Crews racing in Filippi shells delivered a number of impressive performances at the 2026 Women’s Eights Head of the River Race, with strong results recorded across several pennant categories on the Championship Course. The event continues to highlight the depth of women’s rowing across the UK, and it was fantastic to see so many developing and established programmes racing in Filippi boats.
The Women’s Head once again brought hundreds of crews to the Tideway for the 4¼-mile race from Mortlake to Putney, making it the largest women’s rowing event in the UK calendar. For Filippi, the race also reflects the brand’s long-standing commitment to women’s rowing in Britain. Over many years, Filippi shells have supported club, university and high-performance programmes across the country, and it was particularly encouraging to see a number of fast-growing squads delivering strong results in Filippi boats throughout this year’s race.
One of the headline results came in the Open / Senior University Pennant, where Cambridge University Boat Club produced a superb performance to retain the category whilst racing in a Filippi shell. With The Boat Race just weeks away, this run-out on the reverse Championship Course will likely give the Light Blues a strong base heading into the crux of this season.
Filippi crews also dominated several of the club pennant competitions. In the Provincial Club category, City of Cambridge Rowing Club secured the win with a strong row down the Tideway, finishing ahead of a competitive field of non-Tideway programmes. Meanwhile St Andrew Boat Club claimed victory in the Medium Club Pennant, underlining the strength of Scotland’s leading women’s programme. Both clubs competed in Filippi shells.
International representation was also strong, with St Michael’s Rowing Club from Limerick winning the Overseas Pennant racing in a Filippi shell. Filippi often support clubs who come over to the UK to compete for honours and Ireland has long been a stronghold of support for our boats.
Further success came in the Challenge Club Pennant, where City of Bristol Rowing Club topped the category with an impressive performance on the Tideway. In the development racing, home favourites Vesta Rowing Club secured the Beginner Pennant. What was particularly pleasing was the spread of winners but also the spread of programmes using Filippi hulls.
Among other leading performances was Molesey Boat Club securing second place in the Senior Club pennant whilst racing in a Filippi shell. The result highlighted the continued strength of the Surrey-based programme after a few years of challenges. Their win in The Wargrave Challenge Cup in 2025 has set a high bar but Sam Tuck and his athletes are determined to continue to improve in 2026.
Elsewhere in the club racing, Gloucester Rowing Club placed third in the Provincial Club pennant, whilst Durham University Boat Club finished fourth in the University pennant.
Just outside the podium positions, Thames Rowing Club secured fifth place in the Elite pennant. Across the race as a whole, these results reflected the broad representation of Filippi shells across club and university racing, with crews appearing throughout the leaderboard across multiple categories.
Filippi is proud to support so many ambitious and fast-developing women’s squads across the UK, and we look forward to seeing these crews continue their progress as the season moves toward Henley Women’s Regatta and other major summer events.
