Head of the River Race only open to men's eights and is considered to be the peak of the head race season — attracting the top UK crews as well as foreign clubs. Composite crews, drawn from more than one club or institution, are not permitted. The Championship Course is that of the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race but, unlike the Boat Race, the Head of the River Race is raced on an ebb tide from Mortlake to Putney. The starting time for the race is different every year and depends on the tide — the first crew (winner from the previous year) starts the
Mortlake, Connecticut Mortlake, Connecticut Mortlake was a historical place name in what is now Brooklyn, Connecticut. On October 19, 1687, the Connecticut Colonial General Court granted Captain William Blackwell a patent for a separate township laid out south of "Mashamoquet Brook", six miles east to west and seven miles north to south, to be called Mortlake. Captain Blackwell chose that name to honor Mortlake in Surrey, England (now part of greater London). Geographically, the northbound followed Mashamoquet Brook, the eastbound followed the Quinebaug. The western boundary was approximately half mile west of and parallel to today’s Connecticut State Route 169, while the