Friday, May 1
Seattle, Wash.
8:00 PM PT
University of Washington
vs
Windermere Cup Twilight Sprints
Photo by: Scott Eklund / Red Box Pictures
40th Windermere Cup: UW Welcomes Brits, Canadians, Northeastern
April 27, 2026 | Men's Rowing, Women's Rowing
SEATTLE – Washington Rowing, along with Windermere Real Estate, welcomes men's and women's crews from the Great Britain National Team, the women's Canadian National Team and the Northeastern University men's team for the 40th annual Windermere Cup, scheduled for this Saturday, May 2.
The Windermere Cup races, the final two events of Seattle's annual Opening Day Regatta, will pit two UW women's crews against entries from the British and Canadian National Teams, while the Husky men's varsity eight will face the British and the Northeastern varsity eight.
The British men are making just their second appearance at Windermere Cup, one of the world's most prestigious one-day regattas. The GB men won the Cup in their one prior appearance, in 2014. Northeastern's only previous appearance in the event came in 2003, when the Huskies from Boston finished second to their Seattle hosts.
Conversely, the British women will be competing in the Windermere Cup for the fifth time, having won the race in 1998 and 2022, while finishing second to UW in 2014 and third behind Washington and Stanford in in 2002. Surprisingly enough, the Canadian National Team – men or women – have never previously raced in the Windermere Cup. A Canadian men's crew raced vs. the U.S. at Opening Day in 2003, and crews from Canadian universities have rowed in the Windermere Cup, but this will be the Canadian National Team's first appearance in either the men's or women's feature races.
"Windermere's connection to the Windermere Cup has always been rooted in our commitment to community and our belief in the power of sport to bring people together," said OB Jacobi, president of Windermere Real Estate. "As we celebrate the 40th Windermere Cup, we're proud of our longstanding partnership with the University of Washington and the Seattle Yacht Club, which together have shaped this into the largest free community event in Seattle and one of the most iconic venues in rowing."
Here is a schedule of races for the day, including masters, juniors and collegiate races:
10:15 a.m. – Men's Masters 8+ 30+
10:17 a.m. – Men's Masters 8+ 40+
10:19 a.m. – Men's Masters 8+ 50+
10:21 a.m. – Men's Masters 8+ 60+
10:23 a.m. – Women's Masters 8+ 30+
10:25 a.m. – Women's Masters 8+ 40+
10:27 a.m. – Women's Masters 8+ 50+
10:29 a.m. – Women's Masters 8+ 60+
10:33 a.m. – Men's Junior 4x+ George Corkley Jr. Cup
10:35 a.m. – Women's Junior 4x+ Dewitt Whitman Cup
10:38 a.m. – Men's Junior 4+ Sara Nevin Cup
10:40 a.m. – Women's Junior 4+ Colin Sykes Cup
10:43 a.m. – Women's Junior 8+ Eleanor McElvaine Cup
10:46 a.m. – Men's Junior 8+ Fred Honebein Cup
10:49 a.m. – Women's Collegiate Second Varsity 4+
10:52 a.m. – Women's Collegiate Varsity 4+
10:55 a.m. – Women's Collegiate Open 8+
10:58 a.m. – Men's Collegiate Open 4+
11:01 a.m. – Women's Collegiate Third Varsity 8+
11:05 a.m. – Men's Collegiate Freshman/Third Varsity 8+
11:10 a.m. – Women's Cascade Cup (2V8+)
11:20 a.m. – Men's Cascade Cup (2V8+)
11:30 a.m. – Women's Windermere Cup (V8+)
11:45 a.m. – Men's Windermere Cup (V8+)
Schedule and entries here
Great Britain has been, of course, a powerhouse in international rowing for as long as the sport has existed. The British men and women have won a total of 78 Olympic medals in rowing, second only to the United States, including 34 all-time gold medals, tied with the U.S. for most ever. Most recently, at the 2024 Games, the Brits earned a total of eight medals, including gold in the men's eight and bronze in the women's. Both of those crews included Washington alumni.
Canada boasts 44 all-time rowing medals in the Olympics and has emerged as a power in the women's eight recently, having won the gold medal in 2020 and the silver in 2024. That 2024 crew included current Washington men's team assistant coach Kristina Walker.
The Northeastern men's team is coached by Alex Perkins '15, the stroke rower in UW's 2013 and 2015 IRA National Champion crews. He also won a gold medal in the freshman eight in 2012. Northeastern has won the national championship twice in its history, in 1988 and 1991.
Washington's current women's team roster includes nine rowers from Great Britain – Niamh Comerford, Emily Downing, Katie Gardner, Violet Holbrow Brooksbank, Emily Myers, Chloe Sheppard, Anne Thevenon, Jess Weir and Amelia Westbrook– as well as three Canadians – Grace Sisett, Cait Whittard, and Mira Calder, the daughter of UW alum Dave Calder '01, an Olympic silver medalist for Canada.
The current Husky men's team boasts eight Brits: Jerry Anderson, Victor Bocquet, Sam Ford, Nikita Jacobs, Rory McDonnell, Byron Richards, Cameron Tasker, and Monte Wood.
The annual spring rowing event on the Montlake Cut is held in conjunction with the Seattle Yacht Club's Opening Day parade, which signals the beginning of boating season in Seattle. The entire event is a joint effort between Washington Rowing, the Seattle Yacht Club and Windermere Real Estate, with Windermere serving as the title sponsor of the main racing events.
On the Friday night before the Opening Day Regatta, the women's Windermere Cup and Cascade cup crews will race in the annual Twilight Sprints, a race from the traditional Montlake Cut finish line to the eastern end of the Montlake Cut.
WINDERMERE CUP HISTORY & INFORMAITON
The Windermere Cup got its start 39 years ago, in 1987, when Windermere Real Estate founder, John Jacobi, joined up with the University of Washington to create the annual rowing event. They wanted to bring the best team in the world to Seattle's Montlake Cut, which at the time was the Soviet Union. That occasion marked one of the few athletic competitions for the Soviets inside the U.S. in 25 years, since relations were strained during the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. The Soviet Union brought both its men's and women's crews and won both races in convincing fashion. After that, the precedent was set for what has become one of the world's premier rowing events, and certainly a staple of Seattle's rowing community.
Washington's men have won the Windermere Cup 29 times in 38 attempts (the 2020 event was canceled), while the UW women have won 28 out of 38.
This year's event marks the 55th running of the Opening Day regatta, which has included the Windermere Cup for the last 39 years. The 2026 event will include a number of events during the week leading up to race day. The Seattle Yacht Club's Opening Day parade through the Montlake Cut will immediately follow the racing. Further details will be announced at a later date. For more information visit www.windermerecup.com.
2026 WINDERMERE PARTY AT THE CUT
What: Boats, Bites, Brews, & Bands! Join us for a private party on the shores of the Montlake Cut to kick off the 40th annual Windermere Cup Weekend and to raise money for a good cause. Enjoy food trucks, beverages, twilight sprints (women only), and live music by two of Seattle's favorite dance bands; Hysteria and Nite Wave.
When: Friday, May 1st, from 6:00 PM - 10:00 PM
Where: NEW LOCATION FOR 2026 - University of Washington E12 Parking Lot, south side of the Husky Football Stadium near the Husky Climbing Rock Wall (3750 Montlake Blvd NE, Seattle, WA 98195)
Who: Open to the public, must be 21 and over. Valid photo ID and tickets are required for entry. NO PETS allowed at the event.
Tickets: $40 per person (pre-sale), $50 per person (day-of Party, if still available)
PURCHASE TICKETS HERE
TWILIGHT SPRINTS
For just the sixth time, UW Rowing will host "Twilight Sprints" the evening before the Windermere Cup/Opening Day Regatta. The boats that will race the following morning in the four women's Windermere Cup races will compete in a sprint from the traditional Montlake Cut finish line and travel approximately 600 meters from west to east down the course, finishing right in front of the old ASUW Shellhouse at the east end. This year, only the women's Windermere Cup and Cascade Cup crews will be competing.
Race times are 8:00 p.m. (women's Cascade Cup crews) and 8:10 p.m. (women's Windermere Cup crews). The sprints will air live on the Big Ten Plus.
WHERE TO WATCH THE RACE
Saturday's races begin at 10:15 a.m. Paid parking is available at the University of Washington. Fans are invited and encouraged to watch the races, free of charge, along the Montlake Cut. For more information, maps, and parking visit http://windermerecup.withwre.com/directions-parking/
AWARDS CEREMONIES
Award ceremonies will take place following the conclusion of Windermere Cup races AT THE FINISH LINE (i.e., not at the Shellhouse) on the north side of the Cut, for the Windermere and Cascade Cups. The award ceremony for Masters, Collegiate, and Junior's races will take place on the same stage at 1:30 p.m. PT.
Results of the races are posted, in real time, at HereNow.com. You can also follow via Facebook, Instagram, and on X/Twitter at @UW_Rowing and @WindermereCup
The Windermere Cup races, the final two events of Seattle's annual Opening Day Regatta, will pit two UW women's crews against entries from the British and Canadian National Teams, while the Husky men's varsity eight will face the British and the Northeastern varsity eight.
The British men are making just their second appearance at Windermere Cup, one of the world's most prestigious one-day regattas. The GB men won the Cup in their one prior appearance, in 2014. Northeastern's only previous appearance in the event came in 2003, when the Huskies from Boston finished second to their Seattle hosts.
Conversely, the British women will be competing in the Windermere Cup for the fifth time, having won the race in 1998 and 2022, while finishing second to UW in 2014 and third behind Washington and Stanford in in 2002. Surprisingly enough, the Canadian National Team – men or women – have never previously raced in the Windermere Cup. A Canadian men's crew raced vs. the U.S. at Opening Day in 2003, and crews from Canadian universities have rowed in the Windermere Cup, but this will be the Canadian National Team's first appearance in either the men's or women's feature races.
"Windermere's connection to the Windermere Cup has always been rooted in our commitment to community and our belief in the power of sport to bring people together," said OB Jacobi, president of Windermere Real Estate. "As we celebrate the 40th Windermere Cup, we're proud of our longstanding partnership with the University of Washington and the Seattle Yacht Club, which together have shaped this into the largest free community event in Seattle and one of the most iconic venues in rowing."
Here is a schedule of races for the day, including masters, juniors and collegiate races:
10:15 a.m. – Men's Masters 8+ 30+
10:17 a.m. – Men's Masters 8+ 40+
10:19 a.m. – Men's Masters 8+ 50+
10:21 a.m. – Men's Masters 8+ 60+
10:23 a.m. – Women's Masters 8+ 30+
10:25 a.m. – Women's Masters 8+ 40+
10:27 a.m. – Women's Masters 8+ 50+
10:29 a.m. – Women's Masters 8+ 60+
10:33 a.m. – Men's Junior 4x+ George Corkley Jr. Cup
10:35 a.m. – Women's Junior 4x+ Dewitt Whitman Cup
10:38 a.m. – Men's Junior 4+ Sara Nevin Cup
10:40 a.m. – Women's Junior 4+ Colin Sykes Cup
10:43 a.m. – Women's Junior 8+ Eleanor McElvaine Cup
10:46 a.m. – Men's Junior 8+ Fred Honebein Cup
10:49 a.m. – Women's Collegiate Second Varsity 4+
10:52 a.m. – Women's Collegiate Varsity 4+
10:55 a.m. – Women's Collegiate Open 8+
10:58 a.m. – Men's Collegiate Open 4+
11:01 a.m. – Women's Collegiate Third Varsity 8+
11:05 a.m. – Men's Collegiate Freshman/Third Varsity 8+
11:10 a.m. – Women's Cascade Cup (2V8+)
11:20 a.m. – Men's Cascade Cup (2V8+)
11:30 a.m. – Women's Windermere Cup (V8+)
11:45 a.m. – Men's Windermere Cup (V8+)
Schedule and entries here
Great Britain has been, of course, a powerhouse in international rowing for as long as the sport has existed. The British men and women have won a total of 78 Olympic medals in rowing, second only to the United States, including 34 all-time gold medals, tied with the U.S. for most ever. Most recently, at the 2024 Games, the Brits earned a total of eight medals, including gold in the men's eight and bronze in the women's. Both of those crews included Washington alumni.
Canada boasts 44 all-time rowing medals in the Olympics and has emerged as a power in the women's eight recently, having won the gold medal in 2020 and the silver in 2024. That 2024 crew included current Washington men's team assistant coach Kristina Walker.
The Northeastern men's team is coached by Alex Perkins '15, the stroke rower in UW's 2013 and 2015 IRA National Champion crews. He also won a gold medal in the freshman eight in 2012. Northeastern has won the national championship twice in its history, in 1988 and 1991.
Washington's current women's team roster includes nine rowers from Great Britain – Niamh Comerford, Emily Downing, Katie Gardner, Violet Holbrow Brooksbank, Emily Myers, Chloe Sheppard, Anne Thevenon, Jess Weir and Amelia Westbrook– as well as three Canadians – Grace Sisett, Cait Whittard, and Mira Calder, the daughter of UW alum Dave Calder '01, an Olympic silver medalist for Canada.
The current Husky men's team boasts eight Brits: Jerry Anderson, Victor Bocquet, Sam Ford, Nikita Jacobs, Rory McDonnell, Byron Richards, Cameron Tasker, and Monte Wood.
The annual spring rowing event on the Montlake Cut is held in conjunction with the Seattle Yacht Club's Opening Day parade, which signals the beginning of boating season in Seattle. The entire event is a joint effort between Washington Rowing, the Seattle Yacht Club and Windermere Real Estate, with Windermere serving as the title sponsor of the main racing events.
On the Friday night before the Opening Day Regatta, the women's Windermere Cup and Cascade cup crews will race in the annual Twilight Sprints, a race from the traditional Montlake Cut finish line to the eastern end of the Montlake Cut.
WINDERMERE CUP HISTORY & INFORMAITON
The Windermere Cup got its start 39 years ago, in 1987, when Windermere Real Estate founder, John Jacobi, joined up with the University of Washington to create the annual rowing event. They wanted to bring the best team in the world to Seattle's Montlake Cut, which at the time was the Soviet Union. That occasion marked one of the few athletic competitions for the Soviets inside the U.S. in 25 years, since relations were strained during the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. The Soviet Union brought both its men's and women's crews and won both races in convincing fashion. After that, the precedent was set for what has become one of the world's premier rowing events, and certainly a staple of Seattle's rowing community.
Washington's men have won the Windermere Cup 29 times in 38 attempts (the 2020 event was canceled), while the UW women have won 28 out of 38.
This year's event marks the 55th running of the Opening Day regatta, which has included the Windermere Cup for the last 39 years. The 2026 event will include a number of events during the week leading up to race day. The Seattle Yacht Club's Opening Day parade through the Montlake Cut will immediately follow the racing. Further details will be announced at a later date. For more information visit www.windermerecup.com.
2026 WINDERMERE PARTY AT THE CUT
What: Boats, Bites, Brews, & Bands! Join us for a private party on the shores of the Montlake Cut to kick off the 40th annual Windermere Cup Weekend and to raise money for a good cause. Enjoy food trucks, beverages, twilight sprints (women only), and live music by two of Seattle's favorite dance bands; Hysteria and Nite Wave.
When: Friday, May 1st, from 6:00 PM - 10:00 PM
Where: NEW LOCATION FOR 2026 - University of Washington E12 Parking Lot, south side of the Husky Football Stadium near the Husky Climbing Rock Wall (3750 Montlake Blvd NE, Seattle, WA 98195)
Who: Open to the public, must be 21 and over. Valid photo ID and tickets are required for entry. NO PETS allowed at the event.
Tickets: $40 per person (pre-sale), $50 per person (day-of Party, if still available)
- Ticket includes admission into the event.
- There are a limited number of tickets available, we strongly suggest purchasing early as this event sells out every year.
- Purchase by April 29 and save $10, tickets are $50 at the door (if still available, credit card only for day-of ticket sales).
- No refunds after Monday, April 27th at 11:59 PM PST.
PURCHASE TICKETS HERE
TWILIGHT SPRINTS
For just the sixth time, UW Rowing will host "Twilight Sprints" the evening before the Windermere Cup/Opening Day Regatta. The boats that will race the following morning in the four women's Windermere Cup races will compete in a sprint from the traditional Montlake Cut finish line and travel approximately 600 meters from west to east down the course, finishing right in front of the old ASUW Shellhouse at the east end. This year, only the women's Windermere Cup and Cascade Cup crews will be competing.
Race times are 8:00 p.m. (women's Cascade Cup crews) and 8:10 p.m. (women's Windermere Cup crews). The sprints will air live on the Big Ten Plus.
WHERE TO WATCH THE RACE
Saturday's races begin at 10:15 a.m. Paid parking is available at the University of Washington. Fans are invited and encouraged to watch the races, free of charge, along the Montlake Cut. For more information, maps, and parking visit http://windermerecup.withwre.com/directions-parking/
AWARDS CEREMONIES
Award ceremonies will take place following the conclusion of Windermere Cup races AT THE FINISH LINE (i.e., not at the Shellhouse) on the north side of the Cut, for the Windermere and Cascade Cups. The award ceremony for Masters, Collegiate, and Junior's races will take place on the same stage at 1:30 p.m. PT.
Results of the races are posted, in real time, at HereNow.com. You can also follow via Facebook, Instagram, and on X/Twitter at @UW_Rowing and @WindermereCup
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Rowing
COX
/ Men's Rowing
/ Women's Rowing
/ Women's Rowing
/ Women's Rowing
/ Men's Rowing
/ Women's Rowing
/ Women's Rowing
COX
/ Men's Rowing
/ Men's Rowing
/ Women's Rowing
/ Men's Rowing
/ Women's Rowing
/ Women's Rowing
/ Men's Rowing
/ Women's Rowing
/ Women's Rowing
/ Women's Rowing
/ Men's Rowing
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