Head of the Cam 2009:

1st Men:
Time: 9.12
4th fastest overall, 4th College 1st Mays (of 11)

After a productive training camp over Easter at Henley, we knew we were gelling well as a crew and were confident of a good result. However, the day got off on the wrong foot as our 3-man was feeling under the weather and we had to scramble a sub in at the last minute. After half the club had watched/laughed at/filmed our squats warm-up, we pushed off, and were relieved to have a good paddle up with some strong, confident bursts.

The usual marshalling wait ensued, and we forced ourselves to keep hydrated in the beautiful sunshine. We set off behind Downing and, with a rate cap of 32, had a good rolling start and immediately found a strong rhythm with good length down first post reach. Despite a slight wobble around Grassy, we took good lines and were still keeping relaxed, and Andy's insistence on hand speeds off the finish had obviously set in. Rounding Ditton we knew we had to push into the third quarter of the race and we did just that, staying on our split throughout. The last 200m or so were a little uncomnfortable as we emptied the tanks, but with this result we showed that we now have both the fitness and mental strength to be a competitive crew. It's looking very promising for the Bumps already!

Written by Tom Wilson

1st Women
Time: (Not Given)
1st fastest overall!!

Four members of W1 had yet to return to Magdalene for the first race of the term since they were off competing for Cambridge in BUCS. This left the rest of us to race in a IV, meaning that we were the one and only women's IV competing. We were fairly happy about our chances of winning. The race itself was a very good row. After recent outings which lacked balance, we were surpirsed by how well we could sit the boat when we were all concentrating. We even managed to overcome grassy corner, even whilst overtaking a men's IV (yes they were veterans, but still, a men's IV). Down the reach we started to tire but usefully were able to push off a double which had been steadily catching up on us. Out of the railway bridge Robyn was calling the last few hundred metres, then the push and then finally the wind it down. Which didn't seem quite right - where was the marshalls and the beep? Argh! In true W1 style we had decided that we needed a break in the middle of the race and so had wound it down before the finish! We quickly built is back up to race pressure and pushed for the finish, for a second time. We probably lost about 15 seconds of our time, but hey, we won the catergory anyway!

Written by Deborah Smith

2nd Men
Time: 9.54
2nd College Lower Mays (of 16)

Most of M2 met for their first race together in the Head of the Cam. With the bowman on a “work” related weekend break to Eastern Europe and the number six spending the weekend running 1500m; two subs were drafted in meaning, for a change, that the cox was no longer the most experienced when it came to actually rowing! After a slow paddle up to Chesterton, filled with many balanced pauses at arms away, one of the subs succeeded in breaking his footplate. An improvised repair and much more queuing later, M2 reached the motorway bridge and marshalling area. With M1 just a boat ahead, overtaking seemed unlikely. Setting off in the bright sunshine and pushing the elderly crew behind off into the distance, the boat was moving smoothly and balanced with a solid rhythm. As the pain began to hit towards the end of the reach, M2 began increasing the pressure and accelerated Bishop Simon past Bishop Simon. With the cox’s calls of a steadily decreasing distance driving everyone to burn every last calorie to fully justify the greasy brunch to come. However, mysteriously the calls stayed at 100m for much further than expected as M2 broke with MBC’s tradition of stopping at the P&E for a rest before finishing the race. The long push for the finish helped push the final time down and the tanks really were empty. As ever, the reward of cake was waiting at the boathouse.

Written by Matthew Schabas

2nd/3rd Women Composite
Time: 11.49
2nd College Lower Mays (of 7)

After much discussion as to who could/couldn’t make the race we ended up racing in a W2/3 combined boat with 4 rowers from each crew. Amazingly we had the right number from each side and rowing up to the start it was surprisingly sat.

We wound it up over the start to about 28 - maybe a bit too slow and relaxed but it was my first time ever stroking a race. With a few pushes out of the corners it felt good coming up to the P&E, where we thought the finish was. We pushed for the end and wound it down, only to be told we had another 200m to go! Overall we came 2nd in our division, which considering the circumstances was an achievement, and means we can only get faster.

Written by Kate Husband

3rd Men
Time: 10.34
10th College Lower Mays (of 16)

It was a tentative crew that presented themselves at the boat house. A gents' boat, perhaps, a mixture of experience, heights, technique and weight. The lowest ranked boat entered with little preparation; cancelled outings from a thirsty cox. Half the boat rowing on the wrong side. Obviously nothing could be drawn from the race, it was simply practice, a weekend outing at a slightly higher pace - see what's in the tank. Perfect weather on the row up, just enough of a breeze to make a wyvern fly. The boat was sat nicely through the practice starts, slightly scrappy at higher rates. A rolling start, the worst sort; always providing ample opportunity to not get quite up to speed, as proved the case. What Cambridge rowing is missing from not rigging up some huge red and green starting lights on the motorway bridge (which, for the record, is an A road). It felt alright, timing nice with the power going down, little did we know that hidden behind Ditton's corner was a quickly advancing vessel. Then from nowhere a scary purple beast bearing down on us - Downing's finest, or at least their second finest. A battle through first gut-reach spreading panic through the Magdalene fleet. Rating up, technique down. It was a scene more reminiscent of bumps than head racing. Relax, came the shouts, relax boys. Slowly panic turned to determination, a rhythm to make a Swiss watchmaker proud developed, producing a humming engine of power in the middle of the boat. Slowly the purple advance subsided, the beast was rounding grassy second post knoll and that long straight bit lay ahead. The reach, always a choppy mistress where the cold winds blow, but not today. Only the relentless heat that a Cambridge April can provide. Was that the rumble of a train? No, twas the mighty sound of glorious unison, Catch, Back, Catch, Back. Stroke after countless stroke widening the gap between us and them. A final, agonising push for home. Ten minutes and thirty four seconds. One second slower than Downing. Second fastest third boat, seconds faster than some second boats. Plenty left in the tank.

Written by Nick Howard