The Blue Boat is the highest level boat representing the University of Oxford

University of Oxford

The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...

 or the University of Cambridge

University of Cambridge

The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...

 in the Universities' annual rowing

Sport rowing

Rowing is a sport in which athletes race against each other on rivers, on lakes or on the ocean, depending upon the type of race and the discipline. The boats are propelled by the reaction forces on the oar blades as they are pushed against the water...

 clash on the River Thames

River Thames

The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...

: The Boat Race

The Boat Race

The event generally known as "The Boat Race" is a rowing race in England between the Oxford University Boat Club and the Cambridge University Boat Club, rowed between competing eights each spring on the River Thames in London. It takes place generally on the last Saturday of March or the first...

. Their female counterparts and lightweight

Lightweight rowing

Lightweight rowing is a special category of rowing where limits are placed on the maximum weight of competitors. The rationale is that larger, taller people have a small but significant physical advantage and tend to dominate the sport...

 crews of both genders race annually at the Henley Boat Races

Henley Boat Races

The Henley Boat Races are a number of rowing races between the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge. Taking place on the River Thames at Henley, they are for crews that do not compete in the main University Boat Race on the 6,779m Championship Course in London:* Women's Boat Race *...

, with the first VIII in each event there also referred to as a Blue Boat.
"Blue

Blue

Blue is a colour, the perception of which is evoked by light having a spectrum dominated by energy with a wavelength of roughly 440–490 nm. It is considered one of the additive primary colours. On the HSV Colour Wheel, the complement of blue is yellow; that is, a colour corresponding to an equal...

" refers to the oarsmen and women in these first boats each earning their University Sporting Blue

University Sporting Blue

A Blue is an award earned by sportsmen and women at a university and some schools for competition at the highest level. The awarding of Blues began at Oxford and Cambridge Universities...

, an honour bestowed on sportsmen and women of each university who compete at the highest level in certain sports in Oxford/Cambridge competitions. Oxford is commonly referred to as the "Dark Blues" and Cambridge as the "Light Blues". Cambridge blue (the sporting variety) actually appears greenish. http://www.indigoclothing.com/uk/cambridge/blue/

The shades of blue used in the universities are both rowing colours of Eton College

Eton College

Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....

, whose alumni founded the respective boat clubs, and have been adopted by the universities as a whole.

At the annual gala after the race, The Boat Race Ball, members of Oxford's Dark Blue Boat traditionally wear dark blue blazers with dark blue trim. Members of Cambridge's Light Blue Boat wear a similar blazer in the light blue Cambridge colours. Lightweight crews wear Half-Blue colours, while the various reserve boats (listed below) wear more outlandish stylings.

• Openweight mens' reserves: Isis (Oxford) and Goldie (Cambridge)
• Openweight womens' reserves: Osiris (Oxford) and Blondie (Cambridge)
• Lightweight mens' reserves: Nephthys (Oxford) and Granta (Cambridge)