The weather has always played an important part in the Boat Race, often decisively for one crew or the other. Even in good years wind can play its part but in a bad year the effects of mountainous waves, torrential rain and gale force winds can make racing incredibly difficult. And with the race at the end of March or early April the Tideway is prone to be at its most pernicious.

The contest is often raced in conditions that most crews, even experienced Tideway crews, wouldn’t contemplate going out in. There are two main causes for such poor water conditions. Firstly the race is always rowed on the top of the tide, meaning it is prone to be bouncy with swell, secondly there is often either a north-west or conversely a south-easterly wind blowing. If there is a prevailing north-westerly at Putney the headwind makes the water rough for the first six minutes of the race.

At Hammersmith bridge the wind will change as the crews turn onto the big Surrey bend, with a north-westerly the water should flatten out but if a south-easterly is blowing this is where it will start to get rough. Consequently the skill and experience of the cox and coaching team are just as important as the skill of the crew, as steering and knowing the right line to take in poor conditions can mean the difference between victory or defeat. Add into this the prospect of heavy rain, hail, sleet or snow being lashed against the crews in the wind, then just going out and competing is an achievement.

All this bad weather means that over the years crews have either become waterlogged or on five memorable occasions have sunk completely. The most recent occasion was in 1978 when a waterlogged Cambridge failed to make the turn after Barnes bridge. Oxford coach, Dan Topolski showing all his experience had reinforced the dark blue boat with splashboards on the riggers and a water break at the bows to minimise the volume of water entering the boat and this proved to be the difference. He had though learned the hard way, seeing his 1973 crew fill with water in the opening minutes and then struggle vainly on to lose by 13 lengths.

The first race where weather played such a decisive factor was that of 1859 when Cambridge failed to survive the course. As the report in the Times put it:

“It is not perhaps too much, even though we are speaking of London weather and Thames squalls, when we say that it would not have been easy to pitch on a more unfavourable day for an eight oared race than yesterday proved. The wind blew violently in raw gusty squalls from the north-west and raised an amount of broken water when it met the tide, that boded very ill indeed for the safety of the light racing cutters. The day too was intensely cold and every half hour was varied by a heavy storm of hail and snow.”

To make matters worse, the fleet of steamers that followed the race had overtaken Cambridge once Oxford had gone ahead so that,

“Past Barnes railway bridge the water was very rough. Oxford now far ahead went through it gallantly. Not so Cambridge, whose boat was now almost completely waterlogged. Wave after wave broke into it, the track of steamers passing ahead made matters worse. Yet still, though their sinking condition was seen, the gallant crew pulled to the last and were in the act of rowing desperately when the boat sank under them.”

In the 1912 race there was a strong north-west wind blowing over a slack tide with dreadful water conditions at the start. Oxford went ahead off the start though started to fill with water. Cambridge tried to cope with conditions but very quickly succumbed to the conditions and by Harrods had sunk. After Hammersmith bridge Oxford couldn’t continue as they too were about to sink. They pulled into the bank near Chiswick Steps and emptied the boat, then continued to Mortlake. By this time though the umpire had called ‘No Race’. In the subsequent race on the Monday, still in poor weather, Oxford went on to win by 19 seconds.

Coincidently the 1912 umpire, FI Pitman was also the chosen official for the 1925 race. The day was an impossible one for serious rowing – a real ‘sinking’ day. There was a near gale force wind from the north, a good tide and a fair amount of land water coming down, giving very rough water along the Putney Reach, particularly for the crew on the Surrey station, indeed the only really safe part of the river was that lying very close to the Fulham Wall.

The stake-boats were set before the toss when the weather conditions were a little less dangerous. At the request of both Presidents, before the toss the stake-boats were moved further across towards Middlesex, but the umpire was unwilling to move them over further to the Fulham wall because the Middlesex crew would be right out of the tide and unfairly penalised. The toss was held, Oxford lost, and were assigned the Surrey station. The wind over tide rough water then increased in severity as the boats were preparing for the race, but once the toss had been held the position of the stake-boats could not be changed. At the start, Cambridge moved rapidly across and rowed along the wall. Oxford on the other hand were out in the centre of the maelstrom and within the first few strokes their boat was waterlogged. With the permission of the umpire Oxford were asked to stop rowing, but even though their riggers were awash, they struggled on manfully until the Doves, but way behind Cambridge, who rowing under the wall had shipped very little water and completed the course alone in 21 minutes 50 seconds.

Following this race an agreement was drawn up between the two clubs that:

“If before the crews reach the top of the wall (Fulham Embankment) any serious accident should happen in either boat, which, in the opinion of the umpire, is not due to the fault of any individual member of the crew, the umpire shall have power to recall and restart the crews.”

The first time this rule was invoked due to poor weather was in 1951. Luckily Pittman had long since retired and former light blue GA Ellison, the Bishop of Willsden was umpire. This was set to be another in the lengthy rivalry between the Oxford stroke Chris Davidge and Cambridge’s David Jennens who had produced a close and gripping encounter in 1949. Unfortunately the weather was to be Davidge’s undoing.

On the Boat Race Saturday, Oxford won the toss, in appalling conditions, with a strong westerly wind blowing over the tide. Oxford had chosen the Surrey Station and in these conditions faced the greater problems with waves breaking over their washboard, even while they were at the stake-boat. The umpire started the race in these conditions as required by the rules, but within a minute it was clear that Oxford were sinking and they sank before the end of the Fulham Wall, while Cambridge who had started in better water on the Middlesex side, had rowed right away from them. The umpire stopped the race and ordered a re-row, which took place on the Monday, Cambridge winning by 12 lengths.

In the thirty years since 1978 there have, fortunately, been no further sinkings. While the weather certainly still plays a part, crews and coaches are now much better prepared and steps taken to alleviate the risk, with greater buoyancy in the boats, battery operated pumps and splash boards all used to keep the water at bay. Even so the wind and waves can still hinder progress as we saw in 2008 when appalling conditions saw Oxford win in the slowest time since 1947.