Provost of Oriel College’s tribute to Lord Haselhurst
Six Oriel College crews complete Channel row to Dunkirk
9 June 2026
Six crews of Oriel alumni, students and staff have successfully completed the challenging 35-mile row from Ramsgate, England, to Dunkirk, France
The crews of nine took between eight and 11 hours to complete the long-distance row, with most of them leaving Ramsgate in the early hours of the morning.
With the support of a pilot boat, they navigated the busiest shipping lane in the world, passing cargo vessels, cruise ships, ferries and, in the case of one crew, a Russian warship.
The challenge was organised by a team of seven alumni. The crews, meanwhile, included alumni and students spanning seven decades, with the oldest rower to complete the challenge aged 75.
Among the crews was the first all-women crew to complete the row to Dunkirk.
Adam Frost (1994) said: “It is fantastic to see how the rows have fostered such warm connections within the alumni community, and between alumni and current students.”
Frost was a member of the organising team. “The challenge,” he added, “has reinforced values that Oriel and the Boat Club share: a commitment to welcoming everyone, a celebration of heritage, striving together for excellence and joy in forging friendships for life.”
Jess Webb (1999) described rowing the Channel as “the opportunity of a lifetime” and said she could not resist signing up for the challenge when she heard about it.
A seventh student crew also completed a long-distance row, known as the Solent Marathon, through the Solent strait north of the Isle of Wight.
The two rowing challenges were part of an ongoing fundraising appeal to establish an endowment for Oriel College’s boat club.
“We’re very proud of our intrepid rowers for taking on such a demanding challenge,” said Lord Mendoza, Provost of Oriel College.
“Rowing is an important part of our college’s sporting life. Many students take up rowing for the first time here. This appeal will help ensure that we can provide coaching and facilities for free to our students in perpetuity.”
Oriel recently celebrated a strong performance at Summer Eights, the Oxford rowing competition where crews race single-file down the Isis trying to “bump” the crews in front of them.
The men’s first eight regained their position at the Head of the River from Wolfson College and the women’s second eight bumped Lincoln and Keble, moving up two places in the first division.