0:00:02 > 0:00:05The waterways of Britain are a wonderful world of their own.
0:00:07 > 0:00:10From the earliest times, we've sailed, rowed,
0:00:10 > 0:00:12paddled and steamed along them.
0:00:14 > 0:00:17Whether travelling, trading, hunting, racing
0:00:17 > 0:00:18or just having a good time,
0:00:18 > 0:00:22we've made a boat that's perfect for the job.
0:00:22 > 0:00:25I'm Mary-Ann Ochota.
0:00:25 > 0:00:28I like nothing better than getting out on the water.
0:00:28 > 0:00:29Boats fascinate me.
0:00:29 > 0:00:31Their design, their engineering...
0:00:33 > 0:00:35..and what they tell us about the people of Britain.
0:00:38 > 0:00:40For a boat that embodies British ingenuity
0:00:40 > 0:00:42and our pursuit of speed,
0:00:42 > 0:00:45look no further than the rowing eight.
0:00:47 > 0:00:49It's the product of centuries of tradition,
0:00:49 > 0:00:52competition and a class war
0:00:52 > 0:00:54that spread from the river to Parliament.
0:00:57 > 0:01:00The history of Britain's boats is our history.
0:01:00 > 0:01:02This is Britain Afloat.
0:01:16 > 0:01:18SHOUTS OF ENCOURAGEMENT
0:01:22 > 0:01:23APPLAUSE
0:01:23 > 0:01:25Oh, they're catching up!
0:01:27 > 0:01:29The Henley Royal Regatta is arguably the world's
0:01:29 > 0:01:31most famous rowing competition.
0:01:31 > 0:01:34And, of course, to win, you need the ultimate racing machine...
0:01:36 > 0:01:37..the rowing eight.
0:01:38 > 0:01:40SHOUTS OF ENCOURAGEMENT
0:01:42 > 0:01:46The eight's the biggest boat, it's the fastest boat.
0:01:46 > 0:01:49Nine minds trying to act as one.
0:01:49 > 0:01:51It is incredibly exciting.
0:01:51 > 0:01:53CHEERING
0:01:55 > 0:02:00High-class competition on the river, champagne on the river bank...
0:02:01 > 0:02:03..Henley is about as posh as it gets...
0:02:05 > 0:02:07..but rowing's roots couldn't be more working class.
0:02:14 > 0:02:16This may be the pinnacle of British rowing,
0:02:16 > 0:02:18but the sport didn't start here.
0:02:18 > 0:02:22To discover its origins and how the eight became the ultimate racer,
0:02:22 > 0:02:24we have to go back 300 years...
0:02:26 > 0:02:30..and to the waterways of London.
0:02:30 > 0:02:34In the 1700s, the city's population doubled to a million people,
0:02:34 > 0:02:36spread from the East End to Richmond,
0:02:36 > 0:02:38and they all needed to get around.
0:02:42 > 0:02:44With no black cabs or the Underground,
0:02:44 > 0:02:48the quickest way to get around London was in one of these.
0:02:48 > 0:02:49All right, Bobby?
0:02:49 > 0:02:53VOICEOVER: Well, this is the life. Today, I'm being chauffeured by Bobby Prentice,
0:02:53 > 0:02:56who's the fourth generation of his family to work on the Thames.
0:02:58 > 0:03:01We're in a beautiful replica 18th-century river taxi.
0:03:01 > 0:03:05Back then, you'd pay four pence to cross the river.
0:03:05 > 0:03:06About £1.50 in today's money.
0:03:08 > 0:03:11Bobby, the watermen weren't just taking people across the Thames before bridges,
0:03:11 > 0:03:13they were taking them up and down, as well, weren't they?
0:03:13 > 0:03:18Yeah, indeed. And, of course, the royal family to the palaces.
0:03:18 > 0:03:22Watermen would row from the Tower up to Hampton Court
0:03:22 > 0:03:23and, indeed, to Windsor.
0:03:23 > 0:03:25- How far's that?- That's, er...
0:03:25 > 0:03:28I suppose you'd be talking in the region of 70 miles.
0:03:28 > 0:03:31But then they would change crews,
0:03:31 > 0:03:33a bit like the stagecoaches did with the horses.
0:03:33 > 0:03:35Right. So, you'd keep fresh men at the oars?
0:03:35 > 0:03:38Yeah. Well, I don't know about fresh! They'd do quite a few hours.
0:03:38 > 0:03:41But, um... Yeah, and the timings, they'd get up there quite good.
0:03:43 > 0:03:46Bobby, I've got Samuel Pepys' diary here from the 1660s,
0:03:46 > 0:03:50and he writes, as well, about being ferried around on the river.
0:03:50 > 0:03:55He says, "With merry heart I left them, sailing pleasantly from Erith,
0:03:55 > 0:03:58"hoping to be in the Downs tomorrow early.
0:03:58 > 0:04:01"We toward London in our boat pulled off our stockings
0:04:01 > 0:04:03"and bathed our legs a great while in the river,
0:04:03 > 0:04:07"which I had not done some years before."
0:04:07 > 0:04:09It sounds like pretty easy for the passengers.
0:04:09 > 0:04:11I guess it was a different kettle of fish for the man at the oars?
0:04:11 > 0:04:15Especially coming from Erith. That's quite a long way down.
0:04:15 > 0:04:17Unfortunately, I would like to go to Richmond, sir,
0:04:17 > 0:04:19and I shan't pay you a single shilling more.
0:04:19 > 0:04:22Well, we do charge a little bit extra.
0:04:22 > 0:04:24THEY CHUCKLE
0:04:24 > 0:04:25It was a hard life.
0:04:25 > 0:04:29Watermen often picked up diseases that spread on the Thames.
0:04:29 > 0:04:33And with more than 3,000 taxis fighting for work,
0:04:33 > 0:04:35competition was fierce.
0:04:35 > 0:04:39They needed more money and a break from the daily grind.
0:04:39 > 0:04:42Their solution? Racing and gambling.
0:04:45 > 0:04:47There were official races, of course,
0:04:47 > 0:04:49but there were many unofficial wagers
0:04:49 > 0:04:52and, um...a lot of gambling went on.
0:04:52 > 0:04:54You know, there wouldn't always be umpires,
0:04:54 > 0:04:57so there was nothing to say you wouldn't hit a piece of wood
0:04:57 > 0:05:00that shouldn't be going across your head at a certain time,
0:05:00 > 0:05:03depending how the gambling was going.
0:05:03 > 0:05:05What, so you got hit by an oar?
0:05:05 > 0:05:09Well, people would put obstacles in the way of a favourite.
0:05:09 > 0:05:11You wouldn't want to hit that in Doggett's.
0:05:11 > 0:05:13It's like you've done this before, haven't you?
0:05:13 > 0:05:18Someone who loved these races was the Irish actor, Thomas Doggett.
0:05:18 > 0:05:21In 1715, he set up an official race.
0:05:21 > 0:05:25And away they go, with four miles, five furlongs of river ahead of them.
0:05:25 > 0:05:29It became a Thames tradition - the Doggett's Coat And Badge Wager,
0:05:29 > 0:05:33where the winner receives a red coat and a large silver badge.
0:05:33 > 0:05:36300 years on, it's still going strong.
0:05:36 > 0:05:42And in 1973, Bobby Prentice set the fastest winning time in its history.
0:05:42 > 0:05:44His record still stands.
0:05:44 > 0:05:46He's now the umpire.
0:05:46 > 0:05:48I think what makes it special,
0:05:48 > 0:05:52it's actually noted to be the oldest and longest rowing event
0:05:52 > 0:05:54to be held annually in the world.
0:05:54 > 0:05:56- The whole world?- Yeah.
0:06:00 > 0:06:02BOOM!
0:06:02 > 0:06:04- Flag is up. - Did you see, they're all...?
0:06:04 > 0:06:06- And they're off! - And the race is off.
0:06:08 > 0:06:12The wooden boats have been replaced by modern racers,
0:06:12 > 0:06:14but many traditions remain.
0:06:14 > 0:06:18Only apprentices working on the river can enter.
0:06:20 > 0:06:22In the early years, the badges they won
0:06:22 > 0:06:24served an important purpose in later life.
0:06:29 > 0:06:32Some of the original badges still survive,
0:06:32 > 0:06:35and are cared for by race historian, Peter Capon.
0:06:35 > 0:06:39This is the oldest Doggett's badge we have in the collection.
0:06:39 > 0:06:42It was won by George Staples in 1825.
0:06:42 > 0:06:45And it's a silver gilt example of the badge.
0:06:45 > 0:06:49So often Doggett's men would melt the badges down in the 18th century
0:06:49 > 0:06:51so they could fund their own retirement.
0:06:52 > 0:06:56A solid-silver badge would give you quite a nice pension.
0:06:57 > 0:07:00So some of the older badges, especially, are lost to us,
0:07:00 > 0:07:02but for a very good reason.
0:07:02 > 0:07:04The badge today is very similar to this,
0:07:04 > 0:07:06and it's very much part of the history of the race
0:07:06 > 0:07:09and something that we continue to try and keep going.
0:07:10 > 0:07:14Rowers race from London Bridge to Chelsea, as they always have.
0:07:14 > 0:07:18And the commentary team enjoy the racing as much as the spectators.
0:07:18 > 0:07:21And if he falls in now, he can swim over the line with his boat.
0:07:21 > 0:07:24- That would be allowed, would it? - As long as you get there with the boat.
0:07:24 > 0:07:26Ha! Here we are, the white flag is up.
0:07:26 > 0:07:29- And it's done! - It's all over. Very worthy winner.
0:07:29 > 0:07:31Well done indeed.
0:07:31 > 0:07:34In first place for 2017,
0:07:34 > 0:07:37in 25 minutes and 1O seconds, Jack Keech!
0:07:37 > 0:07:39CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:07:39 > 0:07:42Today's winner gets his medal presented by royalty.
0:07:46 > 0:07:49Hopefully he won't need to melt it down.
0:07:49 > 0:07:51Just over a mile to go from here...
0:07:51 > 0:07:54As 19th-century working men raced to provide for their families,
0:07:54 > 0:07:58one of the world's most famous boat races was about to be born.
0:07:58 > 0:08:02The Oxford Cambridge Boat Race is watched by millions each year,
0:08:02 > 0:08:04not only in Britain, but around the world.
0:08:04 > 0:08:06And that was a very, very good race.
0:08:06 > 0:08:09Yet it began with a simple challenge between two friends.
0:08:10 > 0:08:13In 1829, Charles Wordsworth at Oxford
0:08:13 > 0:08:15and Charles Merivale at Cambridge
0:08:15 > 0:08:17challenged each other to a competition
0:08:17 > 0:08:19to see which university would win in a race.
0:08:25 > 0:08:29It was decided that the race should be held on Oxford's home river, the Thames.
0:08:29 > 0:08:31And the boat of choice? The rowing eight.
0:08:35 > 0:08:37The boat was based on the Cornish pilot gig...
0:08:39 > 0:08:41..which can still be seen around our coastline.
0:08:48 > 0:08:51The gigs carried crews from ship to shore
0:08:51 > 0:08:56and were so fast, smugglers used them to outpace customs officials.
0:08:56 > 0:08:58Yes! Come on!
0:08:58 > 0:09:00I did that for the first time last year.
0:09:00 > 0:09:01Oh, my God, it's a killer, isn't it?
0:09:01 > 0:09:04A man who knows the university boat race well is Richard Phelps.
0:09:04 > 0:09:06Did you enjoy it?
0:09:06 > 0:09:10He's part of a rowing dynasty that dates back 200 years.
0:09:10 > 0:09:11He's an Olympic rower
0:09:11 > 0:09:14and won the boat race three times with Cambridge.
0:09:14 > 0:09:17In 1829, the first boat race between Oxford and Cambridge,
0:09:17 > 0:09:19what sort of boats were they racing?
0:09:19 > 0:09:23We've got two replicas here, the Oxford and the Cambridge one.
0:09:23 > 0:09:25I think there were three, probably, main differences
0:09:25 > 0:09:27to what we would have seen before these boats.
0:09:27 > 0:09:29One, they're longer.
0:09:29 > 0:09:30Two, they're narrower.
0:09:30 > 0:09:34And three, the rowers are set to either side
0:09:34 > 0:09:38to maximise the leverage, so they can generate more speed per stroke.
0:09:38 > 0:09:43Right. So, each rower doesn't have two oars? You have one?
0:09:43 > 0:09:44Yeah. One oar each.
0:09:44 > 0:09:47These would have been really quite new and innovative.
0:09:47 > 0:09:49It's all well and good talking about them,
0:09:49 > 0:09:52but I think we should get them out on the water and give them a spin.
0:09:52 > 0:09:54So I've collared 16 rowers.
0:09:54 > 0:09:57You and me are going to cox.
0:09:57 > 0:09:58Because I went to Cambridge, as well,
0:09:58 > 0:10:01I reckon I get to be Cambridge and you have to be Oxford.
0:10:01 > 0:10:03- Bring it on.- Cool.
0:10:06 > 0:10:08Forward! And row!
0:10:08 > 0:10:13You might have spotted there are actually nine people in an eight.
0:10:13 > 0:10:16Eight oarsmen, plus the cox.
0:10:16 > 0:10:17It's nice being in charge.
0:10:17 > 0:10:20You might also have spotted an Olympic gold medallist in my boat -
0:10:20 > 0:10:22Anna Watkins.
0:10:23 > 0:10:25Anna, what's it like rowing in an eight?
0:10:25 > 0:10:29At its best, it's, um...nine people
0:10:29 > 0:10:32thinking the same thing at the same time
0:10:32 > 0:10:33and feeling the same thing at the same time,
0:10:33 > 0:10:36so it can be a bit of a hive mind. That's the best bit.
0:10:36 > 0:10:38Feel that change!
0:10:39 > 0:10:42At its worst, it's nine people thinking different things at the same time
0:10:42 > 0:10:45and having a different opinion about what's going to make the boat go faster.
0:10:45 > 0:10:48At the end we're sitting at, I'm in the stroke seat,
0:10:48 > 0:10:50and that's the person setting the rhythm,
0:10:50 > 0:10:52so they need to be a real leader.
0:10:52 > 0:10:54Somebody that... Who we'll follow into battle.
0:10:56 > 0:10:59The middle of the boat tends to be, physically, the strongest people.
0:10:59 > 0:11:02The only muscles that should be really working are the legs!
0:11:02 > 0:11:06Your Labradors, who are going to just work and work and work without complaint.
0:11:06 > 0:11:09Feel that change!
0:11:09 > 0:11:12Down at the bows, you tend to have your most technical rowers,
0:11:12 > 0:11:15the people who are really good at making sure the boat is balanced.
0:11:15 > 0:11:20Giving feedback as to how the crew is connecting together.
0:11:20 > 0:11:23And if you can get all that right, then it's a much happier boat.
0:11:24 > 0:11:26The first boat race was won by Oxford.
0:11:26 > 0:11:28Push the legs!
0:11:28 > 0:11:30He's really getting into his coxing!
0:11:30 > 0:11:34Since then, the men's crews have faced each other 163 times...
0:11:34 > 0:11:36Push the legs! Now relax!
0:11:36 > 0:11:40..with Cambridge leading 82 wins to 80.
0:11:40 > 0:11:41Drop and squeeze!
0:11:41 > 0:11:44For my race today, I'm hoping history is on my side.
0:11:44 > 0:11:47Last four! One!
0:11:48 > 0:11:49Two!
0:11:49 > 0:11:51Three!
0:11:53 > 0:11:54Easy there!
0:11:54 > 0:11:56CHEERING
0:11:56 > 0:11:58We have a winner!
0:11:58 > 0:11:59CHEERING
0:12:02 > 0:12:04- Told you.- Phelps!
0:12:04 > 0:12:07That was Olympic-level effort.
0:12:07 > 0:12:10It was, yeah! Well, as near as you'll get
0:12:10 > 0:12:13five years on and two children down the line.
0:12:13 > 0:12:16The brain's still Olympian, but maybe the body isn't.
0:12:16 > 0:12:19It's with gall in my throat that I have to say congratulations.
0:12:19 > 0:12:22- Well done to you. Very well tried. - Thank you.
0:12:22 > 0:12:25- Next time. - Next time...we'll have you.
0:12:25 > 0:12:28As the boat race captured the country's imagination,
0:12:28 > 0:12:31rowing became one of the biggest spectator sports in Britain.
0:12:31 > 0:12:33Oxford are first out, and away they go.
0:12:33 > 0:12:36But while upper-class students could afford to race for fun,
0:12:36 > 0:12:39working-class rowers were racing to supplement their income.
0:12:39 > 0:12:42The race is rowed at Henley this year, over the Olympic course.
0:12:42 > 0:12:47One of them was Harry Clasper, born near Gateshead in 1812.
0:12:47 > 0:12:50A boat builder by trade, he couldn't read or write,
0:12:50 > 0:12:52but had a natural talent for rowing.
0:12:54 > 0:12:58Without his innovations, the modern rowing eight wouldn't exist.
0:13:02 > 0:13:04To find out why, I've come to see Bill Colley,
0:13:04 > 0:13:08the last man in the country building wooden rowing racing boats by hand.
0:13:09 > 0:13:13Bill, what was so revolutionary about Harry Clasper's designs?
0:13:13 > 0:13:17From the centre of the seat to the swivel point of the oar,
0:13:17 > 0:13:20which was on the edge of the boat, on the gunnel, if you like,
0:13:20 > 0:13:22there's a minimum width of about four feet.
0:13:22 > 0:13:28He had the brilliant idea of putting the point of swivel on a stick,
0:13:28 > 0:13:32something like this, only, obviously, much cruder.
0:13:32 > 0:13:34What is now known as an outrigger.
0:13:34 > 0:13:40You've got the point of swivel nearly five feet across,
0:13:40 > 0:13:41and the boat could be very narrow.
0:13:41 > 0:13:45Because you've put the point where the oar moves on a frame,
0:13:45 > 0:13:48- you can actually shrink your boat. - Narrow the boat. Yeah.
0:13:48 > 0:13:51It was a huge revolution.
0:13:51 > 0:13:55How much quicker were boats like this compared to what came before?
0:13:55 > 0:13:58A hell of a lot. He'd win by half the course.
0:13:59 > 0:14:01Ready? Lift.
0:14:03 > 0:14:06I feel very privileged and a little bit nervous
0:14:06 > 0:14:09because Bill is letting me take this beauty out on to the water.
0:14:12 > 0:14:15It's a boat very similar to what Harry Clasper would have used,
0:14:15 > 0:14:19but it's been about 20 years since I've been in a boat this narrow.
0:14:19 > 0:14:21Whoa-whoa-whoa-whoa!
0:14:22 > 0:14:24It's all right.
0:14:24 > 0:14:26Well, that didn't go quite to plan, did it?
0:14:26 > 0:14:28What happened? Well, except that I fell in!
0:14:28 > 0:14:30THEY CHUCKLE
0:14:32 > 0:14:36In a boat like this, you realise just how much balance
0:14:36 > 0:14:40and technique is involved when your boat is this narrow.
0:14:42 > 0:14:46But in exchange, you get a lot more speed.
0:14:46 > 0:14:48Over the years, Clasper's design was improved upon,
0:14:48 > 0:14:50and a sliding seat was added,
0:14:50 > 0:14:53which helped rowers use their legs to produce more power.
0:15:06 > 0:15:10Every now and then, when I get more than one stroke in the right place
0:15:10 > 0:15:15and sort of balanced, you can feel the boat lift below you
0:15:15 > 0:15:17and sort of just bob up in the water,
0:15:17 > 0:15:20and you suddenly feel like you're really moving
0:15:20 > 0:15:22with a bit of symmetry and rhythm.
0:15:22 > 0:15:24It's lovely.
0:15:24 > 0:15:28All these new innovations were added to the eight-man boat.
0:15:28 > 0:15:32The modern rowing eight was beginning to take shape.
0:15:32 > 0:15:34These sleeker designs set new records,
0:15:34 > 0:15:37and by the 1850s, the Henley Royal Regatta
0:15:37 > 0:15:39had become the biggest rowing event in Britain.
0:15:39 > 0:15:42But there was trouble brewing off the water.
0:15:42 > 0:15:44At the heart of it - class.
0:15:46 > 0:15:49Oxford, Cambridge and the elite clubs on the Thames
0:15:49 > 0:15:51created the Amateur Rowing Association.
0:15:53 > 0:15:57In what was seen even then as the most extreme example of sporting snobbery,
0:15:57 > 0:16:00they banned working-class rowers from their events.
0:16:00 > 0:16:04We've got the Field Rowing Almanac. 1938, it was taken out.
0:16:04 > 0:16:06Natalie Patel from the River and Rowing Museum
0:16:06 > 0:16:10has brought along the ARA's rules from the 1930s.
0:16:10 > 0:16:13The class divide is spelled out in black and white.
0:16:13 > 0:16:16The definition of an amateur cannot include anyone
0:16:16 > 0:16:19who has ever been employed in or about boats
0:16:19 > 0:16:21or in manual labour for money or wages.
0:16:21 > 0:16:25It also excludes anyone who has ever been by trade
0:16:25 > 0:16:29or employment for wages, a mechanic, artisan or labourer.
0:16:29 > 0:16:31Then later added the defining phrase,
0:16:31 > 0:16:34"or engaged in any menial duty".
0:16:34 > 0:16:38So for example, in 1920, Jack Kelly from Philadelphia,
0:16:38 > 0:16:41he'd come off the back of winning six US championships
0:16:41 > 0:16:45and he wasn't allowed to compete at Henley in the diamond sculls.
0:16:45 > 0:16:48And that is due to him having his background as a bricklayer.
0:16:48 > 0:16:51And so, he was effectively excluded by ARA rules.
0:16:51 > 0:16:55Ironically, while Jack Kelly might not have been good enough for the ARA,
0:16:55 > 0:17:00his daughter Grace would become Hollywood, and European, royalty.
0:17:00 > 0:17:05So Grace Kelly, famous Hollywood movie actress of all time,
0:17:05 > 0:17:09her father wasn't allowed to race at Henley
0:17:09 > 0:17:10because he was once a bricklayer?
0:17:10 > 0:17:14Absolutely. But he found out the winner
0:17:14 > 0:17:18and he beat him by just one second later that year.
0:17:18 > 0:17:19So, the bricklayer had the last laugh?
0:17:19 > 0:17:21He really did, yeah.
0:17:22 > 0:17:25In 1936, the row came to a head
0:17:25 > 0:17:29when the ARA banned the Australian Olympic team from entering Henley.
0:17:31 > 0:17:34The reason? They were all policemen.
0:17:36 > 0:17:39The international outrage the incident caused
0:17:39 > 0:17:42meant Parliament stepped in.
0:17:42 > 0:17:45And the next year, the ARA finally changed its rules.
0:17:47 > 0:17:49So, a fight that started here, on the River Thames
0:17:49 > 0:17:53between posh gentlemen who wanted to keep rowing to themselves
0:17:53 > 0:17:55and a national team from the other side of world
0:17:55 > 0:17:58ends up in our Parliament?
0:17:58 > 0:18:02Absolutely. It's something that has taken the best part of a century
0:18:02 > 0:18:06to overcome this social division, this bad feeling,
0:18:06 > 0:18:08and to make rowing a more inclusive sport
0:18:08 > 0:18:10open to all levels of society.
0:18:19 > 0:18:22It's the day before the Henley Royal Regatta.
0:18:22 > 0:18:24And just upriver is the Leander Club,
0:18:24 > 0:18:27the most successful rowing club in the world.
0:18:28 > 0:18:31With 123 Olympic medals,
0:18:31 > 0:18:34its impressive roll call has included Sir Steve Redgrave,
0:18:34 > 0:18:38Sir Matthew Pinsent, James Cracknell and Anna Watkins.
0:18:43 > 0:18:46Debbie Flood has two Olympic silver medals,
0:18:46 > 0:18:48three golds at the World Championships,
0:18:48 > 0:18:50and was Leander's first female captain.
0:18:52 > 0:18:54She's spent her career winning in the modern boats
0:18:54 > 0:18:56that are being prepared for tomorrow's regatta.
0:18:56 > 0:18:59The boats are all made of the same thing now,
0:18:59 > 0:19:02which is carbon-fibre re-enforced plastic.
0:19:02 > 0:19:06And that has been a big change in boats, even in my rowing lifetime,
0:19:06 > 0:19:08from wooden boats, which were obviously very heavy,
0:19:08 > 0:19:12to these light, composite, carbon-fibre boats.
0:19:12 > 0:19:14Wood also can, over time, warp,
0:19:14 > 0:19:18and become less stiff and a bit more flexible.
0:19:18 > 0:19:20And that kind of absorbs the power when you're rowing.
0:19:20 > 0:19:24So the good thing about the carbon-fibre composite boats
0:19:24 > 0:19:26is that they retain their rigidity
0:19:26 > 0:19:28and their shape and their stiffness,
0:19:28 > 0:19:31so actually, the effort you're putting in in the water
0:19:31 > 0:19:34is being transferred to speed, and it's not being absorbed.
0:19:34 > 0:19:36Everything within the boats, you know,
0:19:36 > 0:19:39it's all specified for the individual athlete.
0:19:39 > 0:19:41Where the feet are, the seats.
0:19:41 > 0:19:46You can individualise all the different positions in the boat, as well.
0:19:46 > 0:19:50I didn't realise rowing boats could be so complicated.
0:19:52 > 0:19:56The introduction of carbon-fibre shells in the 1980s,
0:19:56 > 0:19:58and oars that are more like a blade than a paddle,
0:19:58 > 0:20:02have transformed the modern eight into the ultimate racing machine.
0:20:05 > 0:20:07But what about the rowers?
0:20:07 > 0:20:09One of our greatest-ever athletes,
0:20:09 > 0:20:11and now chairman of the Henley Royal Regatta,
0:20:11 > 0:20:17is five-time Olympic gold medallist, Sir Steve Redgrave.
0:20:17 > 0:20:21You read some of the old rowing books from 80 years ago,
0:20:21 > 0:20:27a training session was a stiff walk in a heavy overcoat.
0:20:27 > 0:20:29And when we come back, we'll have a glass of port.
0:20:29 > 0:20:30That sounds like my kind of training.
0:20:30 > 0:20:33That's pretty good training. I would have liked that.
0:20:35 > 0:20:39Now they're training 12-18 sessions a week.
0:20:39 > 0:20:43100 years ago, they were doing four sessions a week.
0:20:45 > 0:20:47The more you do of something, the better you become.
0:20:47 > 0:20:50Sir Steve has rowed all over the world
0:20:50 > 0:20:54in five Olympics and 14 World Championships,
0:20:54 > 0:20:57but Henley will always hold a special place in his heart.
0:20:59 > 0:21:03I was born and bred in the next town downriver, so this was my local regatta.
0:21:04 > 0:21:07You put the boat on the water, there's cruisers out,
0:21:07 > 0:21:10there's people in punts, there's skiffs.
0:21:12 > 0:21:15The water's so crowded, it's a nightmare from that.
0:21:15 > 0:21:17SHOUTS OF ENCOURAGEMENT
0:21:19 > 0:21:22The chances of hitting obstacles are much higher.
0:21:23 > 0:21:25MUSIC PLAYS
0:21:28 > 0:21:30SHOUTS OF ENCOURAGEMENT
0:21:30 > 0:21:33But, then, you get onto the start and there's noise,
0:21:33 > 0:21:34there's atmosphere, there's crowds there.
0:21:34 > 0:21:39There's no regatta in the world that comes close to this atmosphere.
0:21:57 > 0:21:59CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:22:07 > 0:22:09Thousands come to watch.
0:22:09 > 0:22:12And while the sport is, of course, centre stage,
0:22:12 > 0:22:14like Wimbledon and Royal Ascot,
0:22:14 > 0:22:17the Henley Royal Regatta is as much a key date in the social calendar
0:22:17 > 0:22:19as it is in the sporting one.
0:22:21 > 0:22:25A lot of people think Henley's about, you know, posh boys in blazers. Is that true?
0:22:25 > 0:22:27We're still trying to look for them at the moment.
0:22:27 > 0:22:29THEY LAUGH
0:22:29 > 0:22:31Are you actually watching the rowing, or are you just here drinking?
0:22:31 > 0:22:33No, no. I love rowing. It's great fun.
0:22:33 > 0:22:36I don't really know. I don't know what's going on, I'm sorry.
0:22:36 > 0:22:38THEY LAUGH
0:22:38 > 0:22:42We're going to have to try and watch a race, otherwise there's no point being here, is there?
0:22:44 > 0:22:47While anyone can enjoy most of the regatta's enclosures,
0:22:47 > 0:22:49there's a 10-year waiting list
0:22:49 > 0:22:53to be a member of the exclusive Stewards' Enclosure,
0:22:53 > 0:22:55where formal dress is still a must.
0:23:05 > 0:23:06APPLAUSE
0:23:16 > 0:23:18At the boat tent, it's serious business
0:23:18 > 0:23:22as crews prepare for the biggest races of the day.
0:23:22 > 0:23:24And taking centre stage, the rowing eight.
0:23:26 > 0:23:28The pressure is on to gain every extra second.
0:23:28 > 0:23:33So before the crews even get out on the water, they'll have spent hours
0:23:33 > 0:23:36tweaking and finessing every part of the boat
0:23:36 > 0:23:38to optimise its performance.
0:23:39 > 0:23:42For cox Henry Fieldman and rower Jacob Dawson,
0:23:42 > 0:23:44it's the final chance to make any changes
0:23:44 > 0:23:47before racing for the coveted Grand Challenge Cup.
0:23:49 > 0:23:51We are a sport that is about making marginal gains,
0:23:51 > 0:23:54but when you're out on a row, the coaches will have a look at you,
0:23:54 > 0:23:57decide if you need a little bit of extra length here or there.
0:23:57 > 0:24:01Like, you know, you can adjust the footplate, um...
0:24:01 > 0:24:02to move it more forward,
0:24:02 > 0:24:06so the work you're putting behind the pin can be adjusted.
0:24:06 > 0:24:10Um... Yeah, just make it more comfortable while you're sat in the boat
0:24:10 > 0:24:12so you can perform to the best of your abilities.
0:24:12 > 0:24:17Is it right that even the seats are individually moulded to your bums?
0:24:17 > 0:24:18Oh, absolutely not.
0:24:18 > 0:24:20THEY LAUGH
0:24:22 > 0:24:25Can you tell me the game plan?
0:24:25 > 0:24:30Just go out really hard, really fast and just stay really fast.
0:24:30 > 0:24:32THEY LAUGH
0:24:32 > 0:24:36No, I mean, I guess specifically in any rowing boat,
0:24:36 > 0:24:40you go off the start and there's a period where you're at a high pace,
0:24:40 > 0:24:42above your race pace, and then there's a period where you
0:24:42 > 0:24:44transition into that race pace.
0:24:44 > 0:24:48And then from that point on, it's kind of just do whatever you can
0:24:48 > 0:24:50to hold boat speed. That's the key, really.
0:24:50 > 0:24:53Is it nine minds all working as one?
0:24:53 > 0:24:56There's eight guys in the boat and one mind that's important.
0:24:56 > 0:24:58THEY LAUGH
0:25:11 > 0:25:14Ensuring all's fair on the water, it's Richard Phelps.
0:25:14 > 0:25:17An umpire for today's race, he remembers vividly
0:25:17 > 0:25:19what it was like to compete here.
0:25:20 > 0:25:25Every time you go around to the start of the course,
0:25:25 > 0:25:27it brings back to me all my races.
0:25:27 > 0:25:29And down the start, there's that hushed silence.
0:25:29 > 0:25:32It's a crowd of people, hushed silence and it makes you think,
0:25:32 > 0:25:34"Oh, my God, here we are again".
0:25:34 > 0:25:36Go!
0:25:38 > 0:25:40SHOUTS OF ENCOURAGEMENT
0:25:40 > 0:25:42These athletes give everything.
0:25:42 > 0:25:44There's not an ounce of energy left.
0:25:44 > 0:25:48But when they cross the line, as an umpire, it's more of a,
0:25:48 > 0:25:50"Oh, thank goodness it was all fine".
0:25:50 > 0:25:53He's wrestling with them to let them know Brookes are on course to win!
0:25:53 > 0:25:58And then, of course, you deal with the vision of eight athletes delirious,
0:25:58 > 0:26:01knowing they've achieved their life ambition of a Henley medal,
0:26:01 > 0:26:05and another four or eight who know they've got to come back next year and try all over again.
0:26:05 > 0:26:07CHEERING
0:26:07 > 0:26:12This will be the 900th race that we've shown at Henley this year,
0:26:12 > 0:26:14the final of the Grand Challenge Cup.
0:26:14 > 0:26:16It's the oldest of Henley's events.
0:26:16 > 0:26:20Finally, the main event - the Grand Challenge Cup.
0:26:20 > 0:26:23One of the most prestigious races in rowing,
0:26:23 > 0:26:27Olympic-level crews travel from all over the world to compete for the trophy.
0:26:27 > 0:26:30- Go!- But the British will go out hard.
0:26:30 > 0:26:31There's no other way to race eights.
0:26:33 > 0:26:37Despite giving everything against their rival German crew,
0:26:37 > 0:26:41Jacob and Henry's eight is beaten by a single boat length.
0:26:43 > 0:26:47It's a setback, but they're focusing on Olympic glory in three years' time.
0:26:47 > 0:26:49We've got to really just keep going, keep trucking,
0:26:49 > 0:26:51keep improving what we're doing day by day
0:26:51 > 0:26:53and I'm sure we will catch them.
0:26:53 > 0:26:57Maybe not next race, maybe not by the summer, but we will catch them.
0:26:57 > 0:27:00Do you think there's something special about racing the eights?
0:27:00 > 0:27:03Oh, yes, definitely. I think the eight, it's the biggest boat,
0:27:03 > 0:27:05it's the fastest boat.
0:27:05 > 0:27:07It's a hugely-exciting boat to be a part of.
0:27:07 > 0:27:12The irony of being here at all isn't lost on Richard.
0:27:12 > 0:27:16As working men, his ancestors were barred from racing at Henley.
0:27:16 > 0:27:19The social change that this sport's gone through
0:27:19 > 0:27:21from the '30s to now is just incredible.
0:27:21 > 0:27:25I think it reflects the social change of our country.
0:27:25 > 0:27:30But if you want to sort of capture it in one little microcosm, rowing is that.
0:27:30 > 0:27:33I think as and when I die
0:27:33 > 0:27:35and I get to go up to the great regatta in the sky,
0:27:35 > 0:27:38there will be all the Phelps forefathers looking at me, going,
0:27:38 > 0:27:41"Who the hell do you think you are? Above your station, young man, becoming a steward!"
0:27:41 > 0:27:45But, you know, I think deep down, they're probably equally proud.
0:27:54 > 0:27:58From the old wooden river taxis to the modern carbon-fibre racers,
0:27:58 > 0:28:01across three centuries, the rowing eight has remained iconic
0:28:01 > 0:28:04in our quest to be the best.
0:28:07 > 0:28:09It's evolved from British innovation,
0:28:09 > 0:28:11been the battleground for class struggle,
0:28:11 > 0:28:13and captured the imagination
0:28:13 > 0:28:16in our search to find the limits of human performance.
0:28:18 > 0:28:19If history is anything to go by,
0:28:19 > 0:28:22the rowing eight will continue to deliver excitement
0:28:22 > 0:28:25and sporting drama for many years to come.
0:28:27 > 0:28:29CHEERING AND APPLAUSE