The Scottish Boat Race, also known as the Edinburgh vs. Glasgow Boat Race, is an annual rowing race between the University of Glasgow and the University of Edinburgh, in competing eights currently held on the River Clyde in Glasgow, Scotland. Started in 1877 on the Clyde above the tidal weir, the Scottish Boat Race has continued regularly since its inception with the exception of 1903 to 1919 due to GURC (as it was known then) being a non-competitive club. The Race was originally contested in coxed fours but this was changed to eights after 1961. It is also believed to be the third oldest university boat race in the world, predated only by the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race and the Yale-Harvard Regatta. Edinburgh University won the 2016 Scottish Boat Race after winning the Men's Scottish Boat Race, both Beginner crew races, the Women's Reserve race and the Ergometer Challenge.
Races
Originally only the Men's first boats raced but over the years the format of the Race has changed such that now the first and second boats of both genders now race following the inclusion of women into the Race in 1992. Graduates from each university also race albeit over a much shorter course and were started in 2001. The on water races are now followed by the Novice Ergometer Challenge; a team 2 kilometre test on ergometers where a team of four novice rowers from each university race head to head on two ergometers with each team member covering roughly 500m. Previously a Mixed Graduate race had been held between 2001 and 2003.
Course
Over its history the race has been contested on several bodies of water; however it has been mostly raced on the River Clyde and the Union Canal in Edinburgh. Other bodies of water used include the Forth and Clyde Canal at Dullatur and Leith Docks. Between 1999 and 2012 the race was run on the Clyde above the tidal weir between Cowans Bend, across which the Dalmarnock Smartbridge now runs, and the Nelson Monument at Glasgow Green. The course was changed in 2013 to start from Broomielaw Quay with the finish in line with the Tall Ship at the Riverside Museum.
The First Race
The first Edinburgh v. Glasgow Boat Race took place shortly after 3:00 pm on Monday 30 July 1877 on the River Clyde above the weir at Glasgow Green in coxed fours and was won by Glasgow by eight lengths. The course was from the railway bridge at Dalmarnock to the St. Andrews suspension bridge at Glasgow Green, the distance being one and three quarter miles, and was deliberately chosen in order to allow the public to spectate; a course between Port Glasgow and Bowling had previously been chosen. The race was staged following discussions between the boat clubs of the respective universities as to creating an annual competition over water supremacy. An estimated crowd of fifty thousand watched the race from both sides of the river.
The Edinburgh crew were W. Weir (9 st 5 lbs) (bowseat), R.L. Murray (9 st 6 lbs) (2-seat), C. Fairburn (12 st 3 lbs) (3-seat), J.H. Balfour (10 st 13 lbs) (strokeseat) and were coxed by R.S. Browne (8 st 4 lbs) and the Glasgow crew were C.D. Johnstone (9 st 6 lbs) (bowseat), G.H. Robbs (10 st 10 lbs) (2-seat), J. Pinkerton (11 st 10 lbs) (3-seat), J. Crerar (10 st 6 lbs) (strokeseat) and were coxed by T.H. Mason (9 st 5 lbs). The oarmen were about equal in weight but Edinburgh's cox was 15 pounds lighter than Glasgow's.