Anglia Ruskin and Hughes Hall clash leads to capsize

Dodgy coxing and house boats on the Cam lead to a crew being capsized today.

Anglia Ruskin M1 capsized during the Cambridge ’99s Sprints Regatta today when racing against Hughes Hall M2. It is believed that there were no serious injuries, and members with minor injuries are now recovering.

Blade clashes off the start indicated that clear water between the two crews would be a precious commodity in this side-by-side race. Hughes Hall M2 took a tight line that left Anglia Ruskin forced to move in even closer to the house boats that line the Cam.

It is believed that Anglia Ruskin clashing with the barge resulted in its capsizing, as seen below. It is not known if the tight line of the Hughes Hall coxswain was deliberate or not. Hughes Hall Boat Club have not provided comment yet.

The early blade clashes in the race “showed that the cox [of Hughes Hall] had issues with her steering and ‘racing line'” said Alex Hilton, President of ARBC.

Blade clashes are expected at all levels of rowing, from college to even the Boat Races, as crews fight for the best water. The likelihood of blade clashes only increases on rivers as narrow as the Cam.

The race was not re-rowed, and Hughes Hall M2 were disqualified. Alex Hilton went on to say “the tenacity of coming back and carrying on, I think, is admirable” as Anglia Ruskin continued to race.

Today’s racing was a day of overcoming adversity for Anglia Ruskin, as not only did they continue to race despite a violent capsizing, they also came together as a crew with their permanent sub, Katy, from Churchill. Anglia Ruskin’s mens’ squad was sadly reduced to 7 this term due to injury.

The boat clubs of the Cam come together for the sake of Bumps.

Katy, rowing at 7, said that she is very happy subbing into ARBC’s M1 as she “loves being surrounded by men”. She is popular in the crew and has kept her seat despite offers from male rowers to row with ARBC. Katy notes that after the capsize “they could only count 8 heads because [she] was stuck under the boat”.

Clearly, very popular.

Anglia Ruskin looks to do well this Mays. The men of Anglia Ruskin University’s Boat Club experienced success in last year’s May Bumps, achieving bumps on the second and fourth days. This success was continued in this year’s Lent Bumps, with the club going up three over the four days.

The crew still remains in division IV of the men’s Bumps races as, unfortunately, a sporadic entry into Bumps over the past few years has marred ARBC’s chances of moving up the men’s divisions as quickly as more consistent clubs. Hopefully, this May’s Bumps will give them a chance to shine and move up the charts.

Despite Hughes Hall M2 being disqualified from further racing, their M3 went on to the final, racing against First and Third Trinity’s Grad VIII.

Grad VIII – looking for crews to spar with at swaps. Email [email protected] for details.

First and Third’s Grad VIII’s victory was always on the cards due to their “high level of training, and commitment to the ethos of rowing”, according to their chief, Alexander Dear. The crew has been working hards towards making gains this term, with every outing including bright vests, beers, and bangin’ tunes.

Previous capsizings of VIIIs include that of Homerton in Mich term this year when pulling into the bank, and Caius W1 a few years ago when they rowed with their gates undone.

A local boatie explained that the capsizing of Homerton W1 was due to them having been “coached by the ‘Kiwi Pair’, Eric Murray and Hamish Bond, who won gold at the 2012 Olympics. It seems that unfortunately their rowing style did not fully translate to the UK, and resulted in them trying to row their boat upside-down.”

The boatie went on to explain how “Caius W1 did not actually capsize but were using an innovative training plan which involved cross-training with swimming.”

We hope that those injured in today’s races recover quickly, and wish Anglia Ruskin the best of luck in Bumps.