Racing at Henley Royal Regatta is the highlight of many rowing careers, and one not easily put aside. For Olympic Champion Tom Ford and Boat Race winner Luca Ferraro, this year it didn’t have to be.
2026 marks the 70th anniversary of Peterhouse Boat Club, Cambridge winning The Ladies’ Challenge Plate back in 1956. Over half a century on, the club is back, reminding us that the charm of Henley Royal Regatta continues to draw athletes to its beloved waters.
This year, the Peterhouse crew may look a little different to the crew of the fifties; the 2026 edition is a star-studded eight, with more than fifty Henley appearances between them. However, the aspiration remains the same: all eyes are set on a red box and a trophy lifted overhead come Sunday afternoon, however unlikely that might appear.
“You’ll meet an older rower who has retired, and when you chat to them, they always say ‘I wish I was out there right now’. I know I’ll feel the same as soon as there’s a year I’m not racing”.
The expertise in the line-up of this Ladies’ crew is impossible to ignore. Boasting Olympic Champions, World Champions, Boat Race winners, and Henley Royal Regatta regulars, the Peterhouse men hold talent and experience in abundance. Accolades aside, training for the event has been difficult to navigate alongside the crew’s work commitments, leaving few opportunities to row together before the big day. As Luca Ferraro, three-time Boat Race Winner and rowing media creator noted, however, they are reassured by the pedigree of the men taking on the task. “They say it’s like riding a bike, you know. You don’t forget”.
Henley Royal Regatta is an event that “every rower wants to do, dreams of doing, and dreams of winning”, said Tom Ford. The 2024 Olympic Champion in the GB Men’s Eight continued; “people want to come back time and time again. It just shows how much of a special event it is to everyone.”
Tom and Luca alone have 21 previous Henley appearances under their belt, and neither have plans to stop there. Asking both athletes what keeps them rowing, Henley Royal Regatta remains centre stage in their minds.
“For me, it's the people,” said Tom. “One of the most special things about Henley is that it's somewhere that everyone who you’ve rowed with, rowed against, and people you know through rowing, always come back to”.
Luca agreed, evoking that it is the ambition to race up the course that never leaves anyone who has competed here before: “You’ll meet an older rower who has retired, and when you chat to them, they always say ‘I wish I was out there right now’. I know I’ll feel the same as soon as there’s a year I’m not racing”.
A 9-to-5 is not the only thing keeping this crew busy. This year, Luca is lending his skills as a rowing content creator to Henley Royal Regatta, alongside fellow Cambridge Blue, Seb Benzencry. Now on the other side of the wall, juggling racing and working, he reflected on the event that he first attended as a J16: “Henley is one of the most well-known, if not the most well-known rowing event in the world. It's also got the best coverage. I think people take for granted how well-documented and well-promoted this event is, so to see behind the curtain and get to be part of an event that we all love is amazing."
Embedded in the highly-cherished Regatta, through wins and through work, Luca and the Peterhouse crew are an enduring reminder that Henley Royal Regatta is an event you never want to leave.
"It's rare in a race for anything to come through with the focus you've got to have. But the shouts on the bank - it was incredible.”
The crew’s appearance in The Ladies’ Challenge Plate coincides with Peterhouse getting headship in May Bumps for the first time. Cambridge colleges take this event very seriously, and last year both Tom and Luca rowed for their college in the men’s first eight. The strength of the alumni network at Peterhouse has been significant for bringing this year’s Henley Royal Regatta crew together for a race up the famous boom-bordered waters. “It’s all lined up perfectly”, Tom remarked.
Coming up against Oxford Brookes University, a crew that has reached the Ladies’ final three out of the last five years, Peterhouse lost by 2 1/4 lengths.
“It was tough,” said Luca, “ It was great to be amongst the crowds again. You could feel so much support, all the way down in the warm up, in the race - it's so much noise on the bank. It's rare in a race for anything to come through with the focus you've got to have. But the shouts on the bank - it was incredible.”
“ I think this is gonna be the start of, a long and beautiful Peterhouse Ladies’ campaign.” Tom joked. “We'll be back. Back for more.”
Capturing the lifelong appeal of the beloved Regatta, the Ladies’ Peterhouse boat may carry more medals than most, but perhaps you can relate to the crew more than you would expect. With a love for rowing, a love for everything it has given them, and most poignantly, a love for Henley Royal Regatta.
