Ready oar not: the Chanel J12 Boat Race is almost here

The women’s boat race was founded a century after the men’s, in 1927 (next year will mark its triumphant centenary). However, it has only been held on a regular basis since the mid-1960s. Initially, the female Oxford and Cambridge sides were not allowed on the river simultaneously, and the race was judged purely on separate ‘times and style’.

Every year the race begins with the toss of an 1829 gold sovereign coin, which commemorates the origins of the race, and decides which side of the…