Blue Boat

The Blue Boat is the highest level boat representing the University of Oxford or the University of Cambridge in the universities' annual rowing clash on the River Thames: The Boat Race. As of 2016, the women's first VIII (also referred to as a Blue Boat) clash also takes places on the River Thames, along with their male counterparts.^[1] Lightweight crews of both genders race annually at the Henley Boat Races.

"Blue" refers to the oarsmen and women in these first boats each earning their University Sporting Blue, an honour bestowed on sportsmen and women of each university who compete at the highest level in certain sports in Oxford/Cambridge competitions. Oxford is commonly referred to as the "Dark Blues" and Cambridge as the "Light Blues". Cambridge blue (the sporting variety) actually appears greenish.^[2]

The shades of blue used in the universities are both rowing colours of Eton College, whose alumni founded the respective boat clubs, and have been adopted by the universities as a whole.

At the annual gala after the race, the Boat Race Ball, members of Oxford's Dark Blue Boat traditionally wear dark blue blazers with dark blue trim. Members of Cambridge's Light Blue Boat wear a similar blazer in the light blue Cambridge colours. Lightweight crews wear Half-Blue colours, while the various reserve boats (listed below) wear more outlandish stylings.

• Openweight men's reserves: Isis (Oxford) and Goldie (Cambridge)
• Openweight women's' reserves: Osiris (Oxford) and Blondie (Cambridge)
• Lightweight men's reserves: Nephthys (Oxford) and Granta (Cambridge)
• Lightweight women's reserves: Tethys (Oxford)

References

The Boat Race
	Oxford University Boat Club (crews) Oxford University Women's Boat Club Cambridge University Boat Club (crews) Cambridge University Women's Boat Club
	The Championship Course Results Blue Boat Goldie Stones
	Henley Boat Races OU Lightweight Rowing Club OU Women's Lightweight Rowing Club CU Lightweight Rowing Club CU Women's Lightweights
	The Boat Race 1829 1836 1839 1840 1841 1842 1845 1846 1849 1849 1852 1854 1856 1857 1858 1859 1860 1861 1862 1863 1864 1865 1866 1867 1868 1869 1870 1871 1872 1873 1874 1875 1876 1877 1878 1879 1880 1881 1882 1883 1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
	Women's Boat Race 1927 1929 1930 1934 1935 1936 1939 1941 1973 1974 1975 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1993 1994 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
	The Boat Races 2015 2016 2017
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