In a moment of belated (27 years) genius I realised that the best way to get to the pub to watch the May Bumps with Monty and Rachel would be to start at Bait's Bite Lock, cross over and head off down the opposite bank. Not only was it a very scenic walk but we got lovely glimpses of action through the trees. We arrived at the lock just in time to see the boats lining up for the start of one of the lower women's divisions. You can see the girl at the back holding the 'bung' which is used to make sure the boats start at the right distance apart. you can see her bow turning off to the left and when the gun went the girl at bow was trying to straighten up - it takes some skill from the cox and the 'pusher-offer' to get the start right and this crew ended up rowing straight in to the bank!
Three GT:
1. A beautiful day for the races (unusual!)
2. We found some great vantage points for actually seeing bumps
3. I took a lovely photo of Rachel when she wasn't looking.
HUGE thanks for the amazing response to my Star photo!!!
See the action http://365project.org/judithg/extras/2014-06-12
This must all be very interesting to watch......a very ancient tradition I expect which will be another story . Wondering who owns all the boats....the university?
@pistonbroke Yes they do! It can get quite tetchy (mostly amongst the fellows!) and it can be quite dangerous - the cox is in a vulnerable position, catching a crab can be pretty dramatic and then you also get coaches cycling in to the river!
Had to google: A bumps race is a form of rowing race in which a number of boats chase each other in single file, each crew attempting to catch and "bump" the boat in front without being caught by the boat behind. Is this first boat crewed by the All Blacks?
A wonderful action shot, the weather looked perfect for the event. btw thankyou for your comments, we have Helen with us at the moment so having a busy time, I was dashing around all day yesterday not relaxing in the garden. as my caption said
