BUMP!

Last week we had a very special event in Cambridge: the May Bumps! This is one of the big rowing competitions between Colleges and it's quite peculiar (not only because of it's rules, but also because of how passionate students get about it). The rules are easy but quite odd. There are several divisions, each with 17 boats sorted according to the results of the last term. Since the cam is obviously not wide enough for all 17 of them to row in parallel they came up with another method: 

The boats start lined up and one and a half boat lengths apart from each other and the goal is to bump into the next one before reaching the finish line and before getting bumped themselves by the boat behind. If a boat hits the one before him (this includes the blades hitting the face of the opponent (not every convenient height for the oar, though)) both have to move to the riverbank and stop. Like this:

There are four races on four consecutive days and if you bump the boat in front of you you swap places for the next race. This means that during one May Bump you can technically only move up a few places (there is overbumping and stuff, but that is another story). If you bump the four days you get blades, which is not only a huge honor, you also get to keep the actual  blades. Once the race is over the boats that bumped/were bumped have to row back to the finish line (there not going to stay on the side for ever, obviously).  In order for people to immediately know what is going on the bumpers (the ones that hit the boat before them) put some greenery in their hair or on their suits. It looks really curious, like this:

Not sure if you can see it though...

As you could see on the second pictures there are people on the side of the river cheering and every team has a maximum of 4 people that can cycle along the river shouting and whistling secret commands to their teammates.

Not knowing all the colleges names (not to mention all their colors) it was a bit hard for me to figure out which one was which since they don't necessarily have their full name anywhere. Apparently you have to recognize them by their blades (yeah, right) and  we found out later that they were handing out flyers with the Colleges and their blades.

Also we had a big incident with one of the Colleges! I must say I saw it coming, which is why I had my camera prepared, the only one who did not was the swan:

It was in the middle of the river when the second division men teams came along and since they are clearly not equipped with eyes on their necks (and I am not sure they would make a huge evasive maneuver even if they did) they almost ran (rowed) into it.

It's a good thing that Churchill does not have an incredibly in-your-face color (like bright barbie pink would be) so the Queen's guards are going to have a hard time trying to figure out what College it was from my picture in order to punish them for (almost?) rowing over a swan.