Last Saturday two eights left Imperial Boatclub at 5am to race in Bruges, Belgium. After a few setbacks (caused largely by the attempt to navigate to a small boatclub in a foreign city without any form of map and/or directions), both crews and boats managed to arrive in time for a 12:30 race.

Conditions were especially difficult, with a roaring headwind during the warm-up, along with waves breaking into the bows of the boats. For the senior eight, going off 2nd, the start was somewhat shaky. However, a rhythm was soon found and by halfway the crew were almost upon the boat in front. After overtaking, the speed was maintained to finish powerfully and win the race overall, in a time faster than all other crews. Crucially, the eight beat opposition that had a few weeks previously beaten us by 25 seconds, underlining the improvement in speed as a result of recent training.

In addition, the novice eight performed well, beating some far more experienced opposition and handling the conditions very well. That the crew were able to compete among senior crews is all the more impressive considering the fact that most of the eight rowers had first got in a boat only five months previously.

The obligatory post-race celebrations were quickly begun with vigour. In particular, veteran Nigel Atkins was keen to sample the impressive range of beers on offer, and finished the night by sampling the local variety of kebab (twice). Other club members were similarly keen to sample other aspects of Belgian culture, and see what the Belgians could offer.

Thoughtfully, a long training session was scheduled the next morning at 7:30 am to help everyone out with their hangovers. This involved a ‘16 kilometre’ outing to the ‘nearby’ port of Ostend, complete with headwind and conditions somewhat akin to the English Channel. With this productive, albeit painful, row concluded, the club loaded boats and began the long drive home.

The Head of the River Race, raced on the Boat Race course and one of the most important races in the rowing calendar, is on the 15th March. With an entry of around 430 crews and over 3000 athletes, this is traditionally an event Imperial College dominate. The results from Bruges indicate that this should once again be the case if the club maintains its current momentum and focus.