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One of the premier school boat clubs in the country, the opportunities to participate in and excel at one of the most exhilarating sports are plentiful.

Rowing as part of a crew develops a team spirit found in few other sports. The rigours of training also teach skills such as time management, organisation and application.

Our boathouse is on campus and opens straight out onto the Thames, site of the historic Oxford–Cambridge Boat Race. The Boat Club trains and races all year round. Local races take place roughly every fortnight, offering the chance for our rowers to pit themselves against crews from other clubs and schools. Later on in the season, national regattas take place, notably the National Schools’ Regatta and, the pinnacle of any rower’s career, Henley Royal Regatta.

The Boat Club enjoyed its best-ever year in 2024, with six wins at the Head of the Charles, the Schools’ Head of the River Race – including a new course record set by the 1st VIII – five gold medals and three silvers at the National Schools’ Regatta – including a clean sweep of gold medals for the J15 and senior squads in the eights events – and victory at Henley Royal Regatta for the 1st VIII. This is the fourth time in recent years St Paul’s have won the prestigious Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup, the other victories being in 2015, 2018 and 2022. With young, immensely talented crews coming up the ranks, the future for St Paul’s rowing is very bright.

Many Pauline rowers have gone on to represent GB at junior, U23 and senior level. There really is no limit to what pupils can achieve with the club, with victories at local, national and even international events.

Every year, several members of the Boat Club trial for the Great Britain junior squads, frequently getting the opportunity to represent GB at one of the junior international regattas held in the summer. This year, several Pauline rowers were selected for GB crews competing in the Junior World Championships in Canada, winning one gold and three silver medals.

Regular trips for rowers include a training camp in Portugal, a J14 training camp in Peterborough and a racing trip to the Head of the Charles in the USA. As well as the notable Henley Royal Regatta and National Schools’ Regatta, popular annual highlights for the Boat Club include the Schools’ Head races, Pudding VIIIs and the Boat Club Dinner.

Colet Boat Club

The achievements of rowers from St Paul’s School do not end when they leave the school. If pupils want to carry on rowing at university, rowing at SPSBC provides them with an excellent foundation for this. Many students have gone on to represent their universities, including Oxford and Cambridge in the Boat Race. Pauline rowers are also becoming a fixture of top US varsity crews including Harvard and Yale. In 2024, the captains of Cambridge University and Harvard University were Old Paulines.

A select few even go on to row at senior international and Olympic level with OPs Freddie Davidson (2011-2016) and David Ambler (2011-2016) winning back to back World Championships in the GB coxless four in 2022 and 2023 before taking bronze at the Paris Olympics.