Henley Royal Regatta 2004 photos

Henley Royal Regatta 2004

Harvard Man's Exit from the Temple Challenge Cup

This sequence of photos was taken on Friday during Race 52 between ASR Nereus (NED) and Harvard University in a heat of the Temple Challenge Cup. 

The bow man of the Harvard eight, Michael Harrington, was unable to row when his sliding seat jammed, thus contributing dead weight to the boat and slowing it down. So he did the decent thing and jumped out of the boat. All he had to do was avoid being clobbered by the oars as the boat sped past!
  

 

 
1. Harrington reaches for the gate at the end of his outrigger to free his oar.
 

 

 
2. He decides to leave the boat.
 
 

 
3. He stands up, ...
 
  

 
4. ... steps out of the boat, ...
 
 

 
5. .... and hits the water ...
  
  

 
6. ... - hard!
 
 

 
7. An oar blade narrowly misses his face ...
 
 
~
 
8.  ... as his crew races on with 7 men, ...
 
  

 
9. ... leaving him behind in the water.
 
 

 
10. Umpire Mike Sweeney stops to check he's alright.
   
 
 

11. Fortunately Harrington was unharmed, ...
  
  
     ... but despite his heroic effort Harvard lost the race by 2 lengths.

Revised: 08/12/2020