Rowers at the University of Cambridge have raised growing concerns about an individual who they allege has been “harassing” crews on the River Cam.

The man, widely referred to by Cambridge rowers as “red boat man,” has been accused of repeatedly obstructing the river with his boat and acting aggressively towards rowers, allegedly claiming he is doing so to protect swans.

One Cambridge student rower told Varsity: “I scull quite regularly. The red boat man deliberately sprays me with water from his outboard every time I pass. In winter this is unpleasant and risks cold exposure, and in summer it is dangerous due to the filthy water of the River Cam.”

The rower argued that this is an example of his “unsafe, inconsiderate behaviour toward rowers”.

The student also claimed that the individual “frequently operates his boat in an inconsiderate manner around rowing traffic,” and “records and publishes videos of people […] appear[ing] to monitor the river and rowers’ behaviour obsessively”.

Student rowers who spoke to Varsity pointed to the individual’s Facebook page as evidence of his behaviour towards rowers. In photos and videos uploaded to the page the individual can be seen accusing Cambridge rowers of “intentionally ploughing into swans” and “clipping any swan they see,” labelling them as “criminals”.

The page also features videos appearing to show the individual approaching race marshals and referring to what he describes as “illegal, dangerous, unauthorised racing,” as well as footage of swans, including birds he suggests have been injured by rowers.

In February, the individual shared on Facebook that the police had been “made aware” of him, and “came to have a chat”. He alleged that he “sent them on their way,” claiming that “they will be well out of their depth when it comes to wildlife crimes”.

This followed his criticism that the Lent Bumps had been listed as an event “subject to approval” by the Conservators of the River Cam with less than the statutory 28 days’ notice required.

The student rower also shared with Varsity that “photos were shared around last year” in which the man could be seen “throwing objects at rowers”.

Another Cambridge student rower told Varsity: “I recall him deliberately pulling out in front of us on the river and going right down the dead centre at a slow pace, slowly turning […] in the middle of the river [and] driving directly behind us.”

The student alleged that this was an attempt to “interfere with everyone’s training,” and that their coach resorted to filming the obstruction “in order to compile evidence” in case the individual’s boat “were actually to hit us or cause some kind of accident”.

The rower added: “There was at least one incident last year where the start of an entire race […] had to be delayed because, right as everyone was marshalling, […] he sailed right down the middle of the river as a protest.”

In December 2016, it was reported that an annual Cambridge boat race was delayed by nearly an hour after a “hammer-wielding” man used his red boat to obstruct the river, in an alleged attempt to protect swans. The individual, described as a “serial offender” by race marshals, was briefly arrested. One race marshal claimed that the man “puts lots of food down for the swans to bring them out in front of the boats, which quite frankly is appalling”.

It was observed that, on the afternoon of the race, seed could be found on the banks of the river, attracting masses of swans. Another man was also arrested on suspicion of assault following the incident.

The Conservators of the River Cam told Varsity that they “cannot comment if or when reports are received,” but that all reports “are responded to” and “where appropriate […] forwarded on to other agencies”.

The Conservators of the River Cam are the statutory navigation authority for the river between Mill Pond, Cambridge and Bottisham Lock, Waterbeach. They are responsible for ensuring that the river is kept in “a good and navigable condition,” balancing “the needs of all the river users and riverside landowners and residents,” and managing the river “in a manner sensitive to environmental interests”.