10 Difficult Questions about The University Boat Race

Answer: Two friends studying at Oxford and Cambridge

Charles Wordsworth and Charles Merivale were two former schoolfriends studying at Oxford and Cambridge respectively. Merivale informally challenged Wordsworth to a rowing race on the Thames and a official letter followed on March 12, 1829. It read:
"The University of Cambridge hereby challenge the University of Oxford to row a match at or near London each in an eight-oar boat during the Easter vacation. W Snow, St John's College."
With this the tradition was born where the loser of the previous year's race challenges the winner to a re-match. In 1856 (the 13th edition the race) the Boat Race became an annual event and the 150th running of the race came in 2004 (the race was not held from 1915 to 1919, or from 1940 to 1945).

Answer: Oxford -- Stanford-on-Thames

The first Boat Race was rowed from Hambleden Lock to Henley Bridge. The second Boat Race in 1836 took place in London, between Westminster and Putney. By 1845 Westminster had become too crowded, so the race moved again, this time to the course between Putney and Mortlake, six miles up-stream from Westminster. Races have been rowed there in both directions, but since 1863 Putney has always marked the start of the Boat Race.

Answer: False

Although women cannot actually row in the Boat Race, they can participate as a cox. In 1981 Sue Brown was the first female in the race, steering the winning Oxford boat. Five years later Cambridge had its first female cox, Carole Burton.

Answer: 5

Matthew Pinsent and Tim Foster won Olympic gold in the coxless four after rowing for Oxford in 1990, 1991, 1993 (Pinsent) and 1997 (Foster). Rowing in the gold winning eight were Andrew Lindsay (Oxford 1997, 1998, 1999), Luka Grubor (Oxford 1997) and Kieran West (Cambridge 1999, 2001).

Answer: The Cambridge boat sank.

The Boat Race often takes place under treacherous water conditions, caused by the winter conditions and the rising tide in combination with the wind. Cambridge's sinking in 1859 was the first sinking in the history of the race and caused them to lose the race. Since then, more boats have sunken and the rules have been slightly adapted to allow for a restart if either boat gets damaged before the end of Fulham wall.

Answer: Isis and Goldie

Isis, a local name for the Thames, is the name of the Oxford reserve crew. Cambridge's reserve crew is named after J.H.D. Goldie, former stroke and president of Cambridge University Boat Club and three times winner of the Boat Race. Osiris and Blondie are the names of the reserve crews in the Women's Boat Race.

Answer: Sliding seats

Sliding seats - invented by J.C. Babcock, Captain of the Nassau Boat Club in New York - were first tested in a race on the Hudson river in 1870 and, three years later, both crews in the Boat Race used them. Out-riggers were invented around the 1830s and were already in use by 1873. Oxford already wore dark blue jerseys during the first edition of the Boat Race.

In 1836, when the race was held for the second time, Cambridge adopted the light blue of Eton. Since the outfits and the blades of both crews are blue, if an oarsman's selected for the Boat Race it's said that he's made "the Blue Boat".

Answer: Hammersmith Bridge

Putney Bridge is located a few hundred yards downstream from the start, and Chiswick Bridge approximately 100 yards upstream from the finish line, so the boats don't pass under those bridges during the race. Barnes Bridge crosses the Thames at about 3.5 miles in the race, while Hammersmith Bridge is already encountered after about 1.5 miles.

Answer: 4 miles 374 yards

Despite the three bends in the course, the two boats will both row the same distance if they stay level throughout the race. Of course, if one of the crews takes a big lead they can take the inside bends, thereby shortening the course distance.

Answer: Two hours

Starting in September the oarsmen train six times a week. In December they face their first test, the Trial Eights, where two crews from the same university race each other over the course of the Boat Race. More experience is gained in races against some of the fastest clubs in the country once the crews are selected. The race is held every March/April.