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Yesterday’s post was headed by a couple of hearty Victorian oarsmen engaged in a manly handshake. This is a slightly more camp view of some Boat Race participants from a card given away with Churchman’s Cigarettes in the 1950s.
Tim Koch writes:
The first three days of Tideway Week have been delightfully warm and calm making it very pleasant for rowers and observers alike. Typically though, the forecast is that it will get increasingly warmer throughout the week – but will revert to more typical April weather by Boat Race Day on Saturday.
Tab* alert! I have again failed to take any pictures (bar one) of Oxford and, as yesterday, have spent most of my time following the Cambridge women around. This is not a deliberate or dubious policy on my part, the Light Blue Ladies and I just seem to keep the same hours. I will make greater efforts to darken my Blues tomorrow.
The Cambridge Women’s Blue Boat (CUWBC) and their Reserve Boat (Blondie) went out with coach Rob Baker and a press launch in the morning.
CUWBC and the press launch pass the Mile Post.This sort of close and constant attention is new to the women but rowers tend to be fairly stoical types and they appear to be coping well with the ‘goldfish bowl’ that is Tideway Week.CUWBC passing under Hammersmith Bridge. Their unconventional rig can clearly be seen. Stroke or port side has stroke, 5, 3 and bow while bow or starboard side has 7, 6, 4 and 2.Moving away from Hammersmith Bridge.The end of the outing. The little platform is so that those on the press launch can come ashore with dry feet. In the days when boatmen were cheap and plentiful (and rubber boots were not) it was common for them to wheel such devices into place when oarsmen were going out or coming in. The ‘Ladies In Red’ are from Professional Sports Group, an international sports marketing agency that handles sponsorship, marketing, PR and event management for the Boat Race.Who has the biggest puddle? Blondie pass under Hammersmith Bridge. The stroke and the even numbers are on ‘bow’ or starboard side and the bow and the odd numbers are on ‘stroke’ or port side. This rig supports the idea that the American’s unambiguous use of ‘port’ and ’starboard’ is more sensible than the British use of ‘stroke side’ and ‘bow side’.
There is more media attention than usual on this Boat Race as it is the first to have the women’s Blue Boats racing on the Putney to Mortlake course and also doing it on the same day as the men. The women’s Reserve Boats will race the course on the day before though (strangely) their male counterparts still get to compete on the same day as the First Boats.
Japanese television takes an interest in the Oxford Women.An alfresco interview. The light blue and dark blue railings along Putney Embankment are a permanent feature, not just for Boat Race Day.Ready for your close up?In the press launch: Chris Dodd, former rowing correspondent of the Guardian and the Independent and Rachel Quarrell of the Daily Telegraph. Rowing journalism (and the sport itself) would be considerably poorer without their varied and continuing efforts.The press launch, 2015.The press launch, 1880. If they had a sponsor 135 years ago, it would probably be Churchman’s Cigarettes.The splendid ‘Dove’ pub on the Hammersmith riverside has started its own countdown to Saturday’s race. It was formerly a well-used marker on the Boat Race course. Other things between Putney and Mortlake may come and go but pubs (and churches) tend to stay.
*Tab – a nickname for Cambridge students (a contraction of Cantabrigian) usually used as a term of derision by those from Oxford.
The Ladies boat race on the Tideway appears to have massively increased media coverage of boat race day. Shame it didn’t happen years ago. Nice to see Chris Dodd is covering the event.
Hear The Boat Sing 
The Ladies boat race on the Tideway appears to have massively increased media coverage of boat race day. Shame it didn’t happen years ago. Nice to see Chris Dodd is covering the event.