The Boat Race 2006

[6] The race was sponsored by Xchanging for the second consecutive year,[7] and was umpired by former Oxford Blue Simon Harris.

[5] The Oxford crew, whose average age was 24, comprised four Britons, two Canadians, two Americans and, in Bastien Ripoll, the first French rower to participate in the contest.

Oxford won the toss and elected to start from the Surrey station where they were afforded some shelter from the inclement conditions with strong winds creating choppy water.

[15] Oxford drew level and their cox Seb Pearce called for a push; his crew responded, moving away from Cambridge in the rough water.

[5] Cambridge coach Duncan Holland suggested "it's pretty hard to row with a boat full of water" while his cox Rudge claimed "Oxford were a little bit sheltered and it made a big difference".

"[16] Oxford's president Barney Williams said "We were pushed really hard" while his French crew-mate Ripoll claimed "the key moment was along the island, in a washing machine".