The Thames is one of the main rowing rivers of Europe. Several annual competitions are held along its course, including the Henley Royal Regatta, The Boat Race and other long-distance events, called Head of the River races (Heads).

As well as the events held on the river itself, there are other, purpose-built rowing facilities along the course of the river, such as Dorney Lake between Slough and Windsor, Berkshire, which was a 2012 Summer Olympic venue and is now an international Cup, standard-distance rowing lake hosting the three main annual entry regattas for Henley: still named Marlow (International), Wallingford and Metropolitan. Other rowing lakes near the Thames are the Redgrave Pinsent Rowing Lake between Reading and Henley used by the Great Britain squad and Royal Albert Dock near North Woolwich, London.

History Rowing races on the River Thames have been documented as early as 1725, and Henley-on-Thames was the venue for the 1908 London Olympics rowing races.

Contemporary events, groups and modern history The sport and recreational/touring rowing takes place on the Tideway and on the 45 separate lock reaches on the non-tidal section.

The river hosts a televised succession of races on which bets are placed – traditionally named The Boat Race and for some decades a men-only event – it is now the (Oxford and Cambridge) Men's and Women's Boat Race on the cusp of March and April. Further up-river, the Henley Royal Regatta, held over six days (Tuesday to Sunday) ending on the first weekend in July is one of several other rowing events held along approximately the same course on that same stretch of the Thames.

At least 12 head races are held every year on the long, tidal course of the Boat Race, known as the Championship Course – including the Head of the River Race which is the weekend before the Boat Race, attracting hundreds of racing shell eights. Head races are, by definition, long time trials. Twice as many heads are held on long, narrower reaches of the canalised inland river. Many clubs and a few schools and village fair committees as far inland as Oxford host shorter races – regattas – in warmer months.

Event-raced, self-propelled boats on the Thames chiefly comprise (Olympic) racing shells. Most events are for racing shells.

Traditional rowing boats A Thames, or English, punt is a long slender vessel. It sees very few and often intermittent or extremely local races. Its use is almost wholly recreational. Thames skiffs are the mainstay of several regattas and six extant clubs (see below). A large version with a canvas is called a camping skiff, featuring in major modern travelogues and historically in Three Men in a Boat, published in 1889, a humorous account by English writer Jerome K. Jerome of a two-week boating holiday on this river from Kingston upon Thames to Oxford and back to Kingston. Other rowing typically takes place in dragon boats, dongolas, dinghies, inflatable rafts and larger skiffs known as cutters.

Regattas

Thames rowing regattas are almost all between April and the first week of September. All but the most prestigious are considered short. They are raced side-by-side. They are in categories for competitors and boat types: each consists of heats (mostly knock-out tournaments, that is, without repechages) and final. Many regatta days are split into two or more divisions so that competitors can enter two categories – such as a large and small boat, sweep-oar or sculling. Where category events have a cup it belongs to the regatta and is sometimes engraved with winners' club or composite clubs' name (or engraved on metal set around a plinth or set of plinths). Winners receive a medal – or tankard, called by rowers a "pot". A regatta in racing shell rowing has umpires/stewards who enforce preparedness (race registration, safety and marshalling time/location rules), false start and lane rules using a motor launch and the wearing of club kit.

EventSpecialMonthPlace or Reach above...Approx. start pointDirectionDistanceChertsey RegattaSkiffing07Shepperton LockDumsey MeadowDown500 mEgham Regatta06Bell Weir LockBell WeirUp650 mHampton Court and Dittons RegattaSkiffing07Teddington LockRiver MoleDown650 mHenley Royal Regatta07Hambleden LockTemple IslandUp2112 mHenley Women's RegattaLadies06Hambleden LockTemple IslandUp1500 mKingston Regatta07Teddington LockRaven's AitDown1000 mMaidenhead Regatta08Bray LockMaidenhead Railway BridgeUp500 mMarlow Regatta06Dorney LakeStill2000 mMarlow Town Regatta06Marlow LockBisham AbbeyDown900 mMetropolitan Regatta05/06Dorney LakeStill2000 mReading Amateur Regatta06Caversham LockSt Mary's IslandDown1500 mReading Town RegattaThames Valley Park bank06Sonning LockUp800 mSkiff Championships RegattaSkiffing08Hambleden LockHenley on ThamesDown750 mSonning RegattaGeneral (no racing shells)05, biennialSonning LockSonning Eye bank above lockEither300 m approxStaines Regatta07Penton Hook LockSouth of Saint Peter's ChurchDown500 mSunbury Amateur RegattaGeneral (rarely has racing shell J1x)08Molesey LockSunbury Court IslandUp650 mThames Ditton Regatta05Teddington LockBy Thames Ditton IslandUp920 mThames Valley Park Regatta06Sonning LockUp500 mWallingford Regatta05Dorney LakeStill2000 mWargrave and Shiplake RegattaGeneral (no racing shells)08Marsh LockShiplake Railway BridgeDown400 m

"General" refers to a mix of skiffing, cutters, dinghies and other rowed craft.

Head of the River and long-distance events

Head of the River races (Heads) and other long-distance events dominate the winter months, and are usually processional (time trials): competitors set off at time intervals, and results are on the basis of comparative timing or by bumping (catching up the boat in front). Many of them on the Tideway are raced over The Championship Course, and apart from the Boat Race and Wingfield Sculls, may begin from Mortlake (west) or Putney (east) whichever tide matches the middle of the day or other central racing hours.

EventSpecialMonthArea or Lock ReachApprox. start point DirectionDistanceEights WeekUniversity of Oxford05Iffley LockUpHammersmith Head03TidewayChiswick BridgeDown4425 mHead of the River Fours (the Fours Head) 11TidewayChampionship CourseEither6800 mHead of the River Race (the)03TidewayChampionship CourseEither6800 mReading University Head of the River02/03Caversham LockThe Roebuck Hotel, TilehurstDown4500 mSchools' Head of the River RaceJunior03TidewayChampionship CourseEither6800 mTorpidsUniversity of Oxford03Iffley LockUpVesta Veterans International VIIIs Head of RiverMasters03TidewayChampionship CourseEither6800 m(Vesta/the) Scullers Head of River09TidewayChampionship CourseEither6800 mWingfield Sculls10TidewayPutneyWith the flood tide6800 mWomen's HeadLadies03TidewayChampionship CourseEither6500 m

Other events

The Boat Race Women's Boat Race Henley Boat Races Doggett's Coat and Badge Great River Race

Clubs

Rowing on the river is generally organised through clubs based on the Thames, which include the following.

Competing many times per year

Universities

Imperial College Boat Club Imperial College School of Medicine Boat Club Kingston Student Rowing Club (formerly Kingston University Boat Club ) Oxford Brookes University Boat Club Oxford University Boat Club Reading University Boat Club University of London Boat Club King's College London Boat Club Queen Mary, University of London Boat Club Royal Free and University College Medical School Boat Club Royal Veterinary College Boat Club St Bartholomew's and The Royal London Hospitals' Boat Club St George's Hospital Medical School Boat Club United Hospitals Boat Club University College London Boat Club

Schools

References

Bibliography As to currently competing clubs: The Umpires' Handbook British Rowing, 2020: pp. 47–52.