TheHenley Boat Races were a series of annualrowing races between various crews representing theUniversity of Oxford and theUniversity of Cambridge.

The Henley Boat Races

Event information
Race area	Henley Regatta course (downstream) River Thames[1]
Dates	1975–2019[3]
Competitors	CUWBC /CULRC,OUWBC /OULRC /OUWLRC
Distance	Blue Boats: 2000 m[2] Collegiate races: 1750 m[2]
Website	henleyboatraces.com

The event included theLightweight Men's Boat Race from 1975 to 2018, theWomen's Boat Race from 1977 to 2014, theLightweight Women's Boat Race from 1984 to 2019, and the Collegiate Boat Races from 2010 to 2019. Between 2015 and 2020, the openweight and lightweight Varsity races previously held at Henley were relocated to theChampionship Course to match the openweight men'sBoat Race, at which point the Collegiate Boat Races were scrapped.

Henley Boat Races took place annually in late March or early April the week before theUniversity Boat Races, which are held onthe Championship Course on the Thames inLondon.

The Henley Boat Races began as men's lightweight races in 1975 and enlarged to incorporate theWomen's Boat Race and their reserve crew race from 1977 and the women's lightweight race from 1984.^[4][5][6] In 2000, the lightweight men added a race for their reserve crews, Nephthys (Oxford) and Granta (Cambridge).^[7] The races took place in 2001, at theHolme Pierrepont National Watersports Centre in Nottingham.^[8] The lightweight men's race fell into abeyance after 2009 as a result of Cambridge not fielding a Granta crew from 2007, giving Oxford a row over for three years. From 2016, Nephthys and Granta raced again, sometimes on a different date or location to the main Henley Boat Races. A women's lightweight reserve race was held in 2012 prior to race day and took place from 2016 on race day.^[9] The 2013 event was moved toDorney Lake as a result of flooding on the Thames.^[10][11]

In 2015, theWomen's Boat Race moved further down the River Thames to theTideway to take place as a combined men's and women'sBoat Race.^[12][13] The event was moved to Dorney Lake again in 2018 due to "adverse river conditions on the Thames at Henley" and the collegiate races were cancelled.^[14][15] TheLightweight Men's Boat Race made the same move to the Tideway in 2019,^[16] followed by theLightweight Women's Boat Race in 2020, although the Lightweight Boat Races continue to operate separately to their openweight counterparts.

The races received local and national press coverage in many years,^{[17][18][19][11][20]} and competitors from both Universities have gone on to compete at international and Olympic levels.^{[21][22][23][24]}

Crews from theUniversity of Oxford and theUniversity of Cambridge racedside by side over a 2000-meter course on theRiver Thames atHenley-on-Thames, racing downstream—the opposite direction to theHenley Royal Regatta course—and finishing halfway downTemple Island.^[1] The collegiate races took place over a shorter 1750 m course.^[2] The races typically included:^[25]

• Women's Boat Race (OUWBC vsCUWBC)
• Lightweight Men's Boat Race (OULRC vsCULRC)
• Lightweight Women's Boat Race (OUWLRC vsCUWBC Lightweights)
• Women's Reserves (Osiris vs Blondie)
• Lightweight Men's Reserves (Nephthys vs Granta) [held separately on an earlier date]^[26]
• Lightweight Women's Reserves (Tethys vs CUWBC Lightweight Reserves)
• Men's Intercollegiate Boat Race (betweenone college representing Oxford andone representing Cambridge)
• Women's Intercollegiate Boat Race (between one college representing Oxford and one representing Cambridge)

An Alumnae race was typically held in later years. The lightweight races constituted thevarsity race. The first crew receiveduniversity half-blues, and was therefore more commonly known as theLightweight Blue Boat. The reserve crew received university colours. The intercollegiate races were between the fastest crews from the OxfordTorpids and the CambridgeLent Bumps; Oxford selection was done by time trial^[27] and Cambridge gave the right of first refusal to headship crews.^[28]

The history of the results of the races are as follows.^[7][29]

The Women's Boat Race and its Reserve race became part of the Henley Boat Races in 1977. With the Women's Boat Race moving to the TidewayChampionship Course and forming part ofThe Boat Races 2015, the race as well as the race of the reserve boats Osiris and Blondie ceased to be part of the Henley Boat Races.^[13] For the full results tables, see the main article on the Women's Boat Race.

• Cambridge: 21 wins at Henley
• Oxford: 17 wins at Henley

Notes

‡ – The course was shortened in 2007 due to rough water during the Henley Boat Races. It was reduced from 2000 m to less than 1500 m with the start between the Upper Thames Rowing Club and Old Blades.^[30]

• Cambridge: 28 wins
• Oxford: 16 wins

• Cambridge: 19 wins
• Oxford: 17 wins

• Cambridge: 19 wins at Henley
• Oxford: 19 wins at Henley

• Oxford: 9 wins
• Cambridge: 4 wins

• Cambridge: 4
• Oxford: 1

Raced on the Friday before the main event in a 4+ in 2012, and incorporated into main race day in 2016.

• Cambridge: 7
• Oxford: 2

• Cambridge: 5
• Oxford: 4

• Official websiteArchived 12 January 2006 at theWayback Machine