Racing with hippos on the Zambezi

“Move right! There’s a hippo!” Coxswains from Great Britain’s Oxford and Cambridge Universities and South African boats had extra steering responsibilities at the 2010 Zambezi International Regatta in Livingstone, Zambia.
Alumni from the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge come together to compete against the current South African University champions for the fourth time since 2004. The event also marked the 100 year anniversary of The World Professional Sculling Championships that took place on the Zambezi in 1910.
The crews had one week to come together in their eights and get used to the challenges of rowing on Africa’s fourth largest river, “The most threatening wildlife you see in Cambridge is a swan,” explained Chiara Ferrara, “out here we have to steer around hippos and stop for elephants. One of the scullers also attracted the attention of a very large crocodile! It reminds you that as a rower you have to respect the environment and wildlife wherever you are.”

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