UW Women's Rowing Virtual Tour
Part 6: Windermere Cup - The Closest Race in History
This race was about the power of belief. The feeling of trying our best, transcending what we could do as individuals, and giving 100% together. We raced free, with nothing to lose. It was one of the best races of my entire life.
- Marlee Blue ’19, 2019 Team Captain and 2020 Freshman Coach
Among the many attributes of the Washington program is the annual Windermere Cup and Opening Day Regatta. Held on the first Saturday of May – the traditional "Opening Day of Boating Season" in Seattle – the regatta's featured races pit the UW men and women against international competition – primarily national teams or top university programs from around the world.
The City of Seattle has long embraced this annual event, which is free to the public. Not only are the banks of the Montlake Cut and the Montlake Bridge jammed with spectators, but pleasure boats line the race course, moored to a log boom, creating a 2,000-meter “rowing stadium.” It’s an experience you can't find anywhere else in the sport. There is no one-day rowing event any place else in the world that comes close to matching the thrill and beauty of the Windermere Cup.
