Mays Bumps 2008 - 2nd Men's VIII
Summary
Won blades (up 4 places) by bumping Darwin II, Emmanuel III, Hughes Hall and Trinity Hall II.
Wednesday
Our first race today consisted of a rather tedious row-over at the head of division 4 before the real fun could begin...or so we thought!
With some of the crews taking longer than expected to get to their starting positions, it got to the point where we came out of Grassy and the 4 minuter cannon went. Oh dear! A quick row to our station and the fastest spinning I have ever seen M2 do along with some spectacular acrobatics from our bank parties led to us just getting in position as the starting gun fired! Luckily, St. Catz III didn't even make it off the start line due to the lack of time which lead to a healthy six length gap to the next crew. We settled into an acceptable race rhythm and began to open out over the course with a several hundred metre gap by the finish line. First job done!
Our second row (with a very punctual row-down, thank you very much!) gave us our first taste of dirty water. A strong start gave us our length call very quickly, before Darwin II managed to get it together and give us a challenge. As we rounded first post, we got the half length call and then the quarter length soon after that. The bump came midst-Grassy with some very neat cornering from Halex, with just a slight tap on our bow-man's oar. Not having to rush to clear the river for other boats is a great benefit to being at the bottom of the division, however, that is one I won't mind losing tomorrow!
Thursday
With the pressure taken off by the first bump we went out today with fire in our hearts and power in the paddles! A new type of start tried on the way down allowed us to increase our already formidable speed and we went into the race with confidence. Apparently we got the one length call before we strode and the half and quarter length whistles did not hesitate in coming, either. Unfortunately, Emma III decided to break one of their blades to prevent further misery and we wound the boat down - all before the motorway bridge! Apologies to all the supporters who made their way down, but I'm sure we looked good as we paddled past!
Friday
We were nervous today as we rowed down - Trinity Hall II had been bumped quickly so far and Hughes Hall had a couple of blues in the boat. We knew that we were faster off the start and the plan was to blast off the start and aim to get them by first post corner. Things went almost to plan! A strong start was tempered by a slow second minute although we did gain on Hughes Hall, who also gained on Trinity Hall II. Things came to a head on first post corner as both Trinity Hall II and Hughes Hall crashed on the corner prompting a re-row. This was to take place straight after the M1 division and I'm pleased to say that as we rowed down, we were able to hold our own!
Our re-row only concerned Trinity Hall II, Hughes Hall and ourselves and so at worst we were going to have to row the entire course. Once again we shot off the start and the corners helped us maintain a decent boat speed. Trinity Hall II held their own and with a bank party of approximately half the boat club we couldn't fail but catch Hughes Hall with an excellent line around Grassy.
Saturday
After knowing that Trinity Hall II had rowed far better last night we knew that we were not going to be given our blades. Nerves once again took hold on the row down although we kept our composure. After a good start, the row became scrappy and although we gained on Trinity Hall II, it was slower than we would have liked. A good couple of corners put us just off overlap coming out of Grassy, but they pushed us off in Plough Reach. The bump was inevitable, however, and the race was ended coming out of Ditton, the farthest we have had to race to bump all week.