The Cambridge University Boat Club (CUBC) is the

rowing Rowing is the act of propelling a human-powered watercraft using the sweeping motions of oars to displace water and generate reactional propulsion. Rowing is functionally similar to paddling, but rowing requires oars to be mechanically a ...

club of the

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

, England. The club was founded in 1828 and has been located at the Goldie Boathouse on the

River Cam The River Cam () is the main river flowing through Cambridge in eastern England. After leaving Cambridge, it flows north and east before joining the River Great Ouse to the south of Ely, Cambridgeshire, Ely, at Pope's Corner. The total distanc ...

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...

since 1882. Nowadays, training primarily takes place on the

River Great Ouse The River Great Ouse ( ) is a river in England, the longest of several British rivers called "Ouse". From Syresham in Northamptonshire, the Great Ouse flows through Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Norfolk to drain into the ...

at Ely. The prime constitutional aim of CUBC is to beat

Oxford University Boat Club Oxford University Boat Club (OUBC) is the Rowing (sport), rowing club for the University of Oxford, England, located on the River Thames at Oxford. The club was founded in 1829. The prime constitutional aim of OUBC is to beat Cambridge Univers ...

in the annual

Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race The Boat Race is an annual set of rowing (sport), rowing races between the Cambridge University Boat Club and the Oxford University Boat Club, traditionally rowed between open-weight eight (rowing), eights on the River Thames in London, Englan ...

and Lightweight Boat Races. CUBC's Openweight Men's squad currently lead Oxford in the series by 87 races to 81, with 1 dead heat in The Boat Race 1877, while the Openweight Women's squad lead Oxford by 48 races to 30. The Lightweight Men's squad lead Oxford by 31 races to 19, and the Lightweight Women's squad lead Oxford by 24 races to 17.

History

The inaugural meeting of Cambridge University Boat Club took place at Gonville and Caius College on 9 December 1828. Following this meeting, it was agreed that a challenge be sent to the

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...

to organise a race between representatives of the two universities. A letter was sent to Oxford in which they were challenged "to row a match at or near London, each in an eight-oared boat during the ensuing Easter vacation". Consequently, the first Boat Race took place at

Henley-on-Thames Henley-on-Thames ( ) is a town status in the United Kingdom, town and Civil parishes in England, civil parish on the River Thames, in the South Oxfordshire district, in Oxfordshire, England, northeast of Reading, Berkshire, Reading, west of M ...

in June 1829. The first

Women's Boat Race The Women's Boat Race is an annual rowing (sport), rowing race between Cambridge University Boat Club and Oxford University Women's Boat Club. First rowed in 1927, the race has taken place annually since 1964. Since the The Boat Races 2015, 20 ...

was raced in 1927 on the

Isis Isis was a major goddess in ancient Egyptian religion whose worship spread throughout the Greco-Roman world. Isis was first mentioned in the Old Kingdom () as one of the main characters of the Osiris myth, in which she resurrects her sla ...

at Oxford, Cambridge was represented by a crew from Newnham College in front of hostile crowds. They were later joined by students from

Girton College Girton College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was established in 1869 by Emily Davies and Barbara Bodichon as the first women's college at Cambridge. In 1948, it was granted full college status by the univ ...

to form CUWBC for the 1941 Boat Race. CULRC was formed in 1974 to provide a lightweight crew to race OULRC in the first Lightweight Boat Race in 1975. In 1984 CUWBC fielded a lightweight women's crew for the first Lightweight Women's Boat Race at Henley. These races remained in Henley until the

moved to the Championship course in London in

2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

, followed by the Men's Lightweight Boat Race in 2019 and the Women's Lightweight Boat Race in 2020. CUBC was one of five clubs which retained the right until 2012 to appoint representatives to the Council of

British Rowing British Rowing, formerly the Amateur Rowing Association (ARA), is the national governing body for the sport of rowing (both indoor and on-water rowing). It is responsible for the training and selection of individual rowers and crews represent ...

. The others were

Leander Club Leander Club, founded in 1818, is one of the oldest rowing clubs in the world, and the oldest non-academic club. It is based in Remenham in Berkshire, England and adjoins Henley-on-Thames. Only three other surviving clubs were founded prior ...

London Rowing Club London Rowing Club (LRC, or colloquially, 'London') is the second-oldest of the non-academic active rowing clubs on the Thames in London, United Kingdom. It was founded in 1856 by members of the long-disbanded Argonauts Club wishing to compete ...

Thames Rowing Club The Thames Rowing Club (TRC) is a rowing club based on the tidal River Thames, Thames as it flows through the western suburbs of London. The TRC clubhouse stands on Putney Embankment. The club was founded in 1860. As of July 2023, Thames had w ...

and

. On 1 August 2020, CUBC formally merged with

Cambridge University Women's Boat Club Cambridge University Women's Boat Club (CUWBC) was the rowing club for women at the University of Cambridge. CUWBC fielded both a lightweight eight that races against Oxford at the Henley Boat Races, and two openweight eights that race at the ...

and Cambridge University Lightweight Rowing Club to form a new combined club to compete against Oxford clubs in the annual boat races. This followed a vote in April 2020 by members of all three clubs which was overwhelmingly in favour of the merger. The merger and subsequent rebrand led to a new visual identity for Cambridge University Boat Club. The new logo kept the old colours of red and black, but added yellow, the traditional team kit colour of the men’s and women’s reserve crews, Goldie and Blondie.

Notability

CUBC has produced numerous Olympic-level rowers in its history. During the Boat Race period both the Men's

Blue Boat The Blue Boat is the highest level boat representing the University of Oxford or the University of Cambridge in the universities' annual rowing races on the River Thames, The Boat Race and Women's Boat Race. As of 2016, the women's first VIII ...

and

Goldie Clifford Joseph Price MBE (born 19 September 1965), better known as Goldie, is an English music producer, DJ, and actor. Initially gaining exposure for his work as a graffiti artist, Goldie became well known for his pioneering role as a musi ...

crews boat from King's College School's Boat House on the Putney embankment while the Women's Blue Boat and Blondie crews boat from

. During the Lightweight Boat Race period, CUBC Lightweight Men boat from

and Lightweight Women boat from

Honours

British champions

Key = 2, 4, 8 (crew size), x (sculls), - (coxless), + (coxed)

Henley Royal Regatta

Gallery

File:KCSBoathousePutney2007boatr.gif, Anxious wait at the start of the 2007 Boat Race. File:Bundesarchiv Bild 102-12716, Cambridge, Rudertraining der Hochschulmannschaft.jpg, Winter Training in a 20-man boat, 1931 File:CUBC coach on horseback engraving 1866.jpg, Coach on Horseback, 1866 File:CUBC practicing 1899.jpg, CUBC practising in 1899 File:CUBC VIII photo ILN 1892.jpg, CUBC crew in 1892 File:Muttlebury coaching CUBC from steamer 1892.jpg,

Stanley Muttlebury Stanley Duff Muttlebury (29 April 1866 – 3 May 1933) was an English rower notable in the annals of rowing (sport), rowing and the Oxford and Cambridge The Boat Race, Boat Race. Parentage Muttlebury was born 29 April 1866 in London, England, ...

coaching CUBC from a steamer, 1892

References

Notes Bibliography * {{Authority control Sports clubs and teams established in the 1820s 1828 establishments in England University and college rowing clubs in the United Kingdom The Boat Race Sports organizations established in 1828 Rowing clubs in Cambridgeshire Rowing clubs of the River Cam Rowing clubs of the River Great Ouse