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| Sinking fears for 154th Boat Race | Sinking fears for 154th Boat Race |
| (30 minutes later) | |
| Oxford and Cambridge could be battling a strong crosswind when they go head-to-head in the 154th Boat Race on the River Thames later. | Oxford and Cambridge could be battling a strong crosswind when they go head-to-head in the 154th Boat Race on the River Thames later. |
| Gusts of up to 40mph are expected at 1715 GMT when the crews set off from Putney for the finish line at Mortlake. | Gusts of up to 40mph are expected at 1715 GMT when the crews set off from Putney for the finish line at Mortlake. |
| Long-time observers of the race have compared the conditions to those that sank the Light Blues in 1978. | Long-time observers of the race have compared the conditions to those that sank the Light Blues in 1978. |
| Oxford are the favourites to win the race, but one bookmaker is offering odds of 16/1 that one boat will sink. | Oxford are the favourites to win the race, but one bookmaker is offering odds of 16/1 that one boat will sink. |
| William Hill is also offering 125/1 that both contenders will sink - which has only happened once in the history of the race, in 1912. | William Hill is also offering 125/1 that both contenders will sink - which has only happened once in the history of the race, in 1912. |
| Spokesman Rupert Adams said the price of a boat sinking had started at 50/1 this year, and had changed four times since. | Spokesman Rupert Adams said the price of a boat sinking had started at 50/1 this year, and had changed four times since. |
| Last year the bookie offered odds of 33/1 on a sinking. | Last year the bookie offered odds of 33/1 on a sinking. |
| 'Choppy waters' | 'Choppy waters' |
| BBC weather forecaster Chris Fawkes said strong south-south-westerly winds could make conditions "quite choppy" on some stretches on the Thames. | BBC weather forecaster Chris Fawkes said strong south-south-westerly winds could make conditions "quite choppy" on some stretches on the Thames. |
| "It is going to turn cloudier during the afternoon and by the time the Boat Race gets under way there may be a few spots of rain, but it's the wind that could be a problem. | "It is going to turn cloudier during the afternoon and by the time the Boat Race gets under way there may be a few spots of rain, but it's the wind that could be a problem. |
| "We could get gusts of between 30mph and 40mph and that's enough to make the water surface quite choppy, and it is those waves that have caused problems in previous years," he said. | "We could get gusts of between 30mph and 40mph and that's enough to make the water surface quite choppy, and it is those waves that have caused problems in previous years," he said. |