Cambridge and Oxford got their first taste of the new Boat Race season at the Head of the Charles Regatta in Boston, where Cambridge's men finished third in the Men's Championship Eights as the two squads split results across the men's and women's events.
The regatta ran from 16 to 18 October over the Charles River's notoriously tricky 4,702-metre course. Seven bridges and a string of tight bends make it as much a test of steering and tactics as raw speed, and it draws some of the strongest university and club crews in the world.
Cambridge's men were the standout performers from either Blue squad, finishing third in the Men's Championship Eights in 13:36.084, beaten only by world champions Holland Acht and Harvard University. The result denied Cambridge a hat trick of wins after victories in 2024 and 2025, but third against that calibre of opposition was eye-catching nonetheless. 2026 Blues Sammy Houdaigui, Simon Hatcher (P) and Patrick Wild were all in the boat.
Oxford's men were further back, placing 14th in 13:53.228. Incoming French rower Victor El Kholti stroked the crew, with 18-year-old cox Felix Laikin sat opposite him, while 2026 Blues Alex Underwood and Alexander Sullivan (P) rowed just behind. Two-time Italian Olympian Gennaro di Mauro is an eye-catching addition to the Dark Blues this year.
In the Women's Championship Eights, Cambridge finished sixth. Isobel Campbell and Mia Freischem were the returning Blues on board, with the crew stroked by former University of London club captain Jessie Martin.
The event was won by the USRowing Training Centre crew, featuring the full World Championship bronze-medal-winning eight, in 14:44.037. That crew had solid Boat Race pedigree, with Claire Collins (Cambridge, 2025) and Camille VanDerMeer (Cambridge, 2026) sitting at 5 and 6.
Oxford finished 10th, just six seconds behind their Dark Blue rivals. Emily Molins, Kyra Delray (P) and cox Louis Corrigan made up a returning triplet of Blues from the victorious 2026 Oxford crew, while Paraguayan national Nicole Martinez, rowing at 7, has joined the squad this year.
With the 2027 Boat Race season now underway, both squads turn to their next fixture: their respective club Trial VIIIs in December on the Championship Course. Oxford's is on Tuesday 8 December, with Cambridge following on Saturday 12 December.
