boat race boat race took place march held annually event rowing race crews universities oxford cambridge river thames anniversary race won oxford half lengths time years crew featured foreign rowers cambridge stroke replaced hours race won reserve race slowest time history race cambridge won background boat race rowing competition university_of_oxford referred dark blues university_of_cambridge referred light blues race held taken place mile championship course river thames southwest london rivalry major point honour universities followed united_kingdom broadcast worldwide oxford went race reigning champions having won race cambridge sank cambridge led overall victories oxford race sponsored consecutive year howard umpire race allow television viewing start time race hour earlier traditional flood tide women boat race took place annual fixture 1960s contest conducted race held river_thames day men main reserve races reserve race contested oxford isis boat cambridge boat held usually takes place prior main boat race oxford coached sixth consecutive time rowed races coach suffered defeat cambridge head coach international rower double olympic cautious event peculiar race distance bends fact crews race fact course encounter sorts water wind conditions employed order prevent cambridge losing fourth consecutive time occurrence took place following race preparations race hampered weather conditions horizontal snow practice rows challenging crews crews weighed average henderson cambridge cox weighed pounds counterpart week leading race cambridge struck recovered roommate ill withdrew race hours prior event replaced weighed pounds light blue boat reorganised phillips rowing moving stroke oxford crew contained returning blues making second appearances race cambridge welcomed blue rowers cox henderson rowed previous year race oxford won toss fifth consecutive year elected start surrey station conditions calm writing daily_telegraph described river tide result earlier start time weak boats degrees umpire dropped flag signal start minute oxford clear cambridge oxford held lead lengths passed mile post seconds ahead extended lead seconds time crews shot bridge davies brought pushes light blues oxford maintained lead passed finishing post minutes seconds half lengths ahead cambridge oxford fourth consecutive victory fifth years taking place minutes main race reserve race saw cambridge defeat oxford isis lengths thirty seconds winning time minutes seconds slowest time history event consecutive victory eleventh thirteen years cambridge won 34th women boat race making row sixteenth victory seventeen years reaction oxford cox suggested got help tide beginning little later expecting neck neck race couldn believe length
The Boat Race 1979