On a very hot summers day the University students ascend onto the river Cam near Jesus lock in handmade boats. This event takes place after the students finish their exams and is part of the suicide Sunday. The boats are made from cardboard, glue and gaffer tape. I arrived to watch everyone finishing the boats and getting ready to enter the river.
The banks of the river Cam are packed with spectators ready to cheer students and friends on.
Many of the boats sink within seconds of being placed in the water, the QED boat which is the biggest boat of the race managed to stay afloat until it started to pick up students that were sinking and then it sunk under the weight of the extra people. Thats 3 years in a row the QED boat has sunk, maybe fourth year lucky, but we'll have to wait until 2018 to find out.
You will notice in a few of the photos the students loading beers onto the boats, maybe to be a last drink as their boat start to sink lol, all part of the fun and a great way to relax after the pressure of exams.
The event is so much fun to watch and I really enjoyed taking these photos.
