It's always good to get the first day out of the way without drama. There was one missed stroke off the start, but that didn't matter: it was fast. Churchill gained once Maggie started moving into them, but the pressure disappeared abruptly around First Post. A lack of direction meant that the resulting rowing was solid, but not threatening. More to come. (Sam)

Our main aim today was to bring more aggression and intensity into our rowing. We certainly achieved this aim, but Maggie is a very fast crew, and moved up on us quickly. We had a very fast and solid start, but never really settled into our strong racing rhythm, which made it difficult to move away effectively. If we can combine the aggression of today with the finesse of Wednesday, tomorrow should be a great row.

(Kate)