This famous race is in fact six races, featuring the men’s and women’s Blue Boats of Oxford and Cambridge. The Blue Boat is the name given to the top crew from each university, whose members win the coveted Light Blue colours of Cambridge or Dark Blue of Oxford.

The men’s and women’s Reserve Races are contested on the same day with Oxford’s ‘Isis’ facing Cambridge’s ‘Goldie’ in the men’s race and Oxford’s ‘Osiris’ taking on Cambridge’s ‘Blondie’ in the women’s. The men’s and women’s lightweight crews kick-off the weekend, racing the day before The Boat Race.

The 2025 Boat Race was held on Sunday 13th April, 2025.

Cambridge was victorious in both races, its women’s crew winning by 2 1/2 lengths in 19 minutes 25 seconds, with its men’s crew winning by 5 1/2 lengths in 16 minutes 57 seconds.

Watch the winning CUBC men in The Boat Race HERE

Watch the winning CUBC women HERE

In the Reserve Races, held on Sunday 13th April 2025, Cambridge men were victorious by 4 1/2 lengths, and women by 4 lengths. Watch both races HERE

The 2025 Lightweight Boat Races were held on Saturday 12th April, 2025.

Cambridge’s women’s crew won by 3 lengths in a time of 19 minutes 8 seconds, a new course record. Watch their HERE.

Cambridge’s men’s crew won by 4 1/2 lengths in a time of 17 minutes 35 seconds, a new course record. Watch their race HERE

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The Championship Course

Putney to Mortlake

The Boat Race course, known as The Championship Course is 4 miles, 374 yards or 6.8 km long.

It stretches between Putney and Mortlake on the River Thames in south west London. This course was first used for The Boat Race in 1845 and has been used for every men’s Race since; apart from 1846, 1856 and 1863 when the race was held in the opposite direction between Mortlake and Putney. Between 1915 and 1919 there were no races due to the Great War and similarly between 1940 and 1945 due the Second World War. Due to the pandemic the Race was also cancelled in 2020 and in 2021 it was held on the river Ouse in Ely before returning to the Tideway in 2022.

The Fulham/Chiswick side of the course is known as the Middlesex side. The Putney/Barnes side of the course is known as the Surrey side.

The Boat Race is rowed upstream, but is timed to start on the incoming “flood” tide.

The Men’s Boat Race is an hour and a half before high tide, with The Women’s Boat Race a further hour before so that the crews are rowing with the fastest possible current.