Hughes Hall and Lucy Cavendish College Boat Club (HHLCBC) has achieved unprecedented success in recent years. Several rowers competed in the annual Cambridge vs Oxford University Boat Race and four women rowers represented Cambridge University at the National Rowing Championships 2008. This was followed by winning the Clare Regatta Women’s Plate Division and in June 2009 being awarded the Pegasus Cup, beating all other Cambridge University boat clubs to be crowned the most successful club competing in the Cambridge May Bumps Races - the pinnacle of the Cambridge rowing calendar.

The achievements of the boat club is even more significant considering the fact that Hughes Hall admits many students on one-year degrees. As such, the boat club trains many novices each year, and top performers are often given opportunities in the first VIII. The Boat Club houses its four rowing shells in the Emmanuel Boathouse. The women's crew is organised jointly with Lucy Cavendish Boat Club.