Twilight Sprints Mark Start Of 2022 Windermere Cup

Seattle's Opening Day Regatta got off to its semi-official start Friday night as the three men's and three women's crews that will appear Saturday morning in the featured Windermere Cup races clashed in the second edition of the Twilight Sprints on Montlake Cut. 
 
In the women's race, the Great Britain eight edged the two Washington eights in the sprint, which covers approximately 650 meters, beginning at the traditional Montlake Cut finish line near Portage Bay and running eastward to the Lake Washington end of the Cut, finishing in front of the old ASUW Shellhouse.
 
The British eight, featuring women who have mostly competed at the World Under-23 Championships level or higher, finished with a time of 1:50.3. Washington's "Purple" entry was second, about four seats back in 1:51.6, while the UW "Gold" crew finished a length back, with a time of 1:54.7.
 
The men's race featured the UW first and second varsity eights vs. an eight from the Netherlands, consisting of rowers with similar experience levels as the British women. 
 
The Dutch eight came out of the start and quickly grabbed the lead. The visitors won the race in 1:38.7, while the two UW crews both finished about half a length behind. The Huskies' second varsity eight came in second, in 1:40.5, while the varsity was three-tenths of a second behind, at 1:40.8.
 
The Twilight Sprints, first introduced for the 2019 Windermere Cup/Opening Day Regatta, had not been held since, thanks to the pandemic, which canceled the 2020 regatta and reduced the size of the 2021 version.
 
Races begin Saturday morning at 10:15 a.m., with the two Windermere Cup races scheduled for 11:30 (women's) and 11:45 (men's). 
 
For more information, go to WindermereCup.com.