Homerton College Boat Club

Homerton College Boat Club

Location	Cambridge, England
Coordinates	52°12′41.28″N 0°7′48.78″E / 52.2114667°N 0.1302167°E / 52.2114667; 0.1302167
Home water	River Cam
Founded	1977
Membership	Homerton College, Cambridge
Affiliations	British Rowing CUCBC
Website	homerton.cam.ac.uk/homerton-life/sports/homerton-college-boat-club-hcbc

Homerton College Boat Club (HCBC) is the rowing club for members of Homerton College, University of Cambridge. HCBC colours are navy blue with white trim, and HCBC boats can be identified by white blades with a single navy blue stripe towards the tip of the spoon. (Homerton Blue Hex Code: #213367)

The Club exists to provide the opportunity for members of Homerton College to row, cox, coach and compete in various rowing events within and outside of Cambridge. The Club is open to all members of the College, and most members of HCBC have no prior rowing experience before joining. Further, many have rowed for the first time with HCBC and later gone on to row for the University. The competitive focus each year is to maintain and improve the Club's positions in May, and Lent, Bumps. Wider aims are to increase participation in rowing, to allow members to challenge themselves, test their physical and mental limits, to learn how to develop and improve a team, rowing as crew to the maximum of the collective potential, harnessing those gold-dust experiences of synergy, and above all to have fun and build friendships whilst doing so.

Homerton College Boat Club first competed in the women's Lent and May Bumps in 1978, four years after the women's bumps divisions commenced in the Mays, and two years after women's racing began in the Lents. The first club blades were awarded to W1 and W3 in 1980. The highest position attained to date by either HCBC a Women's or Men's crew was achieved by HCBC Women's 1st VIII (W1) reaching second in the Lents Women's First Division in 1986.^[1] In the May Bumps, the highest position attained by either a Women's or Men's crew was 5th, achieved by W1 in the Women's First Division in 1985. Throughout this period of sustained success many Homerton College Boat Club women won University colours in rowing for CUWBC, under the guidance of veteran GB coaches Roger Silk and Ron Needs. During this period no men's crew entered the Lent Bumps, and the men of Homerton competed just twice, in 1981 and 1984, earning the first M1 blades in 1984.

The Men's crew was truly established in 1992 and started working their way through the lower divisions of both Lent and May bumps. In the space of 10 years, the Men's 1st VIII (M1) boat rose over 3 whole divisions to the top of Division 3 in 2002. This included going up an astonishing 21 places between 2000 and 2001, moving from P10 in Division 4 to P6 in Division 3 with a run that included 6 bumps (including one as the sandwich boat), an overbump, a double overbump and a triple overbump. As mentioned below, rising 13 places in a single set of bumps racing in 2001 remains an Oxbridge record.

After a few years battling around the top of Division 3, the Men's 1st VIII crew raced twice on the final day of May Bumps 2007, first bumping up in the Division 3 race to move to the head of the Division, and again 90 minutes later, this time starting at the bottom of Division 2 (aka rowing as the 'sandwich boat', a gruelling ask at the best of times). Their second race of the day ended by bumping on Plough Reach in front of the most crowded section of the course, finally bursting through into Division 2 and away from the sandwich boat position for the first time.

Despite the increased level of competition, now racing against mainly other 1st VIIIs, guided by the long-term planning and expert coaching of Sergej Using (also captain of Cambridge 99's Boat Club, Henley Masters medal-winner and ex-pro basketball player) the Men's 1st VIII progressed smoothly through Division 2 over the following few years, winning blades again in 2008 and 2010, and narrowly missing out in 2011 (only going up 3 places). On the final race of the final day May Bumps 2012, again rowing twice in 90 minutes as the sandwich boat and at the end of a grueling week, HCBC M1 bumped Churchill M1 to win their fourth set of blades in 6 years, and with it breaking through into the May Bumps Men's First Division for the first time in the Club's history.

After consistently building the Women's 1st VIII and squad from the end of the 2000s, and a number of hard-fought but unsuccessful battles on the water, W1 results took a significant upswing after the establishment of long term coach Mike Edey and his process-driven approach. Without Lent or May blades since 1981, the W1 earnt May blades in 2015, the first for the crew in 34 years. Lightning often strikes twice, and in 2017, HCBC's Women's 1st VIII, rowing in a brand new Janousek boat named 'Edey' in honour of their coach, W1 went up four places, obtaining blades again and securing their spot in the Women's Mays First Division, the first time that Homerton Women's 1st VIII had been in that position since 2000.^[2]

In 2019, HCBC moved into a new boathouse, co-funded by and shared with City of Cambridge Rowing Club, and St Mary's School, Cambridge. The new boathouse is home to 4 dynamic RP3 rowers, 12 C2 rowers and a full weights section and clubroom. The first bumps races with the new boathouse were successful, with M1 going +2 and W1 going +1 in Lents 2020. The new facilities bought about a new mindset for the club, with an aim to enter more external races, and compete nationally with HCBC at Head of the River Race (HoRR) each year. Unfortunately, the 2020 COVID pandemic led to the cancellation of HoRR and Mays 2020. The Lent Bumps 2021 were replaced by a 'virtual' race in which members of each crew had to run 800m and log their times. In the 'virtual Lent Bumps', Homerton M1 won superblades. Mays 2021 was replaced by the June Eights Regatta.

In the first set of bumps races after the pandemic, M1 had a cracking performance, going +6 and earning true 'superblades', with three bumps and an overbump. Homerton M1 was the only first men’s boat to obtain blades in Lents 2022. The 2022 M1 Crew also took Homerton to HoRR for the first time since 2013, and set a precedent such that each year since a Homerton M1 has returned to HoRR. The early 2020s have also seen great success from the lower boats, with M2 earning especially convincing blades in 2023, bumping within 400m each day, and W3 going +9 in 2024, the highest ever climb for a HCBC women's crew. This success from W3 was a key contributor to HCBC's first Pegasus Cup win in 2024 - awarded annually to the most successful college boat club competing in the Cambridge May Bumping Races.

2024 also saw the first ever international trip for Homerton College Boat Club in its history. HCBC combined with St Peter's College Boat Club, Oxford (SPCBC) for form a combined 'Oxbridge' crew to compete in the 8th annual Nanchang International Regatta in China. The event, held on the 15th-19th of August, attracted crews from institutions including the University of Sydney, Yale University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the University of Tokyo, alongside teams from across China. The crews competed in two disciplines: 1000m side-by-side racing as well as a 6000m head race. In boat races the combined crew finished a very respectable 4th out of around a dozen crews.

• M1 Mays 1984
• M1 Mays 1992
• M1 Mays 1997
• M1 Mays 1998
• M1 Mays 2000
• M1 Mays 2001
• M1 Lents 2004
• M1 Mays 2008
• M1 Lents 2009
• M1 Mays 2010
• M1 Lents 2013
• M1 Lents 2022

• W1 Mays 1980
• W1 Mays 1981
• W1 Lents 1985
• W1 Mays 2005
• W1 Mays 2017

The Homerton College Boat Club Men's 1st VIII hold the Oxbridge record for the most places advanced during one series of bumps (either Mays, Lents, or Torpids/Eights for Oxford), advancing 13 places in the May Bumps 2001 by bumping LMBC IV on day one, and sandwiching up to division 3 by bumping Corpus II, overbumping Sidney II and triple-overbumping 1st & 3rd III the following two days and bumping Selwyn II on the final day to take blades.^[3]

In May 2017, the Club broke the world record for longest continuous row on a Concept2 rowing machine. Members of the club took shifts rowing on the same machine for 4 days 12 hours and 10 minutes, keeping the flywheel spinning constantly through day and night, and supported by friends and fellow Homertonians in full view in the college's Buttery (bar/cafeteria).^[4][5]

List of known members of University Boat Clubs:

• 2019: Dave Bell (Blue Boat)
• 2014: Mike Thorp (Blue Boat)
• 2013: Henry Fieldman (Blue Boat)
• 2013: Mike Thorp (Goldie)
• 2012: Mike Thorp (Blue Boat - won)
• 2011: Mike Thorp (Blue Boat)
• 2010: Mike Thorp (Goldie - won)
• 2002: Andreas MacFarlane (triallist)
• 1999-2000: Dan McSherry (Goldie)
• 1998-1999: Dan McSherry (spare)
• 1996-97: Suzie K. Ellis (cox, Goldie - won)

• 2020: Morgan Morrison (Lightweight - won)
• 2018: Stephanie Payne (Lightweight - won)
• 2015: Daphne Martschenko^[6] (NB - first Women's Tideway Boat Race)
• 2013: Alex Courage (Lightweight)
• 2011: Anna Beare (Lightweight - won)
• 2004: Rachael Hanley (Blondie), Catherine Sutherland (Blondie)
• 2002: Ulrike Münch-Klever (Spare)
• 2001: Hannah Cadman (Lightweights), Ruth Pidgeon (cox - Trial 8s)
• 1999: Adrienne Ferguson, Emma Wylie (Lightweight)
• 1998: Emma Wylie (Lightweight)
• 1996: J Harkins, Anne Rowland, Emma Wilkinson (Blondie)
• 1995: Siobhan Cassidy (née McKenna)
• 1994: Anne Rowland
• 1993: Rachel Crew, Emma Wright (Blondie)
• 1992: Jenny Wagstaff, Rachel Crew, Francesca Chalmers (Blondie)
• 1991: Francesca Chalmers

• 2011: Chris Bellamy (Pres)
• 2009-10: Chris Bellamy (won)
• 2005-06: Che Meakins (Granta), Richard Harrington (Spare)
• 2002-03: Dave Pearce (Spare)
• 1992: Fiona Pritchard (Cox)

• 2005-06: Sam Farmer
• 2002-03: Devin-Paul O'Brien
• 1994-95: Pippa Taylor

In May 2004, the position of HCBC President was founded at the Club AGM and written into the Club constitution. The role of President is to oversee the running of HCBC by the executive committee (composed of Captains and other elected and co-opted student officials, ordinarily rotated annually), and along with the Senior Treasurer, a College fellow appointed by Homerton College, to ensure the long-term success of the Club and contribution to College life.

• 2020–present: Jonathan Rackham and Shruti Chaudhri
• 2014–2020: Sam Farmer
• 2014–2015: Oliver Rubens
• 2006–2014: Adam Marsh
• 2004–2006: Ruth Pidgeon
• 1984–1985: Emma Dalseme

The HCBC Senior Treasurer is a member of Homerton College staff appointed to oversee and help the long term running of the Boat Club, and is the direct conduit between the Club and the College.

• 2021–present: Dr William Fawcett^[7]
• 2020–2021: Dr Alice White
• 2018-2020: Dr Francesca Moore^[8]
• 1995–2018: Philip Stephenson (now Emeritus Fellow)

The HCBC Men's and Women's Captains are responsible for organizing the training and day-to-day logistics or the Men's and Women's sides respectively.

Men's and Women's Captains of Homerton College Boat Club

Academic Year	Men's Captain	Women's Captain
2024-25	Lenny Hall	Aimee Cooper
2023-24	Thomas McCarter	Kira Dhariwal
2022-23	Aaron Lennard	Elizabeth Willey
2021-22	Tom Tyler	Beth Merrifield & Lucy Cole
2020-21	Lucy Dayer	Kevin Glasgow
2019-20	Alex Lemery & Jonathan Birtwell-Vorderman	Zelna Weich & Morgan Morrison
2018-19	I. P. G. Cameron	Segolene Gence
2017-18	M. Nagy	Anastasia Kopytina
2016-17	J. M. M. Kane	Olivia Buckland & Mary Spence
2015-16	R. H. Goerke	Hannah Sands
2014-15	C. R. Goodfellow	Charlotte Edgerley
2013-14	T. B. Finney	Georgia Feldmanis
2012-13	S. A. Payne	Fiona Stewart & Alex Courage
2011-12	M. J. Hall & J. C. Rackham	Sophie Bell
2010-11	O. J. Rubens	Meredith Wood
2009-10	Fred J. W. Lord	Amy Munro-Faure & Leonie Taylor
2008-09	Fred J. W. Lord	Imogen Ireland
2007-08	Enno R. Oldewurtel	Louise Hainsworth
2006-07	Daniel E. W. W. Ham	Amy Lessington
2005-06	Jing Dong Chen	Emma Wright
2004-05	Che P. L. Meakins	Rhiannon Wynne & Rachel MacDonald
2003-04	Richard A. Harrington	Hannah Derbyshire
2002-03	Tim. T. Webb	Georgina Fowke
2001-02	Devin-Paul J. O'Brien	Jennifer Hubbard

HCBC Club kit is based on the colours of the Club, blue with white trim. However (in most years) the colours of the Club Zephyr (garment) are reversed, and are white with blue trim.

It is traditional to wear a sock of each of the boat club's colours when racing with a blue sock on the foot opposite the rigger.

(Details and dates tbc)

Below is a list of boats that comprise the HCBC fleet, past and present (retired boats are marked with retd.). Alongside each boat is a list of principal crews / dates (where appropriate), as well as any significant or otherwise interesting notes.

Crews:

• Women's 1st VI+
• Men's 1st VI+

Notes:

"Geoff", named in honour of former Homerton College Principal, Professor Geoff Ward, was officially launched at a ceremony in December 2021, the same day as the Fairbairn Cup Races earlier that day.^[9] Officially naming the new boat with a spray of champagne, Prof. Ward said "I am touched to have had a new boat named after me. I wish our excellent rowers many years of success and pleasure on the water with ‘Geoff’."

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Crews:

• Women's 1st VIII (2017 - )

Notes:

HCBC's first Janousek was named Edey named after longtime coach Mike Edey and launched in 2017.

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Crews:

(tbc)

• Men's 1st VIII
• Men's 2nd VIII

Notes:

The Stevie Stephenson was named after the father of the long-serving HCBC Senior Treasurer, Phil Stephenson, in honour of the many years of dedicated service that Phil had given to the Club. After a boat naming ceremony in April 2007, with speeches from both Phil Stephenson and then-president Adam Marsh, Stevie Stephenson was given its maiden paddle in a 'Captain's Row', crewed by multiple past Women's and Men's Captains, alongside 2 other boats crewed by both past and present HCBC members.

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Crews:

• Men's 1st VIII (1995-2006)
• Men's 2nd VIII (1998-2010)

Notes:

The Lady Hilary is for many on the men's side of the Club, the quintessential HCBC boat. Purchased second-hand and over 20 years old when finally retired, she was the first boat purchased by the Club for use by the Men's 1st VIII, and was the only boat used HCBC Men's 1st VIII's for over a decade, also as the principal Men's 2nd VIII boat for an even longer period of time. A burly and far from lightweight shell, Hilary was surprisingly responsive in handling the various twists and turns of The Cam at speed, and was used in countless bumps, rising the best part of 4 whole divisions in the space of 8 years. During this time, Hilary carried HCBC M1 from the bottom of Division 6 when first entering a Men's crew in 1995, to the top of Division 3 in 2002, including rising an astonishing 21 places between 2000 and 2001, moving from P10 in Division 4 to P6 in Division 3 with a run that included 6 bumps (including one as the sandwich boat), an overbump, a double overbump and a triple overbump. As mentioned above, rising 13 places in a single set of bumps racing in 2001 remains an Oxbridge record.

• CUCBC/ Cambridge University Combined Boat Club
• Homerton College Boat Club