Cambridge University Boat Club made its most significant showing in decades at Head of the Charles Regatta 2025, held from 17-19 October in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. With six crews, including four openweight eights and two lightweight fours, the Club fielded a line-up full of new talent and key returners, underscoring our depth and ambition on the international stage.
It was a triumphant Sunday for the Cambridge Men, who surged to victory in the Men’s Championship Eights with a blistering pace, securing back-to-back titles and sending a clear statement of intent about the programme’s ambitions. The Cambridge Men’s ‘B’ crew also delivered an impressive performance, beating ‘A’ crews from Yale, Syracuse, Boston University, and Leander.
In the Women’s Championship Eights, the Cambridge Women delivered a strong performance to finish 9th, ahead of top-tier ‘A’ crews from Dartmouth, Boston University, Clemson, Princeton, and Duke. In the first encounter of the 2026 Boat Race season, Oxford Women laid down an early marker with an impressive 3rd place finish. Cambridge’s ‘B’ crew put in a solid performance, crossing the line in 18th place and outperforming ‘A’ crews from Fordham and Leander.
For the first time in many years, Cambridge also sent two lightweight fours, highlighting the Club’s commitment to developing competitive lightweight crews ready to take on top American programmes. The Men’s Lightweight Four delivered a strong performance, finishing 5th, just 21 seconds behind course record breakers, Harvard. Meanwhile, the Women’s Lightweight Four, featuring a full set of fresh faces, took 7th place, ahead of the ‘A’ boats from Wisconsin and Radcliffe.
Congratulations to all athletes who represented Cambridge on the international stage! Our thanks to Harvard, Radcliffe, and BU for hosting our crews and all our team hosts and volunteers for their hospitality.
In the alumni categories, there were three standout performances from Crabtree, Cambridge’s alumni boat club. The men’s crews delivered gold in both the Senior and Grand Masters Fours, while a stacked Women’s Alumnae Eight stroked by Imogen Grant powered to an impressive silver, rounding off a successful weekend for our Light Blue alumni.
Cambridge Men’s Eight ‘A’ | 🏆 | 13:41.692
| Name | Seat | College |
| Simon Hatcher | Bow | Peterhouse |
| Felix Rawlinson | 2 | Fitzwilliam |
| Gabriel Obholzer | 3 | Peterhouse |
| Simon Nunayon | 4 | Emmanuel |
| Kyle Fram | 5 | Lucy Cavendish |
| Noam Mouelle | 6 | Hughes Hall |
| Leo Brahms | 7 | Wolfson |
| Freddy Breuer | Stroke | Lucy Cavendish |
| Sammy Houdaigui | Cox | Fitzwilliam |
Race Report: Kyle Fram and Sammy Houdaigui
Kyle:
We’re on our way back home. It was a successful business trip to Boston.
Sammy Houdaigui coxed our race as if he grew up in the course. Our warm up went smoothly, and the 10 minute countdown to the race went by so fast. We were locked in. Bow number one is always good. We rowed in clean water the whole way down. We went pretty high off the start, in my opinion, for a head race, but strokeman Freddy Breuer was rolling. Nothing’s going to stop him once he gets us off the ground. Going through the first two bridges was a blur, and by Magazine Beach we got technical and got the rhythm going. Sammy steered an absolutely optimal racing line. I could see my riggers right over those buoys, and I just knew the line was going to be perfect. All I needed to do was deliver.
We treated the race like a 2K, getting right into the powerhouse stretch and a nice rhythm. During the race, I think we were all just thinking about that knees up, knees down rhythm. Coming around the bends at full speed was a bit tough compared to the straights of the Great Ouse in Ely but we were unfazed. Sammy did a great job getting those red buoys just under our riggers.
In the final stages of the race, a Masters Eight came out of nowhere, and we were hard to bow side with multiple clashes. Suddenly this optimal line that we’ve been going on has been absolutely thrashed. But we remain calm and regain composure, and next thing you know we’re past Belmont Hill Boathouse. At that point there were just 700 left. I turned my brain off for this last bit and we crossed the finish line.
Sammy:
We came to this race because Cambridge University’s goal, in addition to beating Oxford, is to be the best boat club in the world. And I don’t know if we’re the best boat club in the world, but I’m very proud of our actions today.
I think the strong thing about the Cambridge crew is that it’s a mature boat. And so in that you can take tight bends, trust that the guys know their technical focuses, trust that guys can police themselves a little bit more than a younger crew might be able to. And you have nine guys working towards a collective mission in a way where every one of them is taking responsibility for their own actions, but also the actions of the people behind and in front of them.
Thank you to Harvard University, Harvard Boat Club, Radcliffe Boat Club, as well as the Alizadeh family for hosting all of us. The hospitality stateside made us feel right at home.
Cambridge Women’s Eight ‘A’ | 9th | 16:04.388
| Name | Seat | College |
| Gemma King | Bow | St John’s |
| Carys Earl | 2 | Gonville & Caius |
| Charlotte Ebel | 3 | Newnham |
| Mathilda Kitzmann | 4 | Christ’s |
| Alex Wiley | 5 | Jesus |
| Aidan Wrenn-Walz | 6 | Fitzwilliam |
| Toni Galland | 7 | Peterhouse |
| Izzy Campbell | Stroke | Hughes Hall |
| Matt Moran | Cox | Emmanuel |
Race report: Matt Moran
Competing against a stacked Championship Eights field, the Cambridge women came to Boston looking to test themselves against the best in the world.
The crew set off well, setting a competitive pace in a tail wind and keeping the fast starting Brown ‘A’ crew at bay through the opening half of the race – eventually though, the crew pulled past, with Cambridge having to navigate the famous Weeks and Anderson bridges side by side.
Coming under further pressure around the final few turns, the crew kept their heads well in the chaos, to finish in a strong 9th place – a lot of lessons learned, as the group looks to build into Trial Eights and the following fixtures.
Cambridge Men’s Eight ‘B’ | 12th | 14:00.377
| Name | Seat | College |
| Matt Morgan | Bow | Pembroke |
| Sean Hayes | 2 | Jesus |
| Max Deering | 3 | Peterhouse |
| Thomas Connor | 4 | Churchill |
| Calvin Tarczy | 5 | Wolfson |
| Alex Finger | 6 | Wolfson |
| Joe Travis | 7 | Jesus |
| George Dickinson | Stroke | Hughes Hall |
| Cate Engles | Cox | Jesus |
Spares: Gil Dexter (Jesus) and Will Klipstine (Hughes Hall)
Race report: Matt Morgan
Eager to improve on the result of the CUBC’s 2nd Eight from HOCR 2024, we set off through the two bridges at a rapid pace. The crew adapted well to the swirling winds which were consistent through the turn onto Magazine Beach, and pressed through to the powerhouse straight. George and Joe, our stern pair, lead us on to a quick time to Riverside.
There were a few tricky moments down the powerhouse straight and through the bridges, where the wind was funneling through the arches such that it forced our blades into the air. This took a conscious effort from the crew to get back onto our rhythm.
Cox Cate steered a strong line through the Week’s Bridge, but fatigue started to creep in as we came through the Anderson Bridge. It was a hard slog round the long bend to Elliot Bridge, but the cheers from CUBC’s finest supporters at Belmont Hill rallied the crew as we started to taste the finish line. A slightly scrappy lift through the final bend and onto the finish straight signalled the boys had left everything on the water.
The crew placed 12th, beating the likes of both the Yale 1V and the travelling contingent from Leander. We walked away happy with a robust performance to mark the first engagement of the season, with some key technical points to work on in the coming weeks.
Cambridge Women’s Eight ‘B’ | 18th | 16:21.446
| Name | Seat | College |
| Alyssa Nicholls | Bow | St Edmund’s |
| Fizz McNally | 2 | Sidney Sussex |
| Ellie Sillar | 3 | Emmanuel |
| Mia Loxley | 4 | Churchill |
| Eloise Etherington | 5 | Caius |
| Nicole Wojtania | 6 | Jesus |
| Phoebe Pryce | 7 | Homerton |
| Mia Freischem | Stroke | Darwin |
| Lauren Schneiderman | Cox | St Edmund’s |
Spare: Anna Golbus (Clare)
Race report: Fizz McNally
CUBC Women’s B had a strong race down the Charles fighting, and managing, to show the depth of the Cambridge women’s squad in the lead up to The 2026 Boat Race. Off an aggressive start, the crew pushed on to a punchy rhythm, pushing onto Radcliffe JV ahead and holding off BU ‘A’ behind.
Down the course, the crew held strong through the characteristic sharp bends and, with it, changes in conditions that the Charles offers all its competitors. Into the finish, the crew found even more speed, pushing on against the crews around. It was a strong end to the project with plenty to take forward into our next phase in the season.
Cambridge Men’s Lightweight Four | 5th | 16:02.192
| Name | Seat | College |
| Nikita Mohr | Stroke | Peterhouse |
| Josh Moore | 3 | Queens’ |
| Freddie Challacombe | 2 | St Catharine’s |
| Peter Crossley | Bow | Sidney Sussex |
| Freya Jenkinson | Cox | Selwyn |
Spare: Victor Viennot-Bourgin (Darwin)
Race Report: Josh Moore
Racing the Head of the Charles course for the first time in many years, the lightweight men’s crew was keen to prove we had made the right decision to travel stateside. We made important improvements through the week, having arrived in Boston on Tuesday. Our final race-pace pieces were encouraging and our cox, Freya, had quickly gotten the hang of the challenging Charles river corners. On race day, we had a strong start and were second to the riverside only behind Harvard ‘A’ who went on to set a course record in the men’s lightweight fours.
In the second half of the race, we gained on Georgetown ‘A’ who had also caught Cornell ‘B’. Unfazed by the choppy water, we continued strongly past the Harvard Boathouses and continued to gain on the crews ahead. By the Eliot Bridge, all three crews were overlapping and we all pushed strongly to the finish. Our strokeman, Nikita, took the rate up to 36 to come through the line with a final time of 16:02.192, which placed us fifth in the category. Whilst we had hoped we could place higher, the competition was strong and our time was a good reflection of how far we had come as a crew. We are now looking forward to returning to training in Ely and pushing the standard higher for Fours’ Head in four weeks time.
Cambridge Women’s Lightweight Four | 7th | 18:57.481
| Name | Seat | College |
| Zara Bek | Bow | Trinity |
| Helena Olandi | 2 | Hughes Hall |
| Hannah Major | 3 | Pembroke |
| Olivia Wright | Stroke | Emmanuel |
| Heather Shinn | Cox | Wolfson |
Spare: Hannah Warren (Jesus)
Race Report: Helena Olandi
The Lightweight Women’s 4+ crew made history as they became the first to compete in the boat class for CUBC at the Head of the Charles. This marked a significant milestone not only for the programme, but also for the athletes, as for three members, it was their inaugural visit to the United States, and for all four rowers, it was their first international race.
After a challenging week of adjusting to different water conditions, the crew rose to the occasion and put together an impressive performance. Right from the start, they faced a strong challenge from Princeton just behind them. The crew maintained their focus, trusting in their rhythm, and in their incredible cox Heather, for whom the course is bread and butter.
Early in the race, they successfully overtook the University of Albany, steadily gaining seats until they achieved clear water, and rowing ahead confidently. With the bridges approached, a power-five move allowed the crew to push away from Princeton.
As they passed through Weeks, the enthusiastic cheers from the Welds Boathouse fueled their momentum, propelling them into the second half of the race. Having set out to stay internal and row their own best race, this mindset carried the crew through the quieter section of the course, digging deep to fend off Princeton’s attempts to close the gap.
In the final third of the race, they continued proving their strength with each stroke, and their resilience when a buoy line brought the boat to a full halt. Having restarted, nothing was left to stop them, and they crossed the finish line in 7th place, an impressive result with much to be proud of, and a time to beat for the CUBC crews in years to come!
Alumni Crews (Crabtree)
Men’s Senior Masters Fours | 🥇 | 16:58.853
Men’s Grand Masters Fours | 🥇| 17:21.244
Women’s Alumnae Eights (I. Grant) | 🥈| 15:54.463
Women’s Alumnae Eights (E. von Mueller) | 30th | 18:13.155
Men’s Alumni Eights | 15th | 15:30.881
Men’s Alumni Fours | 13th | 18:02.611
Men’s Grand Masters Eights | 19th | 17:04.136
Mixed Doubles | 45th | 22:35.869
Parent-Child Doubles (O. Parish) | 7th | 18:32.497
Parent-Child Doubles (C. Brooks) | 10th | 19:05.800
Men’s Masters Singles | 14th | 20:41.197
Congratulations to all alumni racing for other universities and clubs, including Nick Hooton (Goldie 1985) who took gold in the Veteran Men’s Fours.