilarating and thrilling to watch as the crews battle it out for supremacy. There is no middle ground - someone will win and someone will lose and to cross the finish line first means everything for those involved.
Credit: TPHolland / Creative Commons
Last year, Cambridge broke a mini streak from Oxford, taking their first win for three years. Overall, Cambridge are leading with 80 wins to Oxford's 75, but it is so close, there is everything to row for today.
The BBC will be live from 3:45pm GMT, with over an hour's worth of build-up, and the race itself gets underway at 5pm. I'll be Factbyte Factboxing the event from 4pm GMT, so I hope you'll join in the fun and the comments.
Wooo, it's starting.
Oooh, boat race in HD. Yum.
i just woke up and you're watching more sport??
...oooh HD.
I do like the Boat Race. I can never remember how long it lasts though... am on babysitting duty from 5.30 or 6pm. Do i go before or after!
Starts at 5, for about 20 minutes.
I have come to join you watch the race as I have given up on Wales :)
75 minutes build up for that, I mean, really?
Gets no other coverage all year though.
Oxford get my support as they have won less boat races
Okay may watch here first then, thanks.
Oxford chooses Surrey
I have no idea what that means but woo!
That's a big trophy.
Arrived via boat. How fitting :)
go for Oxford this year, they need to catch up
Is it possible for them to draw?
apparently a drunk judge called it a draw once. #affinity
Haha, that is all kinds of awesome.
Although this year we have to watch out for the WRS (Wave Reduction System) flapping on the sides of the boats as well as the Kinetic Oar Recovery System/
Hehehehe!
griff rhys jones!!!
There's a book on that, and I highly recommend it: www.amazon.co.uk/…on/dp/1408801191/
all-knowing fbfb.
I 'Bow' to the humour! Im just left in the wake
pimms bars and everything. That is the high life.
Whatshername sounds really cold.
"don't fall over don't fall over don't fall over..."
:)
Bless them all!
"He fights crocodiles in his spare time"
Oh right.
Hello all, come on the blues!
Hiya Janna. I imagine such a sentence seems odd for an arsenal fan such as yourself :)
I thought there was a draw the year both boats sank...
:)
He actually does fight crocodiles?!
ooh, fbfb countdown it ahead when watching the HD timer. encoding/decoding taking an extra 5 seconds (ish).
The secondary race "is normally a very good race" says thingy, which is probably why both BBC and ITV largely ignore it every year
Oh god, I would be so scared if I sank!
The isis/goldie race is contested as hard as the main blue boat. Whether the tv watch it or not is irrelevant to the crews
HD sewage. nice.
HD was suppose to make things look nicer
If you sink in races, it's safe and this is one of the safest. The boat floats - so you stick with it. for the boat race there are about 10 launches and multiple other boats behind it, so plenty of people to pick you up.
Rowing in races is safe as can be. the danger can be in the training.
:)
I would still ask for armbands just to be tripley sure
then you need to be a cox - they have lifejackets ;-) I've been into the thames enough from a rowing boat; as long as you are aware of conditions, it's OK
Got to be small and light to be a Cox though.
grrrr,, you don't scull in pairs, you scull in doubles!!!!!
Just got to say I know a fair bit about this sport..I've been a cox, a coach and helped organise a couple of World Championships of various levels ;-) So I may have a bit to say...
Ed Byrne!
Blimey! That's a fair bit of experience indeed!
Born and raised in Cambridge, so of course I'm cheering for the light blues, not The Other Place :)
I think the Tabs may be on for a win, but still going to be cheering for Oxford :-)
That's good, we could do with some knowledge :)
Never rowed in my life though, but have done the odd bit of punting :)
I do like to float about swimming pools on a dinghy, but I imagine it's a bit more difficult for the boat race
Somewhere in the world Mel Smith and James May are presenting something together
I have steered a narrowboat. That was quite tiring :)
For corporate events..I've taken a crew from knowing nothing to being able to race in 6 sessions. It's not too bad to get the basics
There's a difference?
Oh nice :)
Been so bad in recent years, I'm pretty sure The Boat Race pub on East Road's been renamed :p
Though there's still a pub on King St called the Champions of the Thames.
Sculls you have too oars - one for each hand. Rowing you have one oar, using both hands.
For rowing, you have pairs, fours, eights
For sculling you have singles, doubles, quads and (rarely) octuples
I'll do my best to answer questions
FBFB, you'll have to blame Eastenders for the bendy Thames, they're always showing it off.
Yay, isis won ;-)
As an FYI, Cambridge apparently got a new boat last week. It's a little close to the main race for changing boats but it could have a positive or negative effect. Either they were having issues before and there'll be a psychological advantage in having a 'new, faster' boat, or they'll have had he change forced on them and hate it. Not sure what is the case this time.
They'll go off the start at over 40 strokes a minute, after about 15-20 strokes it'll should drop to mid 30s, then down to low 30's later
Here we go!!
ooh, the went backwards.
Is Andrew Cotter the BBC's non-football commentator go to guy?
Oxford are trying to move into the stream, they're being warned, so they need to move out
How can they see the bridges behind them?
Theyre really close!
No TV for me, so only 5Live... and Legard! :D
The Cox is facing the opposite direction from the rowers, so is looking the direction the boat is going.
Oxford need to hold the outside of the bend, they're about 2 men up. If they hold it, they have advantage around Hammersmith
Lukeh: the cox know the river and knows exactly where to place the boat
Ahhh right, I gotcha
I see how theyre making them change direction too
When you head towards Hammersmith Bridge, the cox aims for one of the lamp posts...when doing a race the other direction, it's the second form the left on the middle section
The aim is to get ahead and then move into the stream - it's only about one boat wide, so difficult to move around. Oxford is trying to intimidate Cambridge, trying to push them out when they're on the bend
Under Hammersmith is a time for a big push - Oxford will be after clear water as they go through the bridge
They're ahead a bit now!
good lord, look at that fleet following. camera boats?
good lord, look at that fleet following. camera boats?
They've got a lead now
arrggh, quote fail.
They're camera boats, parents, interested parties, and anyone else who has a boat and can get permission
aha, cheers.
They're sticking to the racing line :)
so many boats! :)
Oxford need to have a complete fail now..it's been done, but difficult to pass - see cambridge have switched sides to try and undercut them. They can't do it too far, otherwise they lose the stream
(they're racing 'upstream' on a rising tide, so moving out of the stream means they hot water coming down the river)
With all the boats folliowing them, any of the spectators who get slightly too close to river is going to get soaked. There is a BIG wake that gets created
Cambridge are really falling back arent they
stroke rate is the same, how's that work then?
did tilke make the thames?
Indeed, we did it last year didn't we?
:)
Length of stroke and effort - the speed is about how far the boat moves underneath them whn the blades are not in the water - so you push and let the boat float towards you
you can have the same rate, but a faster crew will move the boat further per stroke
oooh, got ya, cheers.
You need a rower to fail at this point. If they keep it together, it's difficult, If one person blows up in Oxford, then the whole boat will fail
damn, looks like they are going to be faster than predicted..may lose my bet!
loud crowd!
Are the motor boats meant to be that close?
What a dominant performance
That might be an effect of the camera
Ooooh I see what you mean about the wave behind them!
f1 turbulence :)
Oxford... wiiiiiiins!
Oxford done a Vettel
THe baots can be pretty close - they just can't overtake the umpire - wil be right behind them
Well done Oxford... *grumble grumble*
heheh
Didnt even use KORS either
You should've heard Legard announce the win - he hasn't lost his F1 touch. :D And his analyst's name is also Martin!
You can see my flat from that overhead shot ;-) I live just down the road from the boathouse they'll disembark at
Get a round in, these guys deserve a cuppa :)
give us a wave!
Why aren't you by the river??
They'll have not really been drinking for 6 months. they won't be wanting a cuppa..they've have champagne and carry on from there at the boat race ball tonight!
PatW - i do most years, normally at the boat house next to the finish line. But they let it out this year so nowhere to go. So I want to watch the whole race, not just the 30 second glimpse, so watch form home
glad you did, appreciate the insight.
The combination of the Australian GP and The Boat Race is the traditional sign of the end of winter. :)
Good plan, cheers for joining us, lots of good info. :)
Mr C, Pat W,
glad it was useful.
it was very useful! :)
Then the Grand National on the 9th and London Marathon on the 17th.
oooh, more fbfb, what dates?
...month, rather.
Greatest month of them all... April.
ooh, that's soon.
Dont they want the trophy?
it's hard to look casual in wellies.
Thats a BIG bottle.
This is one of the few races where someone else looks after your boat when you've finished...usually you have to sort it out :-)
That female cos is Amy-sized
or are the rowers very big
Marathon is the same day as the Chinese GP so we might have to miss the professionals race, which is quite annoying.
They're gonna throw him in!
again I would ask for armbands and perhaps a float :)
Christine, they always do. It's tradition!
I know! It's the best bit :)
I'm sure the professionals wont mind if we miss their race. We can always see them in Turkey 2 weeks la... ohhhh, wait...
Hahah :)
lol
I'm more fussed by the Saturday evening after the Marathon tbh ;)
**starts humming Dr Who theme tune** >_>
That was fun :) thanks FBFB
Yup, thanks fbfb
we're gonna leave the fbfb visible for a bit, 'cause closing it quickly confuses people.
just in case you wonder why it's still there.
Replay embedded.
I meant to mention that the other day, I've noticed you'd been shutting it down before I've had a chance to see the goodbye message.
I'm not sure it's such a good idea, because there's no way we're going to remember to close it later. But if it helps people, it's worth a shot.
The replay is right there, of course, but we shall see. I bet we don't remember :)
Maybe just leave it for 3 or 5 minutes? I think it is just the shutting down within seconds that's the issue.
Maybe. I've never been on the other side of it, so I'll have to trust ya :)
Well with a FBFB feed, comment feed and Twitter feed as well as watching the actual event, it helps to have it there for 5 minutes just to catch up..
Understood.
Oh yes. Oxford it is!! Can't wait to watch the recorded race. :-) Wales - England 0:2 :-) Almost a good day ... #vettelonpole