Anglia Ruskin Boat Club (ARBC) is the rowing club for members of Anglia Ruskin University. It was known as CCAT Boat Club (usually said as ''sea cat'') until 2008. The name ''CCAT'' derives from a former name for the university, the Cambridgeshire College of Arts and Technology, which is abbreviated to CCAT. The boat club kept the name CCAT much longer than its linked place of education – it was once thought the club would lose its positions in the bumps races if the name were changed, but that is

urban legend An urban legend (sometimes contemporary legend, modern legend, urban myth, or urban tale) is a genre of folklore comprising stories or fallacious claims circulated as true, especially as having happened to a "friend of a friend" or a family m ...

(as is the notion that a club must retain 'college' in its name).

History

Although not affiliated with

Cambridge University , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

, ARBC have rowed in the

Lent Lent ( la, Quadragesima, 'Fortieth') is a solemn religious observance in the liturgical calendar commemorating the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert and enduring temptation by Satan, according to the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke ...

and

May Bumps The May Bumps (also May Races, Mays) are a set of rowing races, held annually on the River Cam in Cambridge, England. They began in 1887 after separating from the Lent Bumps, the equivalent bumping races held at the end of February or start of M ...

since the 1980s as a guest club. CCAT first put a men's crew on in 1988 in both events, and rose quickly to lie in the middle of the 2nd division in both sets of

bumps race A bumps race is a form of rowing race in which a number of boats chase each other in single file, each crew attempting to catch and ‘bump’ the boat in front without being caught by the boat behind. The form is mainly used in intercollegiat ...

s, although recently have slipped into the lower half. The women first appeared in the

in 1983 and Lent Bumps in 1984, but have only had a continuous presence since 1987 in both events. ARBC 1st women rose to take a place in the bottom of the Lents 1st division in the late 1990s but have since faded to the bottom of the 2nd division. In the May Bumps, ARBC 1st women rose to get into the 1st division for two days in

2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...

but have now also fallen to the bottom of the 2nd division. In the 2003 May bumps, the Ladies 2nd VIII won blades, by bumping an unprecedented 5 bumps (, , , , ). ARBC crews also participate in other races and regattas throughout the year; those off the Cam include

Bedford Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population of the Bedford built-up area (including Biddenham and Kempston) was 106,940, making it the second-largest settlement in Bedfordshire, behind Luton, whilst ...

Peterborough Peterborough () is a cathedral city in Cambridgeshire, east of England. It is the largest part of the City of Peterborough unitary authority district (which covers a larger area than Peterborough itself). It was part of Northamptonshire until ...

, and

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. Crews have had quite steady and notable successes, since 2006. The 1st Women won the Novice 8+ in Bedford Regatta 2006. A similar line-up finished 97th out of 274 (including several from abroad) in the Women's (Eights) Head of the River Race that year. The 1st Men and 1st Women won the Sunday Novice 8+ at Peterborough Regatta that year, plus ARBC women took second and third places. There, the next year, the club repeated these wins – in the lowest non-novice category (Senior 4) and the 2nd Women's eight won the Novice eights. In 2014 the women's crew won Blades at the May Bumps, bumping Clare Hall, Fitzwilliam II, First & Third II and Newnham III. In 2017 the men's crew won Blades at May Bumps.

Gallery

File:John Ruskin - Anglia Ruskin University Boat Club.jpg, Rowing boat John Ruskin. File:CCATW12007.jpg, 1st women's blades crew in 2007 & their coach File:CCAT M2 bump Robinson for Blades.jpg, CCAT M2 Blade-winning bump on Robinson M3 in 2007 File:Anglia Ruskin University Boat Club in Cambridge.jpg, Anglia Ruskin Boat Club. File:Anglia Ruskin University Boat Club (ARBC) in Cambridge.jpg, Anglia Ruskin Boat Club (ARBC).

References

* Durack, John; Gilbert, George; Marks, Dr. John (2000). ''The Bumps: An Account of the Cambridge University Bumping Races 1827–1999'' * CUCBC (various years) – Lent and May Bumps programmes.
Bumps Charts Archive 1992–2004

External links

Anglia Ruskin Boat Club
{{Authority control University and college rowing clubs in the United Kingdom Anglia Ruskin University University and college sports clubs in England Sport in Cambridgeshire Sports clubs established in 1980 Rowing clubs in Cambridgeshire Rowing clubs in England Rowing clubs of the River Cam