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Posted by Anne Corlett, Edinburgh University.
The 1996 Glasgow vs Edinburgh Boat Race took place on Friday 24th of May over a "2K and a bit" course on the river Clyde. The day dawned bright and calm but conditions degenerated with the wind picking up to make for a fairly bobbly course with a fair amount of swell, augmented by the high river walls. However it stayed quite warm and quite a few people turned out to support the two universities. Despite some last minute problems with the launches which delayed the start and added to the obvious tension in both clubs, the toss was eventually made and won by the Edinburgh men and the Glasgow women, with both winning captains choosing the north bank and the advantage of the long final bend. The men's crews finally went afloat at 3.30pm. The race was dominated from the start by the Edinburgh crew who seem to have gained some extra boat-speed since their last encounter with their Glasgow rivals. Despite Glasgow's early advantage with the first bend, Edinburgh drew steadily away to win by three lengths, looking comfortable as they passed the boating area some 500m from the finish. The women's crews boated shortly after the men's race had concluded and were on the start just after 4pm. The Edinburgh girls, looking for their first ever victory over Glasgow as well as Edinburgh's first Boat Race double, took advantage of the calm conditions in the first 500m to put in a very fast start and, like their men's crew, took an early lead with just under a length at 300m, stretching this out to about 2 lengths over the next 500m. Glasgow, fielding a strong crew with several ex-Scottish squad members, hung on bravely, fighting back for a few feet, but Edinburgh seemed to deal better with the rough conditions at halfway and they went on to win by 2 1/2 lengths, clinching the double for Edinburgh University. A presentation ceremony and reception was held at Glasgow University Union where Jo Davies, the Edinburgh Captain was presented with The John and Rheda Trophy for the women's race, while Vice-Captain Diederik Bulters received The Boat Race Trophy on behalf of the men's crew. The finishes of both races were televised on Scotland's evening news program, giving both clubs some much-needed exposure, since if this traditional event cannot obtain sponsorship it will not continue, the cost of staging it being too much for university clubs to fork out. The Boat Race is an important event for both clubs and it would be sad to see it abandoned for want of funding.