UPDATE on race:  The Boat Race 2014 – Oxford v Cambridge: Oxford win

• Clash of oars rocks Cambridge boat
• Their number two knocked back, breaks rigger
• It’s ruled Cambridge’s fault and Oxford romp home
• Biggest winning margin since 1973

The Cayman Islands Rowing Association is hosting a BBQ at the Cayman Islands Sailing Club this weekend.

It is on Sunday Apr. 6 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. to coincide with the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race. The boat race itself starts at 11.55 a.m. local time and will be screened live in the clubhouse in Red Bay.

Rowers from the Cayman Islands Rowing Association will serve burgers, hot dogs, and – in true British form – strawberries and cream and Pimms, as well as offering rowing demonstrations and a rowing competition with prizes generously donated by Jacques Scott.

All profits will go towards purchasing equipment to help the rowing association establish a learn-to-row program in the Cayman Islands.

The Cayman Islands Rowing Association invites rowers, former Oxbridge graduates and members of the public to join its members to watch what promises to be an exciting race and to support rowing in the Cayman Islands.

The Cayman Islands Rowing Association was established in 1974 by Douglas Calder, a former Boat Race winner.

The association was active in the ‘80s and early ‘90s, with one member even representing Cayman at the qualifiers for the Mexico City Olympics, and coming very close to qualifying.

Until 2012, the association had not had any active membership for several years and was, to all intents and purposes, a dormant society. However, in the last 18 months a small group of rowing enthusiasts have been working to bring the sport to the Cayman Islands, using their own funds to purchase equipment and giving up their own time to undertake coaching, training and equipment maintenance for the benefit of the rowing association.

Since January they have been running regular sessions on a Saturday and Sunday morning to allow any experienced rowers to turn up and row, but unfortunately they only have sufficient equipment to cater for a handful of rowers at any one time.

They hope to be able to build on these sessions to develop a regular squad who meet for regular outings can and train together with the aim of competing in regattas in the Caribbean and southern Florida area, and also have the ability to teach beginners to row from scratch.

Sunday’s Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race will be the 160th Boat Race between crews from the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge. First raced in 1829, The Boat Race is one of the oldest sporting events in the world.

The race is rowed along course on the River Thames in London, starting just downstream of Putney Bridge and finishing 4 miles, 374 yards later in Mortlake, just before Chiswick Bridge.

For more information, contact Barnabas Finnigan, email [email protected] or Tel: 525-5355.