Bumps night 2

I got to the river much earlier this time (5.40) and helped to get the boat in (with help from City 8). We pushed off and got up to the lock in good time, doing some starts on the way. We got out at the last station and stretched our legs in the shade. I had much more energy than the previous night.

At the gun we had a much better start, having gone to frontstops at 10 and squaring at 7, and raced past a lot of boats who had bumped or been bumped. I think Anne caught a crab in this race near the motorway bridge. We were turning the corner into Grassy at race pace when a crew pushed off the bank in front of us (we think it was Champs 6 again). Max called us to hold it up hard and yelled at the other crew to ask what the hell they were doing. Their cox answered that they were trying to get back into the race having run into the bank due to traffic congestion and we were ruining their chances (think they called Max an idiot). We rowed on but pulled in before long to work out what happened. We were awarded a technical rowover. It would have been a bump had Champs 6 had any choice but to go into the bank.

It took so long for the traffic jam to clear – every crew behind us went past before we could push off – that we had to cling onto the bank while the men’s division raced past. We saw City 8 bump X-Press 6 right in front of us.

We rowed back as last night, and again I used this time to diagnose and improve. Again I worked on matching Anne but it still felt weird and premature and I was still finishing early. City 3 used our boat after us. I stayed for one drink with City 8 before heading off.