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Writer's pictureRyan Demaine

Head of the Charles 2024

Over half term, 17 girls and 3 coaches took a trip across the pond to race in Boston, Massachusetts at the famous Head of the Charles Regatta- a 5K race notorious for its tricky steering. This was the first time Headington had competed in this event since 2018, and the team was eager to come back and show what they could do!


Thursday evening, the team arrived at the hotel in Boston after a 7 hour day-time flight. An early dinner and bedtime was certainly needed for the day ahead. The next morning, the girls drove down to the Charles River for a quick practice row. The river was quite chaotic as all the crews from across the country and around the world were all trying to get on the water, so the team had to manage themselves efficiently. For lunch, they were rewarded with fresh oven-baked pizzas from a local vendor outside the BB&N boathouse. 


Saturday was the first day of races (this included Masters and Championship small boats events,) so the girls got the opportunity to explore the Cambridge area, tour the Harvard boathouse, and watch some of the racing. In the evening, the team travelled further into the city centre via the Freedom Trail and enjoyed dinner at a local restaurant by the harbour. 


Sunday was race day! The girls had the advantage of a 5-hour jetlag for their early start. The first race of the day was the Youth Single Sculls. Sophie, after racing at the World Championships this summer, took up the challenge of the single scull. Starting 30th out of 43, she placed 11th. 


Next was the Youth Coxed Quads. The crew, featuring two J16s, put out an exceptional performance. They started 48th out of 54, overtaking four crews, and taking the bronze. 

Next up was Ria and Darcey in the Youth Double Scull who, after some great racing and steering, placed 39th out of 54. 


Finally, the Youth Women’s Eight. With bow number 81 out of 90, the 8+ faced some steering challenges getting around other crews. Their main rival was RowAmerica Rye, the crew they faced earlier this year at Henley Royal in the final. They narrowly avoided other crews thanks to some excellent coxing and made it to the finish line to take 6th place, an outstanding result considering their start number! 


What a great weekend of racing! The girls definitely enjoyed the experience and getting to soak in all the energy and excitement of the event. It was a tough lead-up to the event with limited water time due to the flooding. Despite this, the team put out exceptional performances across the board. (This will definitely help next year’s squad for starting bow numbers). A special thanks to the coaches and parents for the support and for helping make this trip possible!


Crew List:


Youth Women’s Single Scull:

Sophie H (J18)


Youth Women’s Coxed Quadruple Scull:


Florence - cox (J16)

Rowena (J18)

Philippa (J17)

Ellie (J16)

Jess (J18)


Youth Women’s Double Scull:

Darcy (J17)

Ria (J17)


Youth Women’s Eight:

Francesca (J18)

Eleanor (J17)

Eva (J17)

Selam (J18)

Lucy (J17)

Elayna (J17)

Olivia (J17)

Isobel (J18)

Alice - cox (J17)


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