The Boat Race 2018 (also known as The Cancer Research UK Boat Race for sponsorship reasons) was a

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 ...

competition that was held on 24 March 2018. Held annually,

The Boat Race The Boat Race is an annual set of rowing races between the Cambridge University Boat Club and the Oxford University Boat Club, traditionally rowed between open-weight eights on the River Thames in London, England. It is also known as the U ...

is a side-by-side rowing race between crews from the universities of

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

and

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 ...

along a tidal stretch of the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, s ...

in south-west London. For the third time in the history of the event, the men's, women's and both reserves' races were all held on the

Tideway The Tideway is the part of the River Thames in England which is subject to tides. This stretch of water is downstream from Teddington Lock. The Tideway comprises the upper Thames Estuary including the Pool of London. Tidal activity Depending ...

on the same day. The women's race was the first event of the day, and saw Cambridge lead from the start, eventually winning by a considerable margin to record their second consecutive victory, and taking the overall record in the

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 ...

to 43–30 in their favour. The men's race was the final event of the day and completed a

whitewash Whitewash, calcimine, kalsomine, calsomine, asbestis or lime paint is a type of paint made from slaked lime ( calcium hydroxide, Ca(OH)2) or chalk (calcium carbonate, CaCO3), sometimes known as "whiting". Various other additives are sometimes ...

as Cambridge won, their second victory in three years, and taking the overall record to 83–80 in their favour. In the women's reserve race, Cambridge's ''Blondie'' defeated Oxford's ''Osiris'' by nine lengths, their third consecutive victory. The men's reserve race was won by Cambridge's ''Goldie'' who defeated Oxford's ''Isis'' by a margin of four lengths. The races were watched by around a quarter of a million spectators live, and were broadcast around the world by a variety of broadcasters. The two main races were also available for the second time as a live stream using

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

Background

is a side-by-side rowing competition between 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 ...

(sometimes referred to as the "Dark Blues") and 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 ...

(sometimes referred to as the "Light Blues"). First held in 1829, the race takes place on the

Championship Course The Championship Course is a stretch of the River Thames between Mortlake and Putney in London, England. It is a well-established course for sport rowing, rowing races, particularly the The Boat Race, Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race. The course ...

, between

Putney Putney () is an affluent district in southwest London, England, in the London Borough of Wandsworth, southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. History Putney is an ...

and

Mortlake Mortlake is a suburban district of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames on the south bank of the River Thames between Kew and Barnes, London, Barnes. Historically it was part of Surrey and until 1965 was in the Municipal Borough of Barnes ...

on the

in south-west London. The rivalry is a major point of honour between the two universities; it is followed throughout the United Kingdom and broadcast worldwide. Oxford went into the race as champions, having won the 2017 race by a margin of one and a quarter lengths, with Cambridge leading overall with 82 victories to Oxford's 80 (excluding the 1877 race, officially a dead heat though claimed as a victory by the Oxford crew). It was the third time in the history of The Boat Race that all four senior races – the men's, women's, men's reserves' and women's reserves' – were held on the same day and on the same course along the

. Prior to 2015, the women's race, which first took place in 1927, was usually held at the

Henley Boat Races The Henley Boat Races were a series of annual rowing races between various crews representing the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge. The event included the Lightweight Men's Boat Race from 1975 to 2018, the Women's Boat R ...

along the course. However, on at least two occasions in the

interwar period In the history of the 20th century, the interwar period, also known as the interbellum (), lasted from 11 November 1918 to 1 September 1939 (20 years, 9 months, 21 days) – from the end of World War I (WWI) to the beginning of World War II ( ...

, the women competed on the Thames between

Chiswick Chiswick ( ) is a district in West London, split between the London Borough of Hounslow, London Boroughs of Hounslow and London Borough of Ealing, Ealing. It contains Hogarth's House, the former residence of the 18th-century English artist Wi ...

and

Kew Kew () is a district in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. Its population at the 2011 census was 11,436. Kew is the location of the Royal Botanic Gardens ("Kew Gardens"), now a World Heritage Site, which includes Kew Palace. Kew is ...

. Cambridge's women went into the race as reigning champions, having won the 2017 race by 11 lengths, and led 42–30 overall. For the sixth year, the men's race was sponsored by

BNY Mellon The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation, commonly known as BNY, is an American international financial services company headquartered in New York City. It was established in its current form in July 2007 by the merger of the Bank of New York an ...

while the women's race had BNY Mellon's subsidiary Newton Investment Management as sponsors. In January 2016, it was announced that the sponsors would be donating the title sponsorship to

Cancer Research UK Cancer Research UK (CRUK) is the world's largest independent cancer research organisation. It is registered as a charity in the United Kingdom and Isle of Man, and was formed on 4 February 2002 by the merger of The Cancer Research Campaign and t ...

and that the 2016 event onwards would be retitled "The Cancer Research UK Boat Races". There is no monetary award for winning the race, as the journalist

Roger Alton Roger Alton (born 20 December 1947) is an English journalist. He was formerly editor of ''The Independent'' and ''The Observer'', and executive editor of ''The Times''. Early life and education He was educated at Clifton College and Exeter Co ...

notes: "It's the last great amateur event: seven months of pain for no prize money". The autumn reception was held at the

Guildhall A guildhall, also known as a guild hall or guild house, is a historical building originally used for tax collecting by municipalities or merchants in Europe, with many surviving today in Great Britain and the Low Countries. These buildings commo ...

in London on 10 November 2017. As Cambridge's women had won the previous year's race, it was Oxford's responsibility to offer the traditional challenge to the

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 ...

(CUWBC). To that end, Katherine Erickson, President of

Oxford University Women's Boat Club Oxford University Women's Boat Club (OUWBC) was the rowing club for female rowers (and coxes of either sex) who were students at the University of Oxford. The club was founded in 1926 and was based in Wallingford at the Fleming Boat House, ...

(OUWBC), challenged Daphne Martschenko, her Cambridge counterpart. Oxford's victory in the men's race meant that Hugo Ramambason, President of

Cambridge University Boat Club The Cambridge University Boat Club (CUBC) is the rowing club of the University of Cambridge, England. The club was founded in 1828 and has been located at the Goldie Boathouse on the River Cam, Cambridge since 1882. Nowadays, training primaril ...

(CUBC), challenged Iain Mandale, President of

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 ...

(OUBC). The men's race was umpired by the former Light Blue rower John Garrett who represented Great Britain at the

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...

1988 1988 was a crucial year in the early history of the Internet—it was the year of the first well-known computer virus, the Morris worm, 1988 Internet worm. The first permanent intercontinental Internet link was made between the United State ...

and

1992 Summer Olympics The 1992 Summer Olympics (, ), officially the Games of the XXV Olympiad (, ) and officially branded as Barcelona '92, were an international multi-sport event held from 25 July to 9 August 1992 in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Beginning in 1994 ...

. He umpired men's race twice previously, in

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

and

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

. He rowed for

Lady Margaret Boat Club The Lady Margaret Boat Club (abbreviated to "LMBC" and known as "Maggie") is the Sport rowing, rowing club for members of St John's College, Cambridge, England. The club is named after Margaret Beaufort, Countess of Richmond and Derby, Lady Mar ...

in The Boat Race in

and

1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a n ...

. The 73rd women's race was umpired by the multiple Olympic gold-medallist

Matthew Pinsent Sir Matthew Clive Pinsent, (; born 10 October 1970) is an English rower and broadcaster. During his rowing career, he won 10 world championship gold medals and four consecutive Olympic gold medals. Since retiring, he has worked as a sports b ...

. As well as rowing for Oxford in the

1990 Important events of 1990 include the Reunification of Germany and the unification of Yemen, the formal beginning of the Human Genome Project (finished in 2003), the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope, the separation of Namibia from South ...

1991 It was the final year of the Cold War, which had begun in 1947. During the year, the Soviet Union Dissolution of the Soviet Union, collapsed, leaving Post-soviet states, fifteen sovereign republics and the Commonwealth of Independent State ...

and 1993 races, he was assistant umpire in the 2012 race before umpiring the 2013 race. The women's reserve race was presided over by former Dark Blue, Matt Smith, who rowed for Oxford in the

2001 The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...

2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

and 2003 races. Richard Phelps, who rowed for Cambridge in the 1993,

1994 The year 1994 was designated as the " International Year of the Family" and the "International Year of Sport and the Olympic Ideal" by the United Nations. In the Line Islands and Phoenix Islands of Kiribati, 1994 had only 364 days, omitti ...

and 1995 races oversaw the men's reserve race. The event was broadcast live in the United Kingdom on the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

. Numerous broadcasters worldwide also showed the main races, including SuperSport across Africa and the

EBU The European Broadcasting Union (EBU; , UER) is an alliance of Public broadcasting, public service media organisations in countries within the European Broadcasting Area (EBA) or who are member states of the Council of Europe, members of the ...

across Europe. It was also streamed live on

BBC Online BBC Online, formerly known as BBCi, is the BBC's online service. It is a large network of websites including such high-profile sites as BBC News and BBC Sport, Sport, the on-demand video and radio services branded BBC iPlayer and BBC Sounds, t ...

. For the second time, the men's and women's races were streamed live on YouTube.

Coaches

The Cambridge men's crew coaching team was led by their chief coach Steve Trapmore, a gold medal-winning member of the men's eight at the

2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, officially branded as Sydney 2000, and also known as the Games of the New Millennium, were an international multi-sport event held from 15 September to 1 October ...

, who was appointed to the post in 2010. He was assisted by Richard Chambers, silver medallist in the men's lightweight coxless four at the

2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012, were an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

. Donald Legget, who rowed for the Light Blues in the

1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Cove ...

and 1964 races acted as a supporting coach, along with coxing coach Henry Fieldman (who steered Cambridge in the 2013 race) and the medical officer Simon Owens. Sean Bowden was chief coach for Oxford, having been responsible for the senior men's crew since 1997, winning 12 from 18 races. He is a former Great Britain Olympic coach and coached the Light Blues in the 1993 and 1994 Boat Races. OUWBC's chief coach was the former OUBC assistant coach Andy Nelder who previously worked with Bowden for eleven years. He was assisted by Jamie Kirkwood. Cambridge's women were coached by former Goldie coach Rob Baker who was assisted by Paddy Ryan.

Trials

Dates for the trials, where crews are able to simulate the race proper on the Championship Course, were announced on 17 November 2017.

Women

Cambridge's women's trial took place on the Championship Course on 5 December, between the

Harry Potter ''Harry Potter'' is a series of seven Fantasy literature, fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The novels chronicle the lives of a young Magician (fantasy), wizard, Harry Potter (character), Harry Potter, and his friends ...

-themed boats ''Expecto Patronum'' and ''Wingardium Leviosa''. The CUWBC president Daphne Martschenko was unavailable through illness to participate in the race, which was umpired by Matthew Pinsent. ''Wingardium Leviosa'' took the early lead but the crews were level by Barn Elms boathouse, before ''Leviosa'' pulled half a length ahead by

Craven Cottage Craven Cottage is a football stadium in Fulham, West London, England, which has been the home of Fulham F.C. since 1896.According to the club'official website The ground's capacity is 29,589; the record attendance is 49,335, for a game agains ...

. Level once again as the crews passed

Harrods Furniture Depository The Harrods Furniture Depository buildings flank the south bank of the River Thames near Hammersmith Bridge in Barnes, London, England, built on the site of an old soap factory in 1894 as a storage centre for the larger items that could not be t ...

, ''Expecto Patronum'' made a push at

Hammersmith Bridge Hammersmith Bridge is a suspension bridge that crosses the River Thames in west London. It links the southern part of Hammersmith in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, on the north side of the river, with Barnes in the London Boroug ...

, handling the rough conditions better than their opponents. With a clear water advantage by

Chiswick Eyot Chiswick Eyot is a narrow, uninhabited ait (river island) of the Thames. It is a tree- and reed-covered rise on the Tideway by Chiswick, in London, England and is overlooked by Chiswick Mall and by some of the Barnes riverside on the far ...

, ''Expecto Patronum'' passed the finish line two lengths ahead. Oxford's trial race was conducted on 21 January 2018, delayed from December through ill health of the rowers. The race was held in windy and wet conditions on the Tideway between ''Great Typhoon'' and ''Coursing River'' umpired by Pinsent. ''Coursing River'' made the better start from the Surrey station before ''Great Typhoon'' drew level, before taking advantage of the curve of the river and pulling ahead. An oar clash followed but a series of pushes from ''Great Typhoon'' saw them take the lead and push away under

Barnes Bridge Barnes Railway Bridge is a Grade II listed railway bridge in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames and the London Borough of Hounslow. It crosses the River Thames in London in a northwest to southeast direction at Barnes. It carries the S ...

, to win by half a length.

Men

Cambridge's men's trial took place on the Championship Course on 5 December, between the boats ''Goblins'' and ''Goons''. ''Goblins'', starting from the Surrey station, took an early lead which they held until ''Goons'' drew level, and then began to pull away, as the crews passed below Hammersmith Bridge. ''Goblins'' responded, restored parity and then took the lead at the Bandstand. Despite each crew making a series of pushes, ''Goblins'' held a half-length lead under Barnes Bridge and maintained the advantage to the finish line. The Oxford trial boats were named ''Strong'' and ''Stable'', in

reference A reference is a relationship between objects in which one object designates, or acts as a means by which to connect to or link to, another object. The first object in this relation is said to ''refer to'' the second object. It is called a ''nam ...

to the Tory manifesto for the 2017 general election. They raced against one another along the Championship Course on 6 December 2017, umpired by John Garrett. ''Strong'', starting from the Middlesex station, took an early lead and held a half-length advantage by the time the crews passed Craven Cottage. Garrett repeatedly warned both crews as they each infringed the racing line, and ''Strong'' capitalised on the advantage of the bend to be almost a length ahead. ''Stable'' fought back and were nearly level by the time they passed Harrods. ''Strong'' reacted to pull half a length ahead by Chiswick Eyot, extending to clear water by the Bandstand, and a final push at Barnes Bridge ensured them a two-length victory.

Build-up

Women

CUWBC faced a crew from

University of London Boat Club University of London Boat Club (ULBC; boat code ULO) is the rowing (sport), rowing club for the University of London and its Member institutions of the University of London, member institutions, many of which also have their own boat clubs. The ...

(ULBC) in two races on the Tideway umpired by Judith Packer on 17 February 2018. The first segment, from Putney Bridge to Hammersmith Bridge, was an easy victory for the Light Blues, winning by around five lengths. The second segment, from Chiswick Steps to the finish line, saw Cambridge quickly overcome their starting one-length deficit to take a clear water advantage under Barnes Bridge before ending as "clear winners". OUWBC went up against

Oxford Brookes University Boat Club Oxford Brookes University Boat Club (known as Brookes especially verbally and as OBUBC in formal print) is the Sport rowing, rowing club of Oxford Brookes University, England. Its large base is on th ...

(OBUBC) in a two-piece race on the Championship Course on 24 February 2018. Despite a strong start from OBUBC in the first segment, OUWBC held a lead of around a length by Craven Cottage and continued to pull away to a three-length victory at Chiswick Eyot. In the second segment, OUWBC took a slight early lead but OBUBC remained in contention, taking advantage of Middlesex bend, but could not catch the Dark Blues who passed the finish line with a lead of a couple of seats. On 4 March 2018, OUWBC took on a crew from

Molesey Boat Club Molesey Boat Club is a Rowing (sport), rowing club between Molesey Lock and Sunbury Lock on the River Thames in England. The club was founded in 1866 where its boathouse stands with hardstanding next to the Thames Path National Trail, Thames P ...

in a race along a section of the Championship Course from the start to Chiswick Steps, umpired by Sarah Winckless. The Dark Blues held a three-seat advantage by the time the crews had passed the boathouses, and despite under-rating Molesey, continued to pull away to hold a clear water advantage and a three-length lead by Hammersmith Bridge which they extended to a five-length lead by Chiswick Steps.

Men

CUBC faced a ULBC crew in a three-piece race along the Tideway umpired by Rob Clegg on 18 February 2018. The first section of the race was strongly contested with clashes in the early stages, with ULBC taking the lead, only for the Light Blues to draw level and then lead past Craven Cottage. The race concluded as Cambridge passed Harrods with a three length lead. The second segment from Harrods to the Bandstand saw Cambridge lead all the way, to win by several lengths. The final section of the race from Chiswick Eyot to the finish line, saw further oar clashes, but Cambridge controlled the situation, winning by more than two lengths. On 4 March 2018, CUBC took part in a two-piece race against OBUBC. The first section, from the start line to Chiswick Steps, was won by one length by CUBC who led from the start. The second race, from Chiswick Eyot to the finishing line, was more robustly contested. CUBC took an early lead in difficult conditions, only to be overhauled by OBUBC who took a lead of a length from Barnes Bridge to the finish. OUBC took on an OBUBC crew in two stages along the Championship Course on 24 February 2018, umpired by John Garrett. OBUBC made the better start in the first section, but OUBC drew level at the Town Buoy. Oxford Brookes started to pull away and held a length's advantage as the crews passed the Mile Post and into the headwind. OUBC coped with the conditions well and were just ahead by Hammersmith Bridge but Oxford Brookes took advantage of the stream to win by a length as the crews passed St Paul's School. The second section of the race saw early clashes from which OBUBC emerged with a length advantage. Although OUBC pushed to close the gap, OBUBC responded and pulled away to win by just over one length. On 3 March 2018, OUBC faced a ULBC crew along a section of the Championship Course from the start line to Chiswick Steps, in a race umpired by Richard Phelps. Starting from the Middlesex station, the Dark Blues took an early lead and held a length's advantage by the time the crews passed Harrods. In an early attempt to claim the racing line, OUBC moved into ULBC's water and both crews were warned by Clegg to return to their station. Despite this, OUBC extended their lead and were several lengths clear by Hammersmith Bridge and were able to take advantage of clear water, winning the race by at least four lengths.

Crews

The official weigh-in for the crews took place at

City Hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or municipal hall (in the Philippines) is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses the city o ...

, London, on 26 February 2018.

Women

The Cambridge crew weighed an average of , per rower more than their opponents. The Light Blues averaged in height, more than Oxford. The Dark Blues featured one returning crew member, number four Alice Roberts, who rowed in the unsuccessful 2017 Oxford boat. The Cambridge crew included some experienced Boat Race rowers: Thea Zabell, Imogen Grant,

Alice White Alice White (born Alva White; August 25, 1904Katz, Ephraim (1979). ''The Film Encyclopedia: The Most Comprehensive Encyclopedia of World Cinema in a Single Volume''. Perigee Books. , pg. 1228. – February 19, 1983) was an American film ac ...

and Myriam Goudet-Boukhatmi all rowed in the previous year's race. The Light Blues also featured the

2015 World Rowing Championships The 2015 World Rowing Championships were World Rowing Championships that were held from 30 August to 6 September 2015 at the Lac d'Aiguebelette, Aiguebelette-le-Lac in France. Description The annual week-long rowing regatta was organized by ...

quad sculls gold medallist

Olivia Coffey Olivia Coffey (born January 29, 1989) is an American rower. She is a three-time world champion and an Olympian. She won the gold medal in the quad sculls at the 2015 World Rowing Championships. Coffey was in the winning Cambridge crew of The Boat ...

Men

The Cambridge crew weighed an average of , per rower more than their opponents, and averaged in height, taller than Oxford. The Light Blue's number four, James Letten, at , was the tallest individual ever to have competed in The Boat Race. One member of the Oxford crew has previous Boat Race experience: stroke Vassilis Ragoussis featured in the successful 2017 Dark Blue boat. On 20 March 2018, it was announced that as a result of illness, number six Joshua Bugajski would withdraw from the race and be replaced by Isis rower Benedict Aldous. It was later revealed that Bugajski's departure was also related to disagreements with the Dark Blue coach Sean Bowden. Claas Mertens, the Oxford bow man, won gold at the 2015 World Rowing Championships with the German lightweight men's eight. Cambridge's crew contains four individuals who have featured in the Boat Race: Hugo Ramambason, Freddie Davidson and Letten participated in 2017, while Charles Fisher rowed in the 2016 race.

Pre-race

Two days before the race, both the Blues boats and the reserve boats practised their starts from the stakeboats on the Championship Course. On the same day, two BBC television cameras located on Putney Bridge and Barnes Bridge were targeted by thieves; their attempts at Putney were thwarted by an off-duty policeman and a

Royal National Lifeboat Institution The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) is the largest of the lifeboat (rescue), lifeboat services operating around the coasts of the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, Ireland, the Channel Islands, and the Isle of Man, as well as on s ...

crew, but the gang escaped with one of the cameras on Barnes Bridge. Cambridge were pre-race favourites to win both the men's and women's senior races. The Queen's barge ''Gloriana'' led a procession of traditional craft along the course. These included the waterman's cutters used for the Oxbridge Waterman's Challenge.

Races

The races were held on 24 March 2018. Weather was overcast with light winds.

Reserves

''Blondie'' won the women's reserve boat race which was held after the conclusion of the

by nine lengths in a time of 19 minutes 45 seconds. Already six seconds ahead at the Mile Post, ''Blondie'' continued to pull away to be twelve seconds ahead by Hammersmith Bridge before passing the finishing post in 19 minutes 45 seconds, 27 seconds ahead of ''Osiris''. It was ''Blondies'' third consecutive victory, and took the overall tally (since 1968) to 24–20 in Cambridge's favour. ''Goldie'' won the men's reserve race, which was held after the women's reserve race and before the men's race. Five seconds ahead at the Mile Post, the Light Blue reserves were warned after a clash of oars, and ''Isis'' reduced the gap to three seconds by Hammersmith Bridge. ''Goldie'' were clear of ''Isis'' by Barnes Bridge with a seven-second lead, and maintained that advantage as they crossed the finish line in a time of 18 minutes 12 seconds. It was ''Goldies'' first victory since 2010 and took the overall tally in the event to 30–24 in their favour.

Women's

The women's race started at 4:31 p.m.

Greenwich Mean Time Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) is the local mean time at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, Royal Observatory in Greenwich, London, counted from midnight. At different times in the past, it has been calculated in different ways, including being ...

(GMT). CUWBC won the toss and elected to start from the Surrey side of the river, handing the Middlesex side to Oxford. Cambridge made the better start taking an early lead and were around a half of a length ahead after the first minute of the race. By Craven Cottage, and in spite of Oxford having the advantage of the bend in the river, the Light Blues were ahead by a length. At the Mile Post, Cambridge held a clear water advantage, two lengths ahead. The Light Blues passed under Hammersmith Bridge with a three-length lead. At Chiswick Steps, Oxford were fifteen seconds behind, and a further five down at Barnes Bridge. Cambridge passed the finishing post in a time of 19 minutes 6 seconds, around seven lengths ahead of Oxford. It was Cambridge's second consecutive victory but only their third win in eleven years, and took the overall record in the event to 43–30 in their favour.

Men's

The men's race started at 5.33 pm. GMT in very "gloomy conditions". The Light Blues won the toss and elected to start from the Surrey side of the river. Oxford made the better start and were quickly a canvas ahead, but Cambridge restored parity within 40 seconds, going on to take a third of a length lead themselves. Cambridge received several warnings from the umpire John Garrett for encroaching into Oxford's water, forcing them to move back towards their station, but were still over a length ahead by Craven Cottage. The Light Blues passed the Mile Post five seconds ahead, and shot Hammersmith Bridge with a lead of four lengths. They maintained their lead of 12 seconds as they passed Chiswick Steps. The Dark Blues reduced the Cambridge lead to eleven seconds by Barnes Bridge, but Cambridge passed the finishing line in 17 minutes 51 seconds, three lengths ahead of Oxford. It was Cambridge's second victory in the last three years, and took the overall record in the event to 83–80 in their favour.

Reactions

CUWBC's cox Sophie Shapter said "We just knew we had to go out there and do a job" while OUWBC's president Katherine Erickson expressed that she was proud of her crew, many of whom had learnt to row at Oxford. James Letten remarked that his Cambridge crew were "on the money" and had "stepped up and delivered". In CUBC's Steve Trapmore's final Boat Race before moving to Team GB Olympic Rowing as a high performance coach, he admitted that "the boys really stepped up and delivered". As the men's senior crews passed below Hammersmith Bridge, a banner was unfurled by the Cambridge Zero Carbon Society and smoke flares were let off, to protest against investment in fossil fuel companies by the two universities. Although the banner was not clear to viewers during the live race coverage on the BBC, commentator

Andrew Cotter Andrew Douglas Millar Cotter (born 20 July 1973) is a Scottish sports broadcaster working primarily for the BBC, covering mainly golf and rugby union, but also tennis, athletics and the Boat Race. Personal life Cotter is from Troon in Ayrshi ...

remarked "flares at the boat race, whatever next?"

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Boat Race 2018, The 2018 in sport in London 2018 in rowing The Boat Race Women's Boat Race March 2018 sports events in the United Kingdom

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 ...