Cambridge rowers have not always got along with marine neighboursMartin

Houseboat owners on the River Cam have complained about the levels of noise and disruption caused by rowers early in the morning.

The use of megaphones and the creation of traffic jams have irked residents of the houseboats to the extent that they formally complained to the Cambridge University Combined Boat Clubs earlier this week.

Geoff Page, whose boat is moored near Midsummer Common, wrote that “the noise from coaches shouting at crews over residential boats and some coxes using amplified instructions before 7.30am… is causing a nuisance”, claiming that more experienced crews were launching boats even earlier, at 6am.

He criticised the club for allowing boats full of novices, without the supervision of more experienced rowers, to “bounce off moored boats, banks and each others’ boats”. He added that on 8th November the scene on the river was one of “chaos”, with “rowing eights unable to move for long periods of time”.

The manager for the conservators of the River Cam, Jed Ramsay, has also spoken out on the matter, arguing that “the Cam is arguably the busiest river in the UK, and so consideration for other users is key if we are all to make the best use out of the river. I’d expect the boat clubs to deal with this issue”.

In response, the Combined Boat Clubs have denounced this mayhem as being contrary to their various rules and regulations. The CUCBC forbids novices from being on the water before 7.30am and no coaching at all from the bank is permitted before this time, in order to keep disruption on the river to a minimum.

They have claimed that “at the start of each term all crews are made aware of the need to keep noise to a minimum and their responsibility to be considerate to other river users and those living close to the water.”

The Club has already sent out repeated emails this term reminding boat crews of these rules in an effort to reduce future conflict.

Clashes between residents and rowers are not a new phenomenon, however, and this is just the latest in a long history of conflict between the two.

In 2009, for example, there were unsuccessful attempts to ban houseboats on a particularly busy stretch of the river, after countless collisions, and during a 90 minute period in January 2009, a river bailiff reported witnessing eight crashes between rowing boats, barges and birds.

In addition to this, earlier in 2015 a houseboat owner named Marinus Venema threatened to blockade the famous May Bumps by swinging his houseboat in to the river, due to rowers damaging houseboats.