Day 4 – And it’s all wrapped up for another year

Well that week disappeared quickly, though not as quickly as it could have if it had been equipped with a Robinson M2 start – the shining jewel amid of the rubble of the M3 division.

Yes, the culmination of the bumps carnival means a time to reflect on what was good, what wasn’t fantastic, and what foundations have been cast to build securely on next term. But first we might as well address the specific events of 10th March – also more affectionately referred to as the last day of Lent bumps.

It was set up to be a heroic vindication, a chance to grab everyone’s attention and say the past three days have been but pale imitations of our true ability. We could push away the Caius crew, Jesus would be bumped by Johns, and we’d have a good length on course in which to achieve the inevitable over bump. But as Bobbie Burn’s once said

best laid schemes o’ mice an’ men. Gang aft a-gley

Which, for those of you not fluent in partially drunk scot, is that old adage that all the planning in the world ultimately falls apart when it comes time to implement it.

Caius were not the boat we had seen the previous day being awarded a dubious row over. They had been transformed in true Stallone film montage style into a hungrier, angrier, faster crew. As had been the pattern of the week we managed to push them off at the start with our ferocious nought to sixty(-ish) acceleration, but then the wind came. Not the welcome second wind that helps you push through physiological barriers and accomplish super human feats. No an actual East Anglian Gale, blowing directly downstream and taking our light weight craft as its plaything of choice. The heavier Caius boys sat stronger in the wind and started to gain. We responded to their charge as best we could, but even with the cheers of the pre-bumped boats reigning down on us as we battled upstream it seemed to be heading for an all too familiar conclusion.

And it happened, the bump came, on first post corner, and that was confirmation of what we feared. Spoons for M2 for a second set of lents in a row.

Not our finest hour we’ll admit. But still, at least we didn’t get over bumped, we didn’t break the boat either, and we also got through the week with the same crew. So, in at least a literal sense, it wasn’t the end of the world (casual 2012 reference duly noted). As testament to the crew’s resolve and bond the mood lightened on the row home, helped no end by the implementation of strokes to lying down and the knowledge that it wouldn’t be long until someone “accidentally” got thrown in the river.

So the final gleanings of 2012’s first set of bumps; a crew seemingly happy enough to continue with the sport into next term at least, a racing start that was genuinely impressive, and a cox that could – to the amazement of many – steer some pretty decent lines when we made it as far as corners. Seems quite a positive way to bring to a close this concluding bumps report, only possibly bettered by a Sigur Ros accompanied slow fade to black.