Aberdeen’s two universities will go “oar to oar” in a race down the River Dee on March 23.
Much like the more famous Oxford v Cambridge event on the Thames, students from Aberdeen University will do battle with rivals from Robert Gordon University (RGU) in the annual Aberdeen Standard Investments Boat Race.
Now in its 24th year, the Granite City spectacle is the longest running race in Scotland.
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Last year, RGU’s mixed crew of eight emerged triumphant by 6.1 seconds against their rivals. The Aberdeen University crew last won the race in 2017.
However, their president Anna-Sophie Tirre, 21, is hopeful that, after last year’s close encounter, her crew will win the trophy this year.
The law student from Aukrug, Germany, said: “No amount of rain or cold has hindered our determination to walk away with the trophy in 2019 – we are ready to win this.
“We managed to break RGU’s five-year winning streak in 2017 and this year, we’ll do it again.”
However, for 22-year old Erin Wyness, president of RGU Boat Club, the concept of defeat is not an option.
The management student from Aberdeen, said: “The Aberdeen Boat Race is one of the highlights of the year for our clubs, and following on from our victory in 2018 against a competitive AU crew, we are determined to walk away with the trophy again in 2019.”
The course of the Aberdeen Standard Investments boat race runs along the River Dee from the Bridge of Dee to the Aberdeen Boat Club allowing spectators the opportunity to watch the competing crews along the riverbank.
