Women's Eights Head of the River Race
Encyclopedia
The Women's Eights Head of the River Race (WEHoRR) is a processional rowing
race held annually on the Tideway
of the River Thames
in London
on the 4¼ mile (6.8 km) Championship Course
from Mortlake
to Putney
.
A mirror of the Eights Head of the River
for male crews, it is held a fortnight earlier when the tides are similar. It is raced on the outgoing tide and starting around one hour after high tide in order to maximise advantage from the tidal flow.
Around 300 crews of women (with the occasional male coxswain) compete for over a dozen trophies and pennants. There are categories for beginners, elite and veteran rowers.
LARC. This race was run as a side-by-side race, with Weybridge winning in a boat borrowed from Thames Rowing Club
. The second year featured the same two crews, and the same result. In 1929, for the third race, there was the addition of Alpha, having formed in a split from Ace in 1927. Alpha won this running of the race.
The first running of the race in processional format was in 1930, as the entries had risen to five, making it impossible to run fairly in the side-by-side format on the tidal river. Furnivall Sculling Club
(then an all women's club) won this first processional version of the race. It then continued in similar format annually until the outbreak of war
in 1939.
The event restarted in 1950, with a shortened course of 2 miles, as it was felt that the effects of the war years and food rationing
made the full course too hard. Entries grew from the original five to twelve by the mid 50s, and then declined to only six by the mid 60s. The lack of sectional boats meant that it was extremely difficult to transport boats from further afield, so the event was largely confined to the London clubs.
In the period from the 80s onwards with entries rising ten-fold from 27 in 1977 to 300 in 2009. International crews have been visiting London to compete and entries have come from France
, Germany
, Italy
, Spain
, Sweden
, Switzerland
, the Netherlands
and USA.
The 2009 race was held on 7 March, 2009 at 12.30pm, won by London / Hollandia / Thames / Marlow / UL
The 2010 race was held on 13 March, 2010 at 3pm, won by Gloucester / Imperial College / Marlow / Reading University / Thames / UL
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...
race held annually on the Tideway
Tideway
The Tideway is a name given to the part of the River Thames in England that is subject to tides. This stretch of water is downstream from Teddington Lock and is just under long...
of 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,...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
on the 4¼ mile (6.8 km) Championship Course
The Championship Course
The stretch of the River Thames between Mortlake and Putney in London, England is a well-established course for rowing races, most famously the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race. It is often referred to as The Championship Course...
from Mortlake
Mortlake
Mortlake is a district of London, England and part of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It is on the south bank of the River Thames between Kew and Barnes with East Sheen inland to the south. Mortlake was part of Surrey until 1965.-History:...
to Putney
Putney
Putney is a district in south-west London, England, located in the London Borough of Wandsworth. It is situated south-west of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London....
.
A mirror of the Eights Head of the River
Head of the River Race
The Head of the River Race is a processional rowing race held annually on the River Thames in London, England, on the 4.25 mile Championship Course from Mortlake to Putney.-History:...
for male crews, it is held a fortnight earlier when the tides are similar. It is raced on the outgoing tide and starting around one hour after high tide in order to maximise advantage from the tidal flow.
Around 300 crews of women (with the occasional male coxswain) compete for over a dozen trophies and pennants. There are categories for beginners, elite and veteran rowers.
History
The race was first held in 1927 following the first running of the men's version in 1926. At first it was simply a match between Ace and WeybridgeWeybridge
Weybridge is a town in the Elmbridge district of Surrey in South East England. It is bounded to the north by the River Thames at the mouth of the River Wey, from which it gets its name...
LARC. This race was run as a side-by-side race, with Weybridge winning in a boat borrowed from Thames Rowing Club
Thames Rowing Club
Thames Rowing Club is a rowing club situated on the River Thames in Putney, London, United Kingdom. It was founded in 1860.-Club colours:Red, white and black in stripes, the white stripe lying between the red and black and being of half their width....
. The second year featured the same two crews, and the same result. In 1929, for the third race, there was the addition of Alpha, having formed in a split from Ace in 1927. Alpha won this running of the race.
The first running of the race in processional format was in 1930, as the entries had risen to five, making it impossible to run fairly in the side-by-side format on the tidal river. Furnivall Sculling Club
Furnivall Sculling Club
Furnivall Sculling Club is a rowing club based on the Tideway in Hammersmith, London. It was founded as Hammersmith Sculling Club in 1896 by Dr Frederick James Furnivall. Originally a club for women only, it opened its doors to men in 1901...
(then an all women's club) won this first processional version of the race. It then continued in similar format annually until the outbreak of war
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
in 1939.
The event restarted in 1950, with a shortened course of 2 miles, as it was felt that the effects of the war years and food rationing
Rationing
Rationing is the controlled distribution of scarce resources, goods, or services. Rationing controls the size of the ration, one's allotted portion of the resources being distributed on a particular day or at a particular time.- In economics :...
made the full course too hard. Entries grew from the original five to twelve by the mid 50s, and then declined to only six by the mid 60s. The lack of sectional boats meant that it was extremely difficult to transport boats from further afield, so the event was largely confined to the London clubs.
In the period from the 80s onwards with entries rising ten-fold from 27 in 1977 to 300 in 2009. International crews have been visiting London to compete and entries have come from France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
and USA.
Records
| Award | Year | Time | Crew |
|---|---|---|---|
| Head | 2000 | 18:06.40 | Marlow/NCRA/QT/Sheff/Thames |
| Intermediate 1 | 2011 | 18:53.69 | Reading University BC A |
| Club | 2000 | 18:08.35 | Marlow RC Marlow Rowing Club Marlow Rowing Club is an amateur rowing club, on the River Thames in England. It is situated on the southern bank of the Thames at Marlow, Buckinghamshire just beside Marlow Bridge and on the reach above Marlow Lock.... |
| Overseas | 1995 | 18:40.30 | Deutscher Ruderverband |
| University | 2007 | 19:09.63 | Osiris BC A |
| Provincial Club | 2007 | 19:16.81 | Agecroft RC Agecroft Rowing Club Agecroft Rowing Club currently operates from Salford Quays, England.- History :There has been rowing in Manchester and Salford since 1823, with more than 15 clubs operating during the 1860s. Agecroft R.C. was formed by the gradual merging of these River Irwell-based clubs. Agecroft R.C... A |
| Senior | 1998 | 19:01.73 | Kingston RC Kingston Rowing Club Kingston Rowing Club is an amateur rowing club, based in England, founded in 1858.The club is one of the world's oldest and most successful amateur rowing clubs... A |
| Intermediate 2 | 2007 | 18:59.76 | Imp Col/Jesus Col(Cam)/London/Wallingf'd/Westm'r |
| School/Junior | 2011 | 19:34.90 | Lady Eleanor Holles BC |
| Veteran | 2011 | 19:37.18 | Barnes Bridge Ladies RC A |
| Intermediate 3 | 2010 | 19:34.02 | Oxford Brookes University BC |
| Novice Academic | 1998 | 20:29.81 | Emmanuel BC (Cam) A |
| Novice Club | 2004 | 20:25.43 | Reading RC Reading Rowing Club Reading Rowing Club is an amateur rowing club, on the River Thames in England. It is situated on the Berkshire bank of the Thames at Reading, Berkshire just above Caversham Bridge and on the reach above Caversham Lock.... B |
Recent races
| Pennant | Crew | Time | Finish | Start |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Head | Leander | 18:06.57 | 1 | 1 |
| Intermediate 1 | Reading University BC A | 18:53.69 | 3 | 2 |
| University | Oxford Brookes University BC | 19:22.66 | 7 | 14 |
| Overseas | SC Tucano Urbano | 19:20.63 | 5 | 10 |
| Club | Agecroft RC A | 19:22.07 | 6 | 11 |
| Senior | Nottingham RC A | 19:29.47 | 9 | 8 |
| Provincial Club | York City RC A | 20.22.56 | 43 | 25 |
| Intermediate 2 | Cambridge University Women's BC | 19:30.36 | 10 | 16 |
| Intermediate 3 | Bath University BC/Clydesdale ARC/Tees RC | 20.05.95 | 33 | 238 |
| Masters | Barnes Bridge Ladies RC A | 19.37.18 | 34 | 18 |
| School/Junior | Lady Eleanor Holles BC | 19.34.90 | 12 | 33 |
| Novice Academic | Newcastle University BC B | 21.12.80 | 107 | 115 |
| Novice Club | Thames RC D | 21.30.94 | 94 | 98 |
| HMF | Royal Air Force RC | 21.58.19 | 178 | 199 |
The 2009 race was held on 7 March, 2009 at 12.30pm, won by London / Hollandia / Thames / Marlow / UL
The 2010 race was held on 13 March, 2010 at 3pm, won by Gloucester / Imperial College / Marlow / Reading University / Thames / UL