boat race 1st boat race took place thames june race came following challenge laid university_of_oxford university_of_cambridge row match near london boat ensuing easter vacation oxford wore dark blue cambridge wore white pink crowd estimated according official record oxford won race easily time minutes seconds boat race annual fixture contested times background rowing popular university_of_oxford number years club established university_of_cambridge meeting february decided challenge oxford row match near london boat ensuing easter vacation race deferred summer rowing start oxford easter scheduled june prize pre race betting cambridge favourites win race oxford wore dark blue check outfit race cambridge wore white pink boats said handsome wrought superior style oxford green boat built oxford slightly shorter measuring feet cambridge pink boat inches longer built race oxford john stuart cambridge disagree aspect race consult referee recorded crews cambridge crew weighed average records oxford crew incomplete average weight calculated race course race mile stretch river thames cambridge won toss elected start river handing oxford according author fine day climate allows june day race originally scheduled start altered delayed start race time people attendance watch oxford boat steered close cambridge boat forcing row close shore drew complaints cambridge crew insisted race restarted oxford crew relented race began second time early stages race crews evenly matched passed island river oxford drew ahead passed island main flow river oxford crew demonstrated strength report race records crews strength arms excellent style cambridge boat maintained higher stroke rate oxford maintained lead rest race margin victory variously reported lengths recorded officially easily time reported variously minutes minutes seconds legacy event subsequently referred boat race held second time seven years later river thames held intermittently race annual event interrupted second world wars contested cambridge lead overall victories oxford excluding dead heat recorded race
The Boat Race 1829