Clare Boat Club 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 for members of

Clare College, Cambridge Clare College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. The college was founded in 1326 as University Hall, making it the second-oldest surviving college of the Unive ...

, it was founded in 1831. Like other college boat clubs at 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 ...

, the prime constitutional aim of Clare Boat Club is to gain and hold the Headship of the

Lent Bumps The Lent Bumps (also Lent Races, Lents) are a set of rowing races held annually on the River Cam in Cambridge. They began in 1887, after separating from the May Bumps, which are bumping races held in mid-June. Prior to the separation there ha ...

and

May Bumps The May Bumps (also May Races, Mays) are a set of rowing races, held annually on the River Cam in Cambridge, England. They began in 1887 after separating from the Lent Bumps, the equivalent bumping races held at the end of February or start o ...

, now held in eight-oared boats, separately for men and women. In the

, Clare Men's 1st VIII rose to ''Head of the River'' in 1941 and held it until 1944, regaining the Headship again in 1949. Clare Women's 1st VIII started 1st in the first women's

in 1976 but did not gain the Headship. Clare retained Headship in the first women's

in 1974 and held it three more times in 1979, 1980 and 2013.

History

Clare Men's 1st VIII entered their first

race in 1831, achieving second place in the 1st Division by the end of 1832. They dropped steadily over the following decade, reaching an all-time low of forty-first in 1845, before the Mays boat reached fourth again in 1886, the year before the Lent races began. It was nearly 50 years before this position was reached again.Durack, John; Gilbert, George; Marks, Dr. John (2000). ''The Bumps: An Account of the Cambridge University Bumping Races 1827-1999'' Prior to about 1930, the Clare Men's 1st VIII spent most of its time near the boundary of the 1st Division and 2nd Division of both the

Lent Lent (, 'Fortieth') is the solemn Christianity, Christian religious moveable feast#Lent, observance in the liturgical year in preparation for Easter. It echoes the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert and enduring Temptation of Christ, t ...

and

charts. However, they did win Headship in the

competition of 1939. The Men's 1st VIII remained in the top ten of Lents until the 1960s, and returned to form in the early 1970s, taking the Headship again in 1973. Since then, they have spent most of their time in the 1st Division. In the

, the Men's 1st VIII rose to Head of the River in 1941. They held the Headship until 1944, regaining it again in 1949. Since then, the Men's 1st VIII has spent most of their time in the 1st Division, but, similar to the story of Lent Bumps, it has dropped into the 2nd Division on occasions. In 2015, the Men's 1st VIII finished eighth on the river in the 1st Division of May Bumps. This was the Men's 1st VIII's highest position in May Bumps for 27 years. In 2016 the Men's 1st VIII bumped up four places, winning Blades and attaining the College's highest place on the river for 46 years. Clare Women's 1st VIII started 1st in the first ever women's

in 1976, but were unable to finish with the Headship. In

Lent Bumps 2005 The Lent Bumps 2005 were a series of rowing races held at Cambridge University from Tuesday 1 March to Saturday 5 March 2005. The event was run as a bumps race and was one of the series of Lent Bumps which have been held annually in late February ...

, Clare Women's 1st VIII came very close to taking the Headship but managed to cling onto it. However, the women did manage to win their first ever Lents Headship in

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

. In the first ever women's

in 1974, Clare started and retained their position of Head of the River. The Women's 1st VIII has since held the Headship in Mays on three further occasions, initially in 1979 and 1980; Clare regained the women's Headship in

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

, with the crew gaining Blades in the process. In 2015, Clare Women's 1st VIII finished sixth on the river in the 1st Division of May Bumps. In 2016 the Women's 1st VIII bumped up two places to finish fourth, in parity with the Men's 1st VIII. The club's head coach and boathouse manager, from 2010 to 2017, Anton Wright, appeared on Channel 4's year-long reality TV show, ''Eden'' (2016).

Clare Novice Regatta

Clare Boat Club organises an annual regatta in November for novice College crews.Clare Novices' Regatta site
/ref> It is run as a side-by-side regatta for eights, with a series of knockout races over a course of approximately 800m. In 2012, Clare Novice Men's 1st VIII not only won Clare Novice Regatta but also triumphed in Queens' Ergs and Emma Sprints. This was the first time in Clare Boat Club's history that a Men's VIII had won all three of these novice competitions in the same year.

Notable alumni

*Sir Archibald Dennis Flower, represented

Cambridge University 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 ...

and became Mayor of Stratford * David Jennens, represented Cambridge University and Great Britain * Charles Sergel, represented Cambridge University and Great Britain

Honours

Henley Royal Regatta

References

External links

* CUCBC
Cambridge University Combined Boat Club

Clare Boat Club
{{United Kingdom rowing clubs Rowing clubs of the University of Cambridge

Boat A boat is a watercraft of a large range of types and sizes, but generally smaller than a ship, which is distinguished by its larger size or capacity, its shape, or its ability to carry boats. Small boats are typically used on inland waterways s ...

Sports clubs and teams established in 1831 1831 establishments in England Rowing clubs in Cambridgeshire Rowing clubs in England Rowing clubs of the River Cam