Kjetil Borch (above) on Norway's beautiful Nærøyfjord in Gudvangen or 'The field of Gods'. Borch says it’s from here that "the vikings rowed and sailed to Constantinopel in the east, and North America in the west, 500 years before Columbus." Photography: Emil Sollie.

Boat Races New Hope

After the pain of the cancellation of the 2020 Boat Races, a determined effort on the part of the Boat Race Company to stage the 2021 races culminated in the announcement in December that the 2021 Boat Races would return to Ely for only the second time in its history; it was last held in Ely in 1944. In mid-December, Oxford and Cambridge rowers and the official race umpires got a first taste of what racing on the Ely course would be like during the traditional Trial VIIIs races. The races were held a day apart to allow for cleaning and sanitising. See Tom Ransley’s full report on the Boat Races’ move to Ely on page 68.