After some much needed refueling and resting, we rowed all the way up to the lock for our last race (it felt far after we had just been at the top of the previous div). Caius W2 had bumped LMBC earlier in the week so we knew we could catch-them. The cannon went and we were strong off the start. With technical calls implemented under the motorway bridge, we gained quickly on LMBC. It was a calm row, and after the final “long, hips” we bumped them. We had achieved superblades! We got our greenery and, of course, the flag and began to row home. Rowing as a crew of friends past the Plough, flag held high with the roar of Eddie’s supporters from the bank is a lifelong memory we’ll never forget. ​

Lent Bumps 2026 will go down as a landmark moment for St Edmund’s College Boat Club — because for the first time in the club’s history, Eddie’s fielded a Women’s Second Boat on the start line at Lent Bumps.
That alone is extraordinary. But this crew didn’t show up just to make up the numbers.
They showed up to race.

On paper: Row Over, Row Over, Bumped, Row Over
But this campaign was never just about results.
It was about:

• Making history as the first ever Eddie’s W2 in Lent Bumps
• Proving the depth and growth of women’s rowing at Eddie’s
• Holding their own across four days of intense racing
• Laying the foundation for future W2 crews to build on

And that? That’s massive.
 
Final Thoughts
This crew faced everything Bumps could throw at them — nerves, chaos, resets, setbacks — and came out stronger.
They didn’t just race. They set a new standard. Eddie’s W2 isn’t a one-off anymore. It’s the beginning of something bigger.
 
Historic. Resilient. Proper Eddie’s energy.
W2 — you’ve made your mark.
#YeahEddies 💙🩵🩶
#W2Era 🚀

At times it has been a difficult term for M1. Beset by injury we have frequently rowed in scratch crews; with our first full crew outing only a week before bumps. As a result, we’ve had to draft up a few novices this term, notably Pablo, Daniel D and Daniel T who have each taken a massive step up and it’s been a real pleasure having them in the boat.
To counter our relative inexperience, we sought the calming presence of our sole Men’s trialist, Ed, who, we thought, would help to steady the ship. 
However, whether blasting ‘My Hump’ through the cox box at marshalling, repeatedly woofing at competitors, screaming Panic off every start (which actually means relax - as he likes to clarify every time), and insisting on shouting ‘yeah Eddie’s’ at any crew with even vaguely blue blades, he has been anything but calming - not only living up to the usual Men’s side antics but injecting real energy into the crew and spurring us on to an incredibly enjoyable if not wholly successful campaign.

Nevertheless, Day 1 got off to a tricky start as the dreaded sandwich crew. This of course risked the possibility of rowing twice, not something the mighty Beef Barge fancied and so we ensured we were swiftly bumped by Christs in less than 500m.

However, on Day 2 having survived the great stroke side tsunami off the start for a second time and not fancying the embarrassment of being bumped again, we decided we should probably put a bit of a shift in. Queens made an early attack, but we held them off for an emphatic row over. The first time we have rowed anything more than a UT2 all term and the first time Justin has been above stroke rate 16.

Technique at the start of race 1 was at best, theoretical. The first 500 meters would come to be described by Matt Hunt as “not necessarily really moving the boat,” which does not do justice to what really was, to date, our best interpretation of a dyspraxic spider. 
Wolfson shot off the line and promptly exited the field of vision of stern pair. What followed was a 500m so emotionally harrowing that Matt later skipped the traditional post-race pub, citing his need “to lie down after all that”. 
Somehow undeterred, Eddie’s placed their trust in their rhythm - excellently set by Sophie LW and Kathy B, translated down the boat by Megan E, and 5 seat… well, 5 seat was given the highly technical instruction to “just put down watts”. After what has since been formally recorded as “the most dogs**te 500 meters” Eddie’s soared ahead to cross the finish line 1.5 boat lengths ahead. 
Wolfsons PB advice to “be brave but not too brave” was well intentioned and comprehensively ignored.

Saturday: Eddie’s Eagles arrived to the meet time fashionably late, having prioritised pistachio croissants and an aggressive pre-race yap over something trivial like punctuality. 
Morale? High. Organisation? Theoretical. 

In a display of tactical innovation (read: numbers), we fielded a beautifully blended W1/2 composite; a boat built on coffee, compromise, and some mild confusion about seats. Leadership was briefly entrusted to a senior (who will remain nameless) who rose to the occasion by forgetting a small administrative detail: collecting the race numbers. Oops. 

On the water, the crew made great strides to further chaos. The only successful stride that day. Our cox, Nadia, who has spent the term being gently encouraged to project beyond a contemplative murmur discovered her inner motivational speaker on the start line and never looked back. The sudden vocal renaissance was so profound that Matt was heard shouting for her to “CALM DOWN”.  Growth is not always linear.

Eddie’s crossed the finish line to a deafening, relentless rally of “LEGS, HIPS” without ever - at least, according to ever-honest stroke Megan - having found a rhythm. Legend says they are still out there, searching. 

Bring on PembRoke!

“Third on the Cam — First in Our Hearts”
Fairbairns — the grand finale of novice term.
A 2.7 km test of grit, rhythm, and sheer determination. St Edmund’s NW1 arrived ready to take it on. Coaches Toby and Matt had prepared the crew well, and cox Jill Leung knew every corner of the course. The boat — Florina (stroke), Aurélie, An Mei, Maxanne, Beth, Gabby, Juliane, Mia (bow) — sat poised at the start, calm and focused.
 
The Race — Power, Rhythm, Grit
NW1 came off the line cleanly, settling immediately into a strong, controlled rhythm with Florina setting the pace and Jill calling the boat together. They found length early and stayed composed as the course opened up.
Through the middle stretch — where novice crews often start to unravel — Eddie’s held firm. They kept the power on, responded to every call, and maintained pressure all the way down the Reach, moving confidently and staying sharp.
In the final push, the crew lifted together, emptying the tank with a committed, unified drive to the finish — exactly the kind of racing Fairbairns demands.
 
The Result — THIRD Overall
When results were released, NW1 had placed:
🥉 3rd fastest women’s novice crew overall
An incredible achievement for a small college and a brand-new crew.
It’s one of the strongest novice women’s Fairbairns performances in St Edmund’s history — a testament to teamwork, consistency, and the energy this group has built over the term.

 Clare Novice Regatta delivered everything a novice crew could hope for: adrenaline, drama, near-collisions, actual collisions, and a level of chaos that can only be described as pure Cambridge rowing heritage. St Edmund’s NW1 arrived at the boathouse at 12:15 sharp, a perfectly balanced blend of nerves, excitement, and mild confusion about what a regatta actually is.
Cox Arminel led the charge down to marshalling with the confidence of someone who had fully accepted that whatever happened today, it was going to be memorable.
Our powerhouse crew — An Mei (stroke), Aurélie, Beth, Maxanne, Maddie, Gabby, Juliane, Mia (bow) — pushed off cleanly, blades shining, legs primed, and spirits high.

Heat 1: The Beginning of the Question
The girls rowed a strong opening race, staying composed, keeping it long, and powering past their opponents with impressive rhythm for a crew that’s been rowing for approximately five minutes (in rowing-development terms).
The moment they crossed the line, the first question was asked:
“Did we win?”
A theme that would return. Repeatedly.
Quarter-Final: Settling In
NW1 by now had fully embraced the chaos of side-by-side racing. With every stroke, timing improved, catches sharpened, and Armine’s calls grew increasingly dramatic. Eddie’s powered through another race and advanced onward — followed, of course, by the question:
“So… did we win that one?”
Semi-Final: The Bank Incident
This is the race that will be retold for generations. The start was clean. The enthusiasm was high. The line… less so. Within seconds, NW1 found themselves gliding gently — almost artistically — into the bank. Spectators winced. The crew collectively prepared their souls for defeat.
Someone may or may not have softly whispered “oh no.”
But from the towpath came the unmistakable sound of salvation:
the coaches and the women’s captain absolutely yelling at the crew to restart, reset, and GO. And just as Eddie’s shoved off and began moving again, the rowing universe delivered a gift:
The opposing crew caught a catastrophic megacrab, swung sideways, and crashed into a houseboat with the grace of a wounded swan.
Sensing the divine opportunity, the towpath erupted:
“SEND IT!!! LEGS!!! GO NOW!!”
Eddie’s NW1 accelerated, found their rhythm, and in a plot twist no Cambridge umpire could have predicted, won the race. Officials called it “unorthodox.”
The boathouse called it “peak novice regatta.”
The crew called it:
“Wait… so did we win??”
Final / Last Race
NW1 entered their final race tired but determined. Blades were sharp, timing connected, and the boat moved better than at any other point all day. Though they didn’t clinch the regatta title, they delivered a performance to be proud of — controlled, gritty, and unmistakably Eddie’s.
And yes, the question was asked one final time.
 
Final Thoughts
St Edmund’s NW1 walked away from Clare Novice Regatta with:
* A string of race wins
* One miraculous bank-crab-houseboat victory
* A crew catchphrase (“Did we win?”)
* And the kind of novice rowing stories that last a lifetime
Most importantly, they proved they could stay calm under pressure, recover from chaos, and race with heart.
This crew is going places — preferably not into the bank next time.

 The gods of College rowing were clearly in want for some entertainment when they
elected to match up the Eddie’s novices with their opponents from the previous week,
Emma. And entertainment they did receive, as these two crews went stroke-for-stroke
down the 800m course, the lead constantly changing hands all the way to the line.
The boys flew off the start, not to be out-done by the always fast-starting Emma, and
moved out to a lead of half a length through 200m. As they made their way down the
Reach, however, Emma began to inch back into contention, and coming up to the
Railway Bridge, had moved into the lead.
Coming up to the finish, it appeared that all had been lost for Eddie’s, until Emma’s
stroke did us a massive favour and caught an outrageous crab a mere 50 metres from
the line. As each crew’s bank party bellowed them onwards from the bank, they came
down to the finish side-by-side in what had to be the closest race of the day. Yet again,
fortune was not on the side of St Edmund, as Emma were given the victory by a quarter
of a length.
A much stronger performance from NM1, and they were unlucky not to progress to the
next round. Onto the big one: Fairbairns!

Fresh from their resounding success at QErgs, NM1 were eager to finally put their skills to the test on the water at Emma Sprints, where, as a result of their massive
performance at Queens’, they were given an incredibly tough draw, going up against
Downing NM1 in the first race. Still, they were confident that their fighting spirit and
relentless enthusiasm would see them build on the success of the finalists NW1 (!!!), as they set off for marshalling.
After arriving at the Railway Bridge, conditions took a turn for the worst, as the wind
picked up and our Vikings found themselves drifting ever closer to the bank. Despite the
efforts of their captains to push them back out, the Emma marshals were ruthlessly
efficient and elected to begin the race with Eddie’s blades mere inches from the wall.
Unfortunately, as Downing shot off the line, our Vikings got themselves and their oars
into a fight with a nearby bush and lost. By the time they had got going up to race pace
the gap was irrecoverable. However, the Eddie’s men refused to give up, and with Nordic
Spirit in their veins (not that one), they powered down the course regardless of their
earlier misfortune.
Next up came hosts Emma. Eager to avoid any more entanglements with nearby
shrubbery, cox Nadia lined up the Vikings perfectly, and away they went. Helmets
trembling with the furious power being sent through the water, and seeking to right the
wrongs of the Downing match-up, the Beef Barge rumbled down the course. Emma,
meanwhile, proved to be incredibly strong off the start, and found themselves with clear
water from their Norse challengers, which they were able to maintain until the finish.
Not the result that our novices would have wanted from their debut on the water, but
spirits remained high on the paddle back to the boathouse. With three races still to
come this term, there were plenty of areas to work on to ensure they round out
Michaelmas on a high!

Our first race was against Queen’s NW1 — win. Next up Pembroke NW1 — win. Then Clare Hall NW1 — another win. At this point we were starting to suspect we might actually be good at this. A few dramatic crabs tried to keep us humble, but soon enough we’d made our way into the final.
We gave the last race everything we had. Wolfson NW1 edged ahead in the end, but we crossed the line proud of what we had achieved.
The day was an absolute highlight: a cheeky boogie at marshalling, questionable singing, phenomenal vibes and our theme song blasting through the cox box on the row home.
Future races are looking bright and other colleges, consider yourselves officially warned.

It's hard to find the right words to do justice to the week that Eddies has just had during the May Bumps. Unbelievable, extraordinary, sublime, exceptional, historic, momentous would be just a few that spring to mind! ​

We had high hopes of a good week but I don't think anyone could have predicted, or even dare dream, of having a perfect week, achieving 13/13 successful bumps, taking home two sets of blades, one set of super blades AND the much sought after Pegasus Cup! I would be interested to know when/if any of the Cambridge colleges last achieved such a feat....In 2008 we came home with three sets of blades & the Pegasus Cup, however two of those were technical blades meaning that the crews went +4 but rowed over on one of the days - an exceptional year, topped only by our crews of 2025!

DAY 1
Spirits were inflated from the glowing GoR rites, yet the abyss of expectation gaped wide. Panic crept in upon whispers that a comrade wandered foreign lands, begging blessings from dusty saints in Santiago. Yet true power needs no prayers. Our quarry, Peterhouse M4—no, their M3 hidden beneath false banner—lay ripe for slaughter. Clare Hall lurked, dreaming foolish dreams. The Ukrainian valkyrie, Yuliia, urged: “Get hard, stay hard, finish hard.” And lo, Clare Hall crumbled like soft cheese, while Peterhouse surrendered swiftly, their hull violated by our prow. Lily’s war cry erupted—an obscene echo of primal conquest.
DAY 2
Sidney awaited, sterner prey, yet weak before our destiny. The prey resisted, spirited yet doomed. Yuthika steered the chariot true, until Grassy corner became their watery grave. Yet legend demands absurdities—Wildon, mad warrior, heeding no commands, threatened mutiny. Furious cries erupted:
“HOLD IT UP! 2 & 4, TAP! TAP! Wildon! WILDON! EMILE! Obey me, gods curse you!”
Only grudgingly did order resume. Then Wildon, in post-race debrief, claimed:
“I think my blade was stuck. I couldn’t take a tap.”
Video replay says otherwise. Lies now immortalised forever on the SECBC Wall of
F/Sh-ame.
DAY 3
Facing FaT M4, crew brimming with nervous trepidation. Yet, Yuthika, Amazonian steerswoman, again led with ruthless precision. Whistles heralded triumph, though FaT whispered lies of near victory against Selwyn. Lies easily disproven—what shame upon their mathematicians, unable even to count their dishonor. Yet our bowman, ever eager for infamy, turned to mock the conquered with victorious fist-bump—another proud fine to adorn our legacy. True warriors scorn petty rules.
DAY 4
Selwyn, trembling beneath the shadow of fate, awaited final judgment. Yet doubt whispered foolish stratagems—rush early or linger? Prophets Angus & Yuliia commanded simplicity: row as you always have, ferocious, proud, unthinking. FaT faded into oblivion; whistles pierced the air, a joyous crescendo. The moment eternalized before first-post corner, blades seized with ruthless ecstasy. Victory absolute, divine, barbaric—worthy of immortality.

Day 1
First day of bumps and we were feeling ready - if a little nervous. The sun was blazing, and looked like it would be all week. Matt reassured us that this would probably be our ‘easiest day’ - but we weren’t so sure. We rowed up to the start, locked in for the race, and spirits were high - M2 had just bumped!  After a solid start, we settled into our rhythm and before we knew it, whistles were flying. Ahead of us bump between Tit Hall II and Maggie II caused carnage. We just managed to get the bump before having to hold it up - there was no space to clear. A 4 boat pileup occurred and the entire division behind us had to re-row. There were a tense few minutes while we waited to see if we had the bump, but a handshake between Matt and the umpire confirmed it: it was ours.
Day 2
We were feeling good. Matt changed his mind - yesterday had actually been our hardest day. Today would be fine. With all three boats in our club bumping on Day One, the pressure was on to keep the streak alive.
We had a clean start and were on whistles for Tit Hall II pretty quickly, bumping them before First Post Corner. A relatively late concession made clearing tricky again, and caused yet more carnage behind us. But we had our bump. Two days, two races, two bumps.
Day 3
This was the big day. Bumping again would mean we’d be the sandwich boat and have a shot at moving up to Division 2. First up, we were chasing Maggie II - and we caught them with a solid, straightforward bump. No drama. We marshalled again for our first race in Division 2. Matt warned us this might be our longest row yet. But we like to prove him wrong: we bumped Caius II just after Newnham Bridge! Div 2 baby!
Day 4
The final day. Super blades were on the line. With M2 already on blades, the stakes were getting higher. Today, for the first time, we were chasing a first boat: Darwin W1. We braced for a longer race. But when the cannon went, we were on them fast - a powerful row saw us bump them just after Newnham Bridge! Super blades secured!! Rowing home with the flag was incredible - though we had to hand it off to M1, who were also on for blades (a great problem to have).

DAY 1
The fateful day the Beef Barge made its full crew debut. Nerves were jangled as Darwin M1 struck by surprise, having double overbumped into the station behind us. Still, the Barge found its deadly rhythm. 1st whistle under A14—the hunt was ON. Catz M2 blazed off the start, earning two whistles, but then quickly faded. The Barge stalked relentlessly, devouring the water between them before claiming blood at First Post.
DAY 2
Downing M2 had humiliated the Barge in 2023—payback time. Rory kissed the first corner too tight, risking disaster in the reeds, but the Barge fought back with bovian "legs-and-hips" power. By A14, half a length separated predator from prey. Downing's wash churned desperately as they felt the Barge's hooves thundering. "CONCEDE!" roared Rory and Angus. The bump, and Angus’s grovelling masterclass, were worth the umpire impersonation fine.
DAY 3
Do or die. Sidney stood between the Barge and glory, as they chased the spooning Jesus M2. Rory's battle cry echoed: "Now or never, boys!" Three crews, two sets of overlap, one Grassy corner, pure chaos. Rory held the line like a maestro (CamFM certified) while Sidney crumbled, going wide. BUMP! "One of the best ever" gasped Emeritus M1 rower, Kai. Matt launched his blade in triumph, body turned and bellowing, before the Barge had parked. Rory, exasperated, had to "HOLD IT UP" himself. Footage of a raging umpire and a sheepish Matt available on demand.
DAY 4
The final reckoning. Our best start as hari krishna mantras blared under the A14. Suddenly, half a length to Jesus M2—this was it. Rory shattered the expectant air: "55 YEARS—TRIPLE BLADES—MAKE HISTORY—ANNIHILATE THEM!" The boat ERUPTED and surged. 16 apocalyptic strokes later, Jesus M2 lay motionless, their cox catapulted by George's blade. Symbolic. The Barge had done it: an Eddie’s M1 blade for the first time in 15 years. "Why did we randomly decide we can row at twice the speed?" joked Douwe. Matt, risking nerve damage, took to the cox seat with theatrical flag bearing flair on the row home. Meanwhile, Rory crabbing 362 times in stroke confirmed what we all knew: there’s only one seat he’s built for.​

And finally, the moment that Eddies crews of 2025 became etched in college rowing immortality, in the words of the CUCBC cannon gods "DEFEND YOUR EARS":

As it stands SECBC is prepping four crews for the Mays with M2 & W2 subject to the getting-on-race....fingers crossed! The womens/AFAB side has been busy getting races in in preparation for the looming May bumps, with the mens/open side going into Mays incognito! It's all rather exciting as we have four CUBC returners so we have high hopes for an excellent campaign! Watch this space!