Hammersmith Regatta and Hammersmith Head
Hammersmith has two annual rowing events on the tidal Thames in west London: Hammersmith Amateur Regatta, a side-by-side regatta in the spring, and the Hammersmith Head, a time trial at the end of the winter.
Hammersmith Amateur Regatta
The regatta was founded in 1924 by a committee drawn from the Hammersmith rowing clubs of the time. It is held in April.
| Distance | About 1,400 m |
| Water | The Tideway, between Fulham and Chiswick |
| Direction | With the tide |
On a tidal river the direction of racing is set by the tide, not by the organisers. The course is rowed upstream on the flood and downstream on the ebb.
Hammersmith Head
The Hammersmith Head is run by Auriol Kensington Rowing Club in late February or early March.
| Start | Chiswick Bridge |
| Finish | Hammersmith Bridge |
| Distance | About 2 3/4 miles |
| Tide | Rowed on the ebb |
It is open to eights, fours and quads, and it serves as a trial for the longer head races over the full Championship Course later in March.
The Hammersmith clubs
Three clubs row from the Hammersmith bank today: Auriol Kensington, Furnivall Sculling Club and Sons of the Thames. They also race one another each year for the Dewar Shield.
Watching
Both events can be watched from the riverside path on Lower Mall and from Hammersmith Bridge.