The Cambridge University Boat Club (CUBC) is the

rowing Rowing is the act of propelling a human-powered watercraft using the sweeping motions of oars to displace water and generate reactional propulsion. Rowing is functionally similar to paddling, but rowing requires oars to be mechanically ...

club of the

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a public collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209 and granted a royal charter by Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the world's third oldest surviving university and one of its most pr ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. The club was founded in 1828 and has been located at the

Goldie Boathouse Goldie Boathouse is the fitness and administrative base of Cambridge University Boat Club (CUBC), located on the river Cam in Cambridge, England. It was originally the University boathouse and was named after CUBC's President J. H. D. Goldie, ...

on the River Cam,

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a College town, university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cam ...

since 1882. Nowadays, training primarily takes place on the River Great Ouse at Ely. The prime constitutional aim of CUBC is to beat

Oxford University Boat Club Oxford University Boat Club (OUBC) is the rowing club for male, heavyweight oarsman of the University of Oxford, England, located on the River Thames at Oxford. The club was founded in the early 19th century. The Boat Race The club races agai ...

Oxford University Women's Boat Club Oxford University Women's Boat Club (OUWBC) is the rowing club for female rowers (and coxes of either sex) who are students at the University of Oxford. The club was founded in 1926 and is now based in Wallingford at the Fleming Boat Hous ...

Oxford University Lightweight Rowing Club Oxford University Lightweight Rowing Club (OULRC) is the university rowing club for lightweight men at the University of Oxford which selects crews to race against Cambridge University Boat Club in the Lightweight Boat Races at the end of H ...

and

Oxford University Women's Lightweight Rowing Club The Oxford University Women's Lightweight Rowing Club was established in 1984 to represent the University of Oxford in the race against the Cambridge University Boat Club at the Lightweight Boat Races. Throughout the season, the Club races a ...

in the annual

Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race The Boat Race is an annual set of rowing races between the Cambridge University Boat Club and the Oxford University Boat Club, traditionally rowed between open-weight eights on the River Thames in London, England. There are separate men' ...

and Lightweight Boat Races. CUBC's openweight men's squad currently lead OUBC in the series by 85 races to 80, with 1 dead heat in

The Boat Race 1877 The 34th Boat Race took place on 24 March 1877. The Boat Race is an annual side-by-side rowing race between crews from the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge along the River Thames. The race ended in a dead heat, the only time the event h ...

, while the openweight women's squad lead OUWBC by 45 races to 30. The lightweight men's squad lead OULRC by 29 races to 19, and the lightweight women's squad lead OUWLRC by 22 races to 17.

History

The inaugural meeting of Cambridge University Boat Club took place at

Gonville and Caius College Gonville and Caius College, often referred to simply as Caius ( ), is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1348, it is the fourth-oldest of the University of Cambridge's 31 colleges and one of th ...

on 9 December 1828. Following this meeting, it was agreed that a challenge be sent to the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

to organise a race between representatives of the two universities. A letter was sent to Oxford in which they were challenged "to row a match at or near London, each in an eight-oared boat during the ensuing Easter vacation". Consequently, the first Boat Race took place at Henley-on-Thames in June 1829. The first

Women's Boat Race The Women's Boat Race is an annual rowing race between Cambridge University Women's Boat Club and Oxford University Women's Boat Club. First rowed in 1927, the race has taken place annually since 1964. Since the 2015 race it has been rowed on ...

was raced in 1927 on the

Isis Isis (; ''Ēse''; ; Meroitic: ''Wos'' 'a''or ''Wusa''; Phoenician: 𐤀𐤎, romanized: ʾs) was a major goddess in ancient Egyptian religion whose worship spread throughout the Greco-Roman world. Isis was first mentioned in the Old Kin ...

at Oxford, Cambridge was represented by a crew from

Newnham College Newnham College is a women's constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was founded in 1871 by a group organising Lectures for Ladies, members of which included philosopher Henry Sidgwick and suffragist campaigner Millice ...

in front of hostile crowds. They were later joined by students from

Girton College Girton College is one of the Colleges of the University of Cambridge, 31 constituent colleges of the University of Cambridge. The college was established in 1869 by Emily Davies and Barbara Bodichon as the first women's college in Cambridge. In 1 ...

to form

CUWBC Cambridge University Women's Boat Club (CUWBC) was the rowing club for women at the University of Cambridge. CUWBC fielded both a lightweight eight that races against Oxford at the Henley Boat Races, and two openweight eights that race at the W ...

for the 1941 Boat Race. CULRC was formed in 1974 to provide a lightweight crew to race OULRC in the first Lightweight Boat Race in 1975. In 1984 CUWBC fielded a lightweight women's crew for the first Lightweight Women's Boat Race at Henley. These races remained in Henley until the

moved to the Championship course in London in 2015, followed by the Men's Lightweight Boat Race in 2019 and the Women's Lightweight Boat Race in 2020. CUBC was one of five clubs which retained the right until 2012 to appoint representatives to the Council of

British Rowing British Rowing, formerly the Amateur Rowing Association (ARA), is the national governing body for the sport of rowing (both indoor and on-water rowing). It is responsible for the training and selection of individual rowers and crews representi ...

. The others were

Leander Club Leander Club, founded in 1818, is one of the oldest rowing clubs in the world, and the oldest non-academic club. It is based in Remenham in Berkshire, England and adjoins Henley-on-Thames. Only three other surviving clubs were founded prior t ...

London Rowing Club London Rowing Club (LRC, or colloquially, 'London') is the second-oldest of the non-academic active rowing clubs on the Thames in London, United Kingdom. It was founded in 1856 by members of the long-disbanded Argonauts Club wishing to compete at ...

Thames Rowing Club The Thames Rowing Club (TRC) is a rowing club based on the tidal Thames as it flows through the western suburbs of London. The TRC clubhouse stands on Putney Embankment. The club was founded in 1860. As at July 2022, Thames had won events at H ...

and

. On 1 August 2020, CUBC formally merged with

Cambridge University Women's Boat Club Cambridge University Women's Boat Club (CUWBC) was the rowing club for women at the University of Cambridge. CUWBC fielded both a lightweight eight that races against Oxford at the Henley Boat Races, and two openweight eights that race at the ...

and Cambridge University Lightweight Rowing Club to form a new combined club to compete against Oxford clubs in the annual boat races. This followed a vote in April 2020 by members of all three clubs which was overwhelmingly in favour of the merger. The merger and subsequent rebrand led to a new visual identity for Cambridge University Boat Club. The new logo kept the old colours of red and black, but added yellow, the traditional team kit colour of the men’s and women’s reserve crews, Goldie and Blondie.

Notability

CUBC has produced numerous

Olympic Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece b ...

-level rowers in its history. During the Boat Race period both the Men's

Blue Boat The Blue Boat is the highest level boat representing the University of Oxford or the University of Cambridge in the universities' annual rowing races on the River Thames, The Boat Race and Women's Boat Race. As of 2016, the women's first VIII ...

and

Goldie Clifford Joseph Price MBE (born 19 September 1965), better known as Goldie, is a British music producer and DJ. Initially gaining exposure for his work as a graffiti artist, Goldie became well known for his pioneering role as a musician in t ...

crews boat from King's College School's Boat House on the Putney embankment while the Women's Blue Boat and Blondie crews boat from

. During the Lightweight Boat Race period, CUBC Lightweight Men boat from

and Lightweight Women boat from

Honours

British champions

Key = 2, 4, 8 (crew size), x (sculls), - (coxless), + (coxed)

Henley Royal Regatta

Gallery

File:KCSBoathousePutney2007boatr.gif, Anxious wait at the start of the 2007 Boat Race. File:Bundesarchiv Bild 102-12716, Cambridge, Rudertraining der Hochschulmannschaft.jpg, Winter Training in a 20-man boat, 1931 File:CUBC coach on horseback engraving 1866.jpg, Coach on Horseback, 1866 File:CUBC practicing 1899.jpg, CUBC practising in 1899 File:CUBC VIII photo ILN 1892.jpg, CUBC crew in 1892 File:Muttlebury coaching CUBC from steamer 1892.jpg,

Stanley Muttlebury Stanley Duff Muttlebury (29 April 1866 – 3 May 1933) was an English rower notable in the annals of rowing and the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race. Parentage Muttlebury was born 29 April 1866 in London, England, the only child of Captain Jame ...

coaching CUBC from a steamer, 1892

References

Notes Bibliography * {{Authority control Sports clubs established in the 1820s 1828 establishments in England University and college rowing clubs in the United Kingdom The Boat Race Sports organizations established in 1828 Rowing clubs in Cambridgeshire Rowing clubs of the River Cam Rowing clubs of the River Great Ouse