The excitement of the Boat Race is to be recaptured in a new challenge laid down by a Cambridge College boat club in an historic bid to race across the English Channel.

Seven crews will be competing following the move by Lady Margaret Boat Club of St John’s College, six from Cambridge and Oxford colleges and an additional team representing the event sponsor, Deloitte. They will become the first rowing crews ever to race across the Channel.

The estimated five-hour, 21-mile crossing from Dover to Cape Griz de Nez is expected to take place next week, beginning 20th June, weather permitting.

Extensive training has been taking place to tackle the demands of ocean rowing. Whilst in Dover, crews from Sidney Sussex and Lady Margaret Boat Club, Cambridge have undertaken five outings in one day, to improve their endurance thresholds and technique in sea rowing. Back on the River Cam, coastal four rowing has become a new spectacle.

"This will be an event that has all the excitement from the Boat Race, but with the added danger of rowing in coastal conditions,” said Lennard Lee, Cambridge student and co-ordinator of the event. “There have been only 20 successful attempts to row across the channel, and this represents the first ever cross-channel rowing race. However, without our event sponsor Deloitte, crew sponsor Focus DIY, and JL and Crew Room, providers of our racing kit, this event would not have been possible. We are truly grateful for their involvement and the donations from the public for Cancer Research UK."

Lee, who undertook a nine-hour 45-minute solo non-stop swim of the Channel last July, admits this will be a gruelling challenge, requiring not only perfect technique, strength and stamina, but a desire to break through the pain barrier. Crews will be crossing one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world, and will have to negotiate both the treacherous waves and the comparatively goliath cargo ships and cross-channel ferries.

Wayne Pommen, former captain of the Cambridge University Crew which beat Oxford in the 2004 boat race, said: "A cross-channel race between Oxford and Cambridge colleges takes elements of the traditional Boat Race, which I've experienced first hand, and places them in a new and more unpredictable environment - the sea. This is a unique occasion and I look forward to seeing how the crews handle the length of the race as well as the conditions on the open water. After months of preparation, the race is finally going to happen, thanks to the vision and hard work of college rowers from both universities. It should be a real spectacle!"

Fundraising for the race has been extensive with events supported by Dr Alison Mowbray, Olympic Silver Medallist in the quadruple scull, and Jim Shekhdar, the infamous ocean rower, who will be giving a speech on his epic solo journey across the Pacific, at the launch party on June 19 in Cambridge.

James Livingston, of the Deloitte crew added: "Having won a medal in the Rowing World Championships for Great Britain and recently raced the London Marathon, I feel confident in stating that the Cambridge Channel Challenge, is my greatest sporting challenge yet!"

Donations can be made for Cancer Research UK online by visiting the official Channel Race website, details on the right of this page.

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