Rowers in several shells race past the grandstands at the Head of the Charles, seen from behind.

Head of the Charles Sunday: Holland Acht Hold Off Harvard

The world champion Dutch eight edge the Crimson on the final day in Boston, Cambridge put nearly 20 seconds into Oxford, and a US scratch crew of world champions finishes eight seconds behind its own bronze-medal eight.

Words: Row360

Photography: Benedict Tufnell

19th October 20262 min read

Row360's Head of the Charles coverage brought to you by Sparks

The sun came out for the final day of the 61st Head of the Charles, which saw Holland Acht hold off Harvard by little more than half a second in the men's championship eights. The Dutch, who retained their world title at the Bosbaan in August, won in 13:32.835. Harvard finished as the fastest college crew. Cambridge, unable to deliver coach Rob Baker a third consecutive title, did at least medal and put just over 17 seconds into old rivals Oxford in the first meeting of the 2027 Boat Race season. Leander were ninth.

The US entered two eights in the women's championship. The full World Championships bronze-medal line-up won in 14:44.037, eight seconds ahead of a scratch boat assembled from the world champion four, the pair and the spare pair. Virginia (15:02.791) and Princeton (15:06.987) led the colleges in third and fourth. Leander were fifth, just ahead of sixth-placed Cambridge, who finished six seconds clear of tenth-placed Oxford.

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St Paul's School retained the men's youth eights, with Radley College second, putting two British school crews at the top of the event in Boston. The win makes it four in a row for St Paul's, after victories in 2023, 2024 and 2025, and five overall at the regatta. Last year's title was retained by just half a second after St Joseph's Prep closed hard on the final section of the 4,702m course. The London school arrived as favourites despite graduating several members of the crew that won the Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup at Henley in July. Radley's second place consolidated their upward trajectory; last year they stormed to eighth from bow number 85.

RowAmerica Rye retained the women's youth eights title, continuing a winning run that included a third successive USRowing Youth National Championship in June and autumn victories at the Head of the Riverfront and Head of the Housatonic. Three events went to Los Gatos, among them both youth coxed quads, bringing Windsor Boys' School's three-year hold on the men's title to an end. Sixteen-year-old Ellery Borggaard of Cambridge Boat Club and Community Rowing's Mariia Prodan took the youth singles.

Tufts won the women's collegiate eights for a fourth straight year, ahead of Wellesley, and their B boat finished fourth.