The Boat Race 1846
| 8th Boat Race | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date | 3 April 1846 | ||
| Winner | Cambridge | ||
| Margin of victory | 3 lengths | ||
| Winning time | 21 minutes 5 seconds | ||
| Overall record (Cambridge–Oxford) |
6–2 | ||
| Umpire | C. J. Selwyn | ||
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The 8th Boat Race between crews from the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge took place on the River Thames on 3 April 1846. Umpired by Charles Jasper Selwyn, Cambridge won in a time of 21 minutes 5 seconds, with a winning margin of three lengths. The race was held on the ebb tide, starting in Mortlake and ending in Putney. For the first time, outriggers were used by both crews.
The Boat Race is a side-by-side rowing competition between the University of Oxford (sometimes referred to as the "Dark Blues") and the University of Cambridge (sometimes referred to as the "Light Blues"). The race was first held in 1829, and since 1845 has taken place on the 4.2-mile (6.8 km) Championship Course on the River Thames in southwest London.
Following their ten-length defeat in the previous year's race, Oxford sent their challenge to Cambridge in February 1846, proposing that the race should take place at Easter. The umpire for the race was Charles Jasper Selwyn. Cambridge went into the race leading the contest overall, with five wins to Oxford's two since the inaugural race in 1829. On one of only a handful of occasions, the race was rowed on the ebb tide, from Mortlake to Putney.
For the first time in the history of the race, both boats used outriggers. Cambridge "rowed in an outrigger built by Searle, 60 ft in length, 2 ft 8 in in breadth", while Oxford's boat was "expressly built for this match by King of Oxford" and 58 ft 6 in long. Both crews had professional coaches: Oxford used John Noulton while Cambridge were trained by Robert Coombes, a champion sculler. It marked the start of the debate over the use of professional coaches which was not resolved until the 1852 race.
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