Message from the President

Welcome to the Cambridge University Women’s Boat Club website. I hope that it gives you an impression of what it is like to be involved with rowing at the highest level within Cambridge University.

The club’s main aim is to produce three crews – the Blue Boat, the Lightweight Boat and Blondie (the heavyweight reserve boat) - capable of beating Oxford at the Henley Boat Races at Easter. In 2007 we fielded three strong crews, with the Blue Boat gaining victory over Oxford for the second time in the last three years. CUWBC also had their most successful trip ever to the BUSA Championships, coming home with 3 gold medals and a silver, out of 6 boats entered. The Blue Boat and the Lightweights won Championship and Junior eights respectively, with the Blue Boat’s victory meaning that they qualified to represent Great Britain at the European University Championships in September.

The first steps towards forming the Henley Boat Races crews take place over the first 4 weeks of the summer vacation in late June and early July, when the summer development squad runs. All college rowers are welcome and encouraged to apply, and it is aimed at helping to improve technique in a more intensive environment than term time without the pressure of academic work. The trialling process then begins in September and throughout the winter our crews train towards the ultimate aim of the Henley Boat Races, 6 months, and many hundreds of hours training, later. From early February, the crews are set, and the three groups of nine people are turned into a single unit that is well and truly prepared physically, technically and psychologically to take on Oxford. The 2008 Henley Boat Races are on Sunday 23rd March we would love you to join us in Henley to give the crews your support.

If you have any questions or comments, whether as an aspiring CUWBC rower, a potential sponsor, or anyone else keen to share our enthusiasm for excellence in rowing, then do not hesitate to get in touch with the committee, the details for which are on the contacts page.

Claire Hansell

CUWBC President 2007-08