THE BUCKET LIST: A STORY OF VICTORY FROM HENLEY ROYAL REGATTA 2026

For the women of Thames Rowing Club,
winning at Henley Royal Regatta wasn't the result of a season built around rowing. It was the result of fitting rowing around everything else; full-time jobs, commitments, early mornings and the rest of life.

They're consultants, surgeons, builders and professionals. Rowers when they can be, competitors when it matters and, above all, mates throughout.

“You get in boats with people at Thames and it's like, I'm a consultant, I'm a surgeon, I'm a builder.“

That is part of what makes this crew, and Thames different. Being able to leave work, come down to the club, decompress with friends and get in a boat is what keeps them coming back, often at 5am before most of London has even started its day.

THE THAMES WAY

At Thames, the approach isn't about simply doing more. “It's not about volume and mileage. Every stroke you take is about efficiency.” That philosophy suited this crew perfectly. The hours they had were limited, so every one of them had to count. Training wasn't about finding more time; it was about making the time they had matter.

The work sharpened the rowing, and the rowing sharpened everything else. Somewhere along the way, the crew found a balance between taking performance seriously and never losing sight of why they were there in the first place.

FUN WITH FRIENDS

Their season had a simple motto: fun with friends. It sounds easy, but in a competitive crew it isn't. The ability to move from laughing together to racing at full intensity sometimes within seconds became one of their greatest strengths.

“We're very, very good at having a lot of fun. But when we need to switch on, we just lock in.” That ability to switch between the two became a defining characteristic of the season.

“Being able to go between the two with so much ease and finesse is really what's made this season and this crew special.” The joy was never separate from the performance; it was part of it. It was what brought them back to Thames, morning after morning, and what made the long
hours worthwhile.

HENLEY ROYAL REGATTA

At Henley, everything gets stripped back. Two crews, one straight stretch of river, and the fastest wins. It's the simplest version of the sport, and perhaps the most unforgiving.

“I think Henley is really special because you never know when your last row is.”

So they approached every race as though it could be their last.

“The secret to Henley is treat one day at a time. Every day is your final until it is the final, and then suddenly the opportunity is in your hands.” When that opportunity came, they took it. The Wargrave Challenge Cup was theirs.

TOGETHER, AS ONE

For this crew, the significance went far beyond a trophy. “Being able to race the Wargrave means so much. It's such an incredible feeling wanting to push for a group, a boat of women that you just, you love so, so much.”

That's what made the victory special. It wasn't simply that they had won Henley, but who they had won it with. A group of women who found the time, put in the work, showed up for each other and, when the moment came, locked in as one.

A season built around everything else. A week decided by seconds. A trophy that came home with them.

The Bucket List. Ticked.

Stay tuned for the next Bucket List episode featuring of the world’s most iconic regattas - the Head of the Charles.