The Windermere Cup returns to the Montlake Cut for the 32nd year next Saturday, May 5, with races starting at 10:20 a.m. PT. The annual spring rowing event is held in conjunction with the Seattle Yacht Club's Opening Day parade, which marks the beginning of boating season in Seattle.
 
Three international crews will travel to Seattle for the event. The UW women, who won the NCAA championship last year, will take on the Dutch National Team, while the UW men will compete against the reigning collegiate champions from Great Britain (Oxford Brookes University) and Canada (University of British Columbia). Washington's men and women are each currently ranked No. 1 in the nation in the most recent polls (April 25).
 
"This year's Windermere Cup is like the World Series of rowing," said Windermere president, OB Jacobi. "You have the number one collegiate teams in Great Britain and Canada competing against the national powerhouse UW men. Equally exciting is the matchup between the Dutch women's national team, one of the top women's rowing crews in the world, and the national champs UW women. It's one of the best line ups we've had in the Windermere Cup's 32 year history."
 
The Dutch National Team is bringing the majority of the lineup that finished sixth at the 2017 World Championships last summer in Sarasota, Fla. The Dutch crew is making its first trip to the Windermere Cup since 1994, when the Netherlands sent both a men's and women's eight. The Huskies won both the men's and women's races that season, each by a relatively close margin over the Netherlands.
 
The Dutch will bring seven of the nine women who rowed in the women's eight at World Championships last summer (as well as another who rowed in the double sculls), and six of the women who will row through the Montlake Cut represented the Netherlands in the 2016 Olympic Games, five of them in the eight and one in the pair.
 
This year's race should prove as big as test as the Washington women have faced in the Windermere Cup in some time. The Huskies have won the last 11 in a row and have earned the Cup in 23 out of 31 prior regattas.
 
"The level of competition Windermere brings here continues to amaze me," said Yasmin Farooq, UW women's head coach. "Racing a national team of this caliber is inspirational for all of our women who hope to race on the Olympic stage in the future. The entire team is looking forward to this challenge, made even better that it is in front of Husky fans on our hometown course."
 
Both Oxford Brookes University and the University of British Columbia are making their first appearances at the regatta. The two programs represent the top undergraduate rowing programs in their respective countries, both having earned their most recent national championships. Both teams feature rowers who have represented their countries at the junior and/or under-23 level.
 
Washington's men have won two in a row and have also brought home the Cup in 23 of the 31 years.
 
"This is as big of a collegiate rowing race you will find anywhere this year," said UW men's head coach Michael Callahan. "I expect it to be one for the ages."
 
More on the opponents:
Dutch National Team
Oxford Brookes University Rowing
University of British Columbia Men's Rowing
 
RACE SCHEDULE
Here is the complete schedule of races, including masters and junior events
10:20 a.m. – Men's Masters 8+ (30+)
10:22 a.m. – Men's Masters 8+ (45+)
10:24 a.m. – Men's Masters 8+ (55+/65+)
10:26 a.m. – Women's Masters 8+ (30+)
10:28 a.m. – Women's Masters 8+ (45+)
10:30 a.m. – Women's Masters 8+ (55+/65+)
10:34 a.m. – Men's Junior 4X+ George Corkery Jr. Cup
10:36 a.m. – Women's Junior 4X+ Dewitt Whitman Cup
10:38 a.m. – Women's Junior 4+ Colin Sykes Cup
10:41 a.m. – Men's Junior 4+Sara Nevin Cup
10:44 a.m. – Women's Junior 8+ Eleanor McElvaine Cup
10:47 a.m. – Men's Junior 8+ Fred Honebein Cup
10:50 a.m. – Men's Open 4+
10:52 a.m. – Women's Collegiate Varsity 4+
10:54 a.m. – Women's Collegiate Open 8+
10:58 a.m. – Men's Collegiate Open 8+
11:02 a.m. – Women's Collegiate 3V 8+
11:05 a.m. – Men's Collegiate Freshman 8+/3V8+
11:10 a.m. – Women's Cascade Cup (2V8+)
11:20 a.m. – Men's Cascade Cup (2V8+)
11:30 a.m. – Men's Windermere Cup (V8+)
11:45 a.m. – Women's Windermere Cup (V8+)
 
The most up-to-date information on lanes, entries, etc., can be found by clicking here.
 
2ND ANNUAL WINDERMERE CUT PARTY
Windermere Real Estate will kick off Windermere Cup weekend with a celebration on the Montlake Cut, Friday, May 4, from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. PT. This year's party will be held near the old ASUW Shell House (map), near the northeast corner of the Cut. It will feature live music from Brian DiJulio and the Love Jacks, the Groove Surfers and the Spike and the Impalers, food trucks, a beer garden, and more. Tickets ($25 in advance; $35 at the site) can be purchased here.
 
MEDIA CUP
On Wednesday, May 2, at 11:00 a.m. Seattle's local television will battle it out along the Montlake cut for the seventh annual Windermere Cup - Media Cup crew races. The field consists of teams from KOMO-TV, KING-TV, KIRO-TV and Q13 TV. The KOMO team has taken home the Media Cup trophy six straight years. The winning team receives a $500 donation from Windermere Real Estate to go to their non-profit organization of choice.
 
KIDS CREW
Every year, Windermere invites school children to visit the University of Washington for the Windermere Cup Kids Crew event. This year, fourth graders from Sanislo Elementary School in South Delridge will spend the day with Husky rowers and visiting athletes on May 4 to tour the UW campus and learn about rowing, fitness, and nutrition. This event gives these kids the unique opportunity to see firsthand the benefits of attending a four year university and participating in school sports. 
 
WHERE TO WATCH THE RACE
Saturday's races begin at 10:20 a.m. Paid parking is available at the University of Washington. The UW Link Light Rail Station is also a very short walk from the racecourse. Fans are invited and encouraged to watch the races, free of charge, along the Montlake Cut. For more information, maps, and parking visit WindermereCup.com.
 
AWARDS CEREMONIES
Award ceremonies will take place following the conclusion of Windermere Cup races AT THE FINISH LINE 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 Twitter at @UW_Rowing and @WindermereCup
 
WINDERMERE CUP HISTORY & INFORMATION
The Windermere Cup rowing regatta got its start 32 years ago 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. 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. For more information please visit WindermereCup.com.
 
ABOUT WASHINGTON ROWING
Rowing at University of Washington was established in 1901 with support from the local business community. In 1903, Washington entered its first intercollegiate race and defeated California, starting their storied "Cal Dual" rivalry. From this beginning, UW crews became the champions in the nation, winning the Gold Medal in the Olympics in 1936 as described in the New York Times bestseller The Boys in the Boat. UW has continued its tradition of winning championships and Olympic medals, and today is one of the best university rowing programs in the world. With its state-of-the-art training facility located on the UW campus right on the shores of Lake Washington, surrounded by mountains and in close proximity to the iconic Montlake Cut, Washington Rowing attracts the best men and women student-athletes from the Pacific Northwest and around the world. More information at GoHuskies.com, WashingtonRowing.com and @UW_Rowing.