Crews racing in WinTech and King shells delivered a focused set of performances at the 2026 Head of the River Race, securing category victories across both club and masters racing on the Championship Course.

The Head of the River Race once again brought together a large and highly competitive field of club, university and international crews to race the 4¼-mile stretch from Mortlake to Putney. With tight racing throughout the order, success in any category required both depth and precision, particularly across the club and masters divisions. This event, staged in what felt like every weather front the UK had to offer, fielded over 350 crews and provides an ideal pre-cursor to the regatta racing season. 

One of the standout results came in the Club Mixed Pennant, where Canford School Boat Club produced a strong row to take the category win racing in a WinTech shell. Competing in a large and varied field, they finished as the leading mixed crew on the day, ahead of several well-established programmes.

King crews also featured at the top of their category, with City of Bristol Rowing Club’s B crew winning the Masters B Pennant. In a competitive masters field, their result placed them firmly at the head of their division and added a second category victory across the combined WinTech and King results.

Across both categories, these performances came within deep, competitive fields, where margins between crews are often tight, and positions in the top five are closely contested. University of Nottingham were our other top-five placing, where they finished third in the Aitken Academic Beginner Trophy.

With the head racing season now at an end, attention will turn toward the regatta calendar, where crews will look to build on these performances in the months ahead.