The Marguerite 2026
Keeping tradition afloat with Johnian support for two new punts
Late last year the College Punt Society embarked on the construction of two new punts to update our ageing heritage fleet. This was made possible thanks to the generosity of 498 Johnians who donated to the Annual Fund that year. Their support enabled Alex Ramsey, our Boat Maintenance Officer, to revive traditional punt-building techniques and pass them on to his son, Sam, ensuring this craft remains alive at St John’s. In May and October 2025 the College gathered to celebrate the launch of these new boats, even making local headlines. Will Gibbens, Treasurer of the Punt Society (2023/24), writes about the experience.
William Gibbens (2021), Engineering
Cambridge Bursary Scheme
For me, punting has always been a quintessential Cambridge pastime and is one of the many amazing traditions you’re unlikely to experience elsewhere. St John’s is one of the last places on the Cam with hand-built wooden punts. Most commercial punts are now fibreglass, but we’re fortunate to have a dedicated punt pool and the facilities to maintain a fleet of 10. They see a lot of use with more than 1,800 hours of punting sold during 2023, with 62% going to students.
I came to the College to read Engineering in 2021 and joined the Punt Society committee in my second year, serving as Treasurer. Early on it was clear that our punt fleet, faithfully maintained for decades, needed renewal. Alison Cox, our Domestic Bursar, encouraged me to apply to the Annual Fund to help address this.
The new punts were the first to be built by Alex Ramsey and his son Sam. As Alex explains, “It took about three months just to source the wood because it has to be so long. Each side is 21 feet long and must be made of one piece of wood. It’s basically half a tree. The wood is an African mahogany called sapele.”
One of the more challenging parts of the process involved constructing a steam box to bend the side beams, a task that required both skill and creativity. As a result, we now have the tools and knowledge to build new punts more regularly in the future.
It had been 14 years since the last punt was built for St John’s, and this launch re-ignited a distant College tradition.
The first new punt, named Evangelist after the namesake of our College, was ready for the 2025 season and launched to much fanfare back in May. Members of College gathered by the river for a blessing from the Revd Dr Graham Dunn, our College Chaplain, a speech from Heather, the Master, and a trumpet serenade. It had been 14 years since the last punt was built for St John’s, and this launch re-ignited a distant College tradition.
Over the summer, Alex and Sam built the second punt, Louis Leakey (1903–72), named after a Johnian and prominent paleoanthropologist whose discoveries reshaped the understanding of human evolution. She was launched with a second blessing in October 2025, quickly joining the rota for student bookings. Graham reflected afterwards: “This was only the second time I’ve blessed a punt, but it’s one of the many great opportunities of being Chaplain at a college like this, with its historic traditions.”
Sam Ramsey enjoyed attending the punt launch and seeing the outcome of his hard work. “My dad was a punt chauffeur while I was growing up,” he said. “So having a hands-on involvement, and then being able to give back to the river, has been something really personal to me. The punt launch has been very lovely: seeing it on the river, seeing it hasn’t leaked despite its name.”
The new punts have reinvigorated the fleet and allowed our two oldest punts to be sold on, ensuring the continuation of the Punt Society for decades to come. The two punts have already proved hugely popular and several of my friends have enjoyed trips out in them.
I would particularly like to thank Alison Cox and Dr Georgina Evans for helping with the Annual Fund application, everyone reading who has donated to or supported the College, and of course to Alex and Sam, who have put in many hours of hard work. The Annual Fund is such a fantastic resource for the College. Without it, this project and the many other amazing projects it funds would take years to get off the ground, so I am truly grateful to every donor who has helped make this possible.
