SEATTLE – Washington Rowing, along with Windermere Real Estate, welcomes the Australian National Team for the 37th annual Windermere Cup, scheduled for Saturday, May 6, 2023.
 
Australia has a long and rich history in men's and women's eight-oared rowing. At the most recent World Rowing Championships in 2022, the men took third place while the women's eight finished fifth in the world. At the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, Australia finished fifth in the women's final and sixth in the men's.
 
The UW also has a long history of Australians rowing on the Husky roster. The current UW men's team includes Aussies Nick Dunlop (who coxed the W4+ to gold at the 2022 Under-23 Worlds), Max Taylor and Darcy McCluskey, who has rowed for his Under-23 National Team, while the women's roster includes Nikki Martincic, who has also competed at Under-23 World Championships.
 
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 event.
 
"We hope everyone will join us on May 6 for Windermere Cup and Opening Day, which has grown into one of the largest free community events in Seattle," said OB Jacobi, President of Windermere Real Estate. "With thousands of competitors and spectators coming together at such a spectacular venue, it's a celebration unlike anything else."
 
After the 2020 Opening Day Regatta was cancelled, and the 2021 event was limited, both due to the pandemic, Windermere Cup and Opening Day were back to full capacity in 2022, when the UW welcomed the Dutch men's team and the British women. The UW and Windermere Real Estate have hosted more than 15 nations over the 36-year history of the regatta.
 
The Australians will be making their third appearance at the Opening Day regatta, having competed in both the men's and women's races in 1997 and 1988, the second year of the Windermere Cup. The Aussie men won the race in 1988 and finished second to UW in '97. The women finished second in 1988 and then didn't finish the '97 race due to breakage.
 
"We are thrilled to be able to host the Australians, one of the world's best and most passionate rowing nations," said Washington women's head coach Yasmin Farooq. "There's no doubt that they'll provide us with great competition, and having them join us for a special event like Windermere Cup will only deepen the long, meaningful relationship between the UW rowing program and Australia."
 
"The Windermere Cup is an opportunity to compete against the best in the world," said Michael Callahan, UW's men's head coach. "Australia supplies that high level of competition and we are looking forward to the challenge. It's been a long time since the Aussies have come to this regatta, so we are thankful to Windermere that we'll been able to host them again."
 
On the Friday night before the Opening Day Regatta, all of the Windermere 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.
 
The Washington women finished fourth at NCAA Championships last season, the program's seventh consecutive top-five finish at the national championships. The men also finished fourth at the Intercollegiate Rowing Association national championships, having won the title the year before.
 
There will be more information to come on other Opening Day and Windermere Cup-related events, including the annual "Party at the Cut" on Friday night.
 
Windermere Cup History & Information
The Windermere Cup got its start 36 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 26 times in 35 attempts, while the UW women have won 25 out of 35.
 
This year's event marks the 52nd running of the Opening Day regatta, which has included the Windermere Cup for the last 36 years. The 2023 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.