Rowing races which take place over four days in the
Lent and
Easter Term terms at the
University of Cambridge on the
River Cam.
The river is narrow and has tight corners, so side-by-side racing is impossible. Thus, the crews line-up at the start, with the boats one-and-a-half
lengths apart on the bank.
Coxes hold onto chains to keep them close to their "
station" on the bank.
Cannons are sounded with 4 minutes and 1 minute to go before the start, at which point every crew must be
pushed out into the middle of the river. The
cox drops the end of the chain and everyone begins rowing when the start
cannon is fired. The crews now have approximately 7 minutes (2.5 kilometres) within which to catch and physically hit ("BUMP") the crew in front. Crews which manage this feat are awarded a bump and start one place closer to the
Head of the River next day.