Oriel College Boat Club

Until 2009 the wearing of Boat Club Jackets (ivory with navy blue piping and cuff rings, bearing the three ostrich feather emblem on the left breast) was limited to the 1st and 2nd Summer VIII's and Torpids and the Oriel College Boat Club Committee. At that time cuff ring designations were: Three rings for 1st Summer VIII and 1st Torpid; two rings for Boat Club Committee; one ring for 2nd Summer VIII 2nd Torpid. These now obsolete designations can still be seen at the Walters of Oxford website.[5]

Changes brought about in the Oriel Blazer Act of 2009 to become more inclusive of lower-boats' alumni (3rd, 4th, and sometimes 5th VIII's as well as boat coxswains) reformed the cuff ring designations as follows: Three rings for 1st Summer VIII; two rings for 1st Torpid and those awarded Tortoise membership at the Tortoise Council's discretion; one ring for general boat club members (no specific distinction for committee members exists today).

The purpose of the Tortoise Club is two-fold: the recognition and celebration of outstanding Oriel rowing; and the financial support of the OCBC.

Membership is by election: proposal by the Men's Captain of Boats, Women's Captain of Boats and the President of the Tortoise Club. Election is by the approval of the Tortoise Council.

Members must be Orielenses (excepting Honorary members) who have represented OCBC with excellence. Members of the men's and women's 1st Summer VIII and 1st Torpid are judged to have fulfilled these criteria but still must be approved by the Tortoise Council. All other potential members are at the Council's discretion.

The unique emblem of the Tortoise Club is the tortoise badge.[7] The College of Arms' narrative should not be misunderstood to imply the use of the Tortoise emblem by the general Oriel College Boat Club membership or members of the Oriel Society – these have their own appropriate emblematic devices.

The emblem of the Blessed Virgins Club

The Blessed Virgins Club was the female counterpart of the Tortoise Club. As of 2016, the women of Oriel College Boat Club are inducted into the Tortoise Club on the same terms as men and the Blessed Virgins Club is defunct. At the creation of the Oriel College Women's Boat Club in 1986,[8] Oriel's female rowers in the 1st VIII and 1st Torpid became members of The Blessed Virgins Club, in like fashion and styling as their male counterparts in the Tortoise Club. The respective unique emblem of The Blessed Virgins was a pair of (angelic) wings. The choice of "Blessed Virgins" is a play on the official name of the college, that being 'The House of Blessed Mary the Virgin in Oxford'.[9]

• Anthony Purssell – British rower, Olympian in 1948
• Chris Mahoney – British rower, Olympian in 1980 and 1984; President of the OUBC in 1981.
• Daniel Lyons – American rower, World Champion in 1986; Olympian in 1988
• Terence Dillon – British Rower, Olympian in 1988 and 1992.
• Michael Wherley – American rower, three times World Champion, 1997, 1998 and 1999; Olympian in 2000 and 2004; won the 2008 Boat Race (as the oldest rower in the history of the event); and was inducted into the US National Rowing Hall of Fame in 2014.
• George Bridgewater – New Zealand rower, Olympian in 2004 and Bronze medallist in the pair at the 2008 Summer Olympics
• Peter Hackworth – British coxswain, cox of the 2002 Blue Boat
• Sjoerd Hamburger – Dutch rower, Olympian in 2008 and 2012
• Chris Mahoney – British rower, Olympic silver medallist in 1980
• Lucas McGee – American rower, USRowing Men's National Team coach
• Malcolm Howard – Canadian rower, Olympic Gold medallist in 2008 and Silver medalist in 2012; 2014 OUBC President
• Pete Reed – British rower, Olympic gold medalist in 2008, 2012 and 2016