Which Day Should I Go?
There is no 'right' answer to such a question, for some the answer is that they're all unmissable, for those of you unable to afford the luxury of such time (or money) we hope that what follows might help you decide.
Socialising is an important part of a good day out at Henley and if you are planning to meet up with friends this may well be the principal consideration in choosing which of the 5 days you’ll come and far be it from us to persuade you otherwise. Others might be here as guests of corporate hosts in which case you’ll probably want to come in the working week!
However if your choice of day is unconstrained by such considerations then the following might help you choose.
Be warned, if you're new to the Regatta, and/or to rowing, then Regatta Radio's unashamed mission is to get you to appreciate a little of what is going on on the water.
Broadly there are 6 categories of event at Henley, these are listed below.
- Open Men
- Intermediate Men
- Club Men
- Student Men
- Junior Boys
- Open Women
The Open Men and Women generally have athletes of world class standing in the field. Sometimes rank outsiders with very little chance of winning may also enter these events. The other categories include athletes of lesser standing. However it should be recognised that to even race at Henley is a considerable achievement, all of the athletes that you’ll see on the water are accomplished scullers, oarsmen or women. The training required to even qualify for Henley is long and hard and all the athletes you’ll see at Henley deserve your admiration. The Open Men’s and Women’s events generally start in earnest from Friday onwards; so if it’s world class rowing that you’re looking for then Friday, Saturday or Sunday should be your choice. Where else can you see world class athletes in action free?
For the sheer volume of races Wednesday and Thursday should be your choice. There are often 2 races in progress on the course at any one time. Wednesday and Thursday also generally affords British spectators the opportunity to support a crew from your locality, be it a club crew, school or other academic institution. Your vocal support is much appreciated by participating crews and can give them a genuine lift as they battle with the 1 mile 550 yards (2112 meters) course. Nearer the time we’ll hope to give you a guide on how to find crews local to you so that you can give them your support.
Wednesdays and Thursdays are particular favourites with parents, grandparents and old boys of some of the school crews competing in the Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup, the PE to the cognoscenti. Some of the most vocal support at the Regatta can be heard supporting these crews.
Henley Royal Regatta has a system similar to seeding at Wimbledon. Crews at Henley are “selected” which means they avoid one another in the early part of the draw and only race one another in the later rounds. This means that the closer contests tend to take place from Friday onwards. For sheer volume of racing Wednesday and Thursday are the days to choose, there are normally 80 races each day! The approximate racing timetable is as follows:
Wednesday 9am – 7:30pm
Thursday 9am – 7:30pm
Friday 8:30am – 7 pm
Saturday 10am – 7pm
Sunday 11:30am – 4:00pm
There are lengthy intervals for lunch and afternoon tea.
It is not possible to give a precise breakdown of the exact number races that will take place on each day – this depends on the entries that the Regatta receives. In practice Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday are in all probability as shown with some variation on Friday and Saturday.
|
|
Wednesday |
Thursday |
Friday |
Saturday |
Sunday |
|
Open Men |
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Grand Challenge Cup (8+) |
|
|
|
2 |
1 |
|
The Stewards' Challenge Cup (4-) |
|
|
|
1 |
1 |
|
The Queen Mother Challenge Cup (4x) |
|
|
|
|
1 |
|
The Silver Goblets & Nickalls' Challenge Cup (2-) |
|
8 |
4 |
2 |
1 |
|
The Double Sculls Challenge Cup (2x) |
|
|
3 |
2 |
1 |
|
The Diamond Challenge Sculls (1x) |
|
8 |
4 |
2 |
1 |
|
Club Men |
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Thames Challenge Cup (8+) |
16 |
8 |
4 |
2 |
1 |
|
The Wyfold Challenge Cup (4-) |
16 |
8 |
4 |
2 |
1 |
|
The Britannia Challenge Cup (4+) |
8 |
|
4 |
2 |
1 |
|
Student Men |
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Temple Challenge Cup (8+) |
16 |
8 |
4 |
2 |
1 |
|
The Prince Albert Challenge Cup (4+) |
8 |
|
4 |
2 |
1 |
|
Open Women |
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Remenham Challenge Cup (8+) |
|
|
4 |
2 |
1 |
|
The Princess Grace Challenge Cup (4x) |
|
|
4 |
2 |
1 |
|
The Princess Royal Challenge Cup (1x) |
|
4 |
4 |
2 |
1 |
|
Intermediate Men |
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Ladies' Challenge Plate (8+) |
|
4 |
4 |
2 |
1 |
|
The Visitors' Challenge Cup (4-) |
|
8 |
4 |
2 |
1 |
|
The Prince of Wales Challenge Cup (4x) |
|
8 |
4 |
2 |
1 |
|
Junior Boys |
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup (8+) |
16 |
8 |
4 |
2 |
1 |
|
The Fawley Challenge Cup (4x) |
|
8 |
8 |
6 |
1 |
|
Total Races |
80 |
80 |
67 |
39 |
19 |
For a guide to the bracketed numbers in the above table such as (8+) and (4-) see our Boat Configurations Guide.
We hope you’ve found this useful, we’d appreciate any comments, but most of all have a great day whichever one you choose, and don’t forget to tune in.
