Bumps 2021 Day 2 Race reports

Weather Warnings Issued – Orange alert for BUMPY conditions by Becca Auster

The calm before the storm, a beautiful sunny afternoon – no rain, lightning or thunderstorms. A pleasant day really.
The phone pings – “I’ve got a text!”, I shout to an empty room whilst sitting at my desk. Phew! No, not the Covid app but a picture from night 1, a real meaty sandwich of crews giving it their all.
Yep, there goes the nervous excitement again. Seriously, we have to do this three more times?!
Boathouse. A much calmer sky; a much calmer crew (well almost… apart from the secretly loving mumblings of “remind me not to do this again next year”). A solid row down to the start with a superb sub (Izzy) and Henley champ Carole at stroke. The race reports from our first night clearly brought the crowds in (ok, maybe the sunshine helped) and we were ready to put on our best performance.

Photo courtesy of Martin Bond, A Cambridge Diary https://www.facebook.com/acambridgediary/photos/a.492929534090053/4118180898231547/

W2: Dev Squad

Despite first night nerves, The DEVastators had a fast start and quickly gained on 99s W3, getting a whistle soon off the start. Rob Roy W2 were coming up quickly behind, and as The DEVastators got down to a canvas on 99s, Rob Roy overlapped just beyond the A14 bridge and managed to bump Champs a few strokes before they had a chance to bump 99s.