Henley Women’s Regatta 2026 got underway on Friday 19 June with a bumper session of time trials followed by a thrilling afternoon of side-by-side racing.
Time trials took place in the majority of the senior events, and for a number of crews, this was the end of their regatta with limited spots available for the knockout rounds. In some events a good time trial would mean a good seeding for the rest of the racing, allowing the fastest crews to test race strategy before cruising to victory.
In the afternoon, side-by-side racing began with the heats of the Copas Cup for club eights, before continuing through boats of all sizes and culminating in the development coxed four event – traditionally one of the most hotly contested in the regatta.
The hot conditions and stiff headwind challenged crews and made times slow, but all coped well with the conditions and racing was still close and exciting.
The draw threw up an unlucky pairing for Brown University, with their A and B crews meeting each other in the first round of the Ron Needs Cup for championship eights. The A crew won, and will go on to race Thames Rowing Club B on Saturday.
Race of the day
The race of the day came in the heats of the Copas Cup, when London Rowing Club B raced their Putney neighbours Vesta Rowing Club A. Nothing separated the two boats down the track – but it was London who took the win by just half a second.
Racing continues on Saturday 20 June with timetrials from 09:20, followed by side-by-side racing from 12:12.
