Forty Years at Magdalene Boat Club

Before becoming a boatman, I lived in the London area and rowed for Walton-on-Thames Rowing Club, competing successfully in many events, including winning a gold medal at the Ghent International Regatta in Belgium.

While serving as Magdalene boatman, I also took part in the British Indoor Rowing Championships in 1997–98, holding the British 40-plus lightweight record for two years. I later competed in the World Indoor Rowing Championships in Boston, Massachusetts, where I won bronze in my age category.

I began working for Magdalene in 1984 after the previous boatman, Reg Pettit, retired. Roger Silk, the Lady Margaret boatman, encouraged me to apply. With a background in carpentry and joinery, along with my rowing achievements, I secured the role, and Roger taught me the necessary boat repair skills.

I lived above the current boathouse from its construction in 1987 until my retirement in 2024. Overlooking the Cam and Midsummer Common, it was, I must admit, a remarkable place to call home.

When I started as boatman, all the boats were wooden, requiring very different repair skills compared to the carbon fibre boats used today. The rowing oars were also wooden, making them much heavier than their modern counterparts. Although wooden boats had a certain charm, I didn’t miss them, they were constantly leaking, as the boards in clinker boats would shrink and expand with use. In my early days at Magdalene, a clinker boat had to be placed on the water the day before it was needed, allowing it to absorb water and swell to minimise leaks during racing.

In 1984, one of Magdalene's boats was called Wet and Willing, a clinker-built cedar-planked wooden eight from 1957. It had been damaged during one of the University bumping races, and repairing it was my first task. They raced it in the next bumping races but broke it again, this time so badly that it wasn’t worth fixing. I decided to have the bow section made into a cabinet, giving it a second life. Since I was born in 1957, it holds double sentimental value for me.

In 1986, the existing boathouse was set to be demolished on the Monday following the May Bumps. After the bump supper on Saturday evening several MBC members decided to go down to the boathouse and get a head start on the demolition themselves. However, the noise alarmed residents of Trafalgar Street, who assumed a break-in was underway and called the police. Officers arrived on site and detained several MBC members. One particular member, a well known Rugby Blue, was asked for his autograph once inside the police van. All those involved had to report to the College Dean the following day. Fortunately, I managed to hide at the back of the boathouse, otherwise, my future as a boatman at MBC might have taken a very different turn!

The first women to row for MBC competed in the 1988 Bumps. Their first boat, The Mistress of Magdalene, was named by Barbara Calcutt, wife of the then Master, David Calcutt, who later became Sir David Calcutt, making her Lady Calcutt. That particular boat was named at the boathouse site, but these days, naming ceremonies take place in College in the Master’s Garden, where they are blessed by the College Dean of Chapel.

Sir David and Lady Calcutt often attended the May Races. On one occasion, I nearly ran over Sir David on my bicycle after finding him fast asleep in the long grass by the bank. Lady Calcutt was a familiar sight along the towpath, supporting the crews from her three-wheeled tricycle, much to the frustration of other bank parties. She always dressed in Boat Club colours for events, even coordinating her eyeshadow, with one eye in lavender and the other in indigo.

One long-standing tradition among boat clubs is the stealing of other colleges’ boat club flags, which are then made into blazers. Magdalene is particularly well known for this, with these distinctive blazers appearing year after year at bump suppers and major rowing events such as Henley Royal Regatta.

Student rowers have changed over time, too. They are fitter, stronger, and undeniably taller. What was once considered tall is now the norm; most of the men are over six feet. Some are even 6’6” or more, prompting boat builders to adjust their designs to accommodate their height.

Looking back on my years at Magdalene, it's remarkable to see how much has changed, yet so much has stayed the same. Boats have evolved, rowers have grown taller and stronger, but the spirit of the club, its traditions, and the camaraderie remain as strong as ever. From wooden oars to carbon fibre, from clandestine flag blazers to rowers pushing new limits, Magdalene Boat Club continues to thrive. It has been a privilege to be part of its story, and I look forward to seeing where the next generation takes it.

By Mr Paul Knights

This article first appeared in Magdalene Matters: Issue 55.