Lent Bumps Day 3 W1

Reana Maier, W1, seat 5

Day 3 of Bumps, and after yesterday’s gut-wrenching row-over, W1 is facing the unpleasant prospect of chasing Peterhouse W1 again. The day is bright and sunny, however, perfect for our bumping shades. Re-rows in both the M4 and W3 division cause delays, and we spend an unusual amount of time marshalling on the reach. Before finally heading up to the starting stations, we got the pleasant task of giving a raucous cheer to our W2 as they row past, decked out in greenery signalling their first bump of the week.

The row up has a decent lift and good cover, and we’re feeling nervous but determined. We know what we need to do, but we also know that Peterhouse isn’t going to make it easy. When the starting gun goes, we make a good start, then try to settle into the long, powerful strokes that will inexorably close the gap. The row today is more spirited, more controlled and more committed than yesterday’s. We slowly gain on them, getting single whistles, then two, then three, even continuous whistles signalling overlap, but each time we squeeze close, they manage to slip away. By the time we’re on the long reach closing in on the railway bridge, we’ve had continuous whistles three times, but haven’t caught them. We chase them closely all the way to the finish line for another heartbreaking row over. The crew is frustrated and angry, but we know Peterhouse had to fight tooth and nail with everything they had to stay those few inches ahead of us. I have a feeling this is a race that’s going to stick in our minds for a long time.

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