Racing with hippos on the Zambezi

“Move right! There’s a hippo!” Coxswains from Great Britain’s Oxford and Cambridge Universities and South African boats had extra steering responsibilities at the 2010 Zambezi International Regatta in Livingstone, Zambia. Alumni from the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge come together to compete against the current South African University champions for the fourth time since 2004. The event also marked the 100 year anniversary of The World Professional Sculling Championships that took place on the Zambezi in 1910. The crews had one week to come together in their eights and get used to the challenges of rowing on Africa’s fourth largest river, “The most threatening wildlife you see in Cambridge is a swan,” explained Chiara Ferrara, “out here we have to steer around hippos and stop for elephants. One of the scullers also attracted the attention of a very large crocodile! It reminds you that as a rower you have to respect the environment and wildlife wherever you are.” The conditions on the day of the regatta were very difficult, a strong headwind against the stream produced large waves along the whole course. In the 500m sprint, the Oxford men won by half a length, with Cambridge coming in a close second followed by the University of Cape Town, South Africa. Although the Oxford team had the weight advantage for the 2000m race, concerns over sitting low in the water led to a frantic taping of the riggers to provide some protection from the waves. “If we sit too low in the water in windy conditions like this, the waves will come crashing over the boat. If that happens too early in the race, we’ll be pulling a boat full of water,” explained the American two-time Olympian and three-time World Champion Michael Wherley. “It doesn’t always work, as it could catch the wind, but on a day like today it's good to try something like this.” The gamble paid off as Oxford stormed ahead leaving Cambridge and Cape Town to fight it out for second and third, a repeat of the 500m result. Both the women’s races were won by a very tidy looking South African crew, with Oxford coming in second and Cambridge, half of whom had been suffering with illness all week, an expected third. University of Johannesburg (RSA) team captain, Tiffany Rolando, explained “We decided to keep to our race plan: to go out strong at the start, and get into our stride quick and early. That’s what we did. The girls gave 100 per cent. Then we just kept tapping away. When we had an incident, we just recovered quickly and went on.” The Centenary Sculling race had to be shortened to 500m because of the difficult conditions in which Great Britain’s Dan Arnold beat fellow Briton Dan Barry and South African’s Rika Diedericks (nee Geyser), a Beijing Olympian, came third. In 1910 Barry’s great, great uncle, Ernest Barry raced in the World Professional Sculling Championships. Other events at the regatta included flatwater rafting and kayaking, as well as a traditional Zambia canoe race. As part of the trip, the crews were very fortunate to have the opportunity to try white water rafting, visit the Victoria Falls and go on a game drive. The Cambridge Women also spearheaded a fundraising drive, resulting in a $1300 donation to a local school. Copy thanks to: Chiara Ferrara The World Rowing team values feedback.