International Eights Shine at the 40th Windermere Cup

Few collegiate rowing venues in the world can match what the Montlake Cut offers on the first Saturday of May. Nestled in Seattle, Washington on the Pacific Northwest coast of the United States, the waterway that connects Lake Washington to Portage Bay becomes something else entirely on Opening Day. The Windermere Cup is held as part of Seattle’s Opening Day of Boating Season, an annual tradition hosted by the Seattle Yacht Club that marks the unofficial start of summer on the water, drawing hundreds of boats and tens of thousands of spectators to the Cut.

The 40th edition of the Windermere Cup did not disappoint. British Rowing arrived with both their men’s and women’s eights, carrying rosters that included Olympic medallists such as Matt Aldridge and Lizzie Witt. In addition, their women’s crew had six athletes from the eight that won bronze at the 2025 World Rowing Championships in Shanghai.

Canada’s women, meanwhile, brought a squad in which every seat had World Championship experience, including two-time Olympic medallist Avalon Wasteneys. Washington more than held their own: the Huskies’ men’s programme, led by head coach Mike Callahan, who guided the U.S. men’s eight to bronze at the 2024 Paris Olympics, and a women’s varsity eight stroked by two-time Italian Olympian Aisha Rocek, ensured this was never going to be an easy day for the international visitors.

Women’s Race

The women’s race was Great Britain’s from the opening strokes. The British eight moved through the 500-metre mark with less than a second on Washington and less than two on Canada and built on that margin through the middle 1,000 metres before Canada and Washington closed the gap in the sprint. Although it was a great effort by both trailing crews, Great Britain was able to defend its position as it crossed the finish line, 3.5 seconds ahead of Washington and 5.2 seconds ahead of Canada.

It was Great Britain’s third women’s Windermere Cup title, alongside victories in 1998 and 2022.

While Canada could not best the other crews, this was the first time a Canadian women’s national team had ever raced the Windermere Cup, a striking fact given the proximity to their training centre on Vancouver Island. Kristen Siermachesky, who raced the women’s quadruple sculls and women’s eight at the 2025 World Rowing Championships, reflected on what the weekend meant to the group.

“It was really special to be a part of Canada’s first time ever racing at the Windermere Cup,” says Siermachesky. “The weekend included a variety of events that celebrated the sport of rowing and the community it creates, including a banquet alongside the other crews and helping teach a group of younger athletes how to row, all while focusing on the race on Saturday.”

While the British team was testing their World Rowing Cup crews, Canada’s eight consisted of athletes who will be heading to World Rowing Cup I in sculling boats, a women’s quadruple sculls and a women’s double sculls. For them, Seattle was about shaking off the winter and getting competitive metres in early.

“Although the eight hasn’t been our main focus this season so far, it’s always great to get race starts under our belt, and the atmosphere was unmatched. This was the perfect weekend to kick off the race season!” says Siermachesky.

Men’s Race

If the women’s race belonged to Great Britain, the men’s race belonged to no one until the very last stroke.

Northeastern’s eight, representing Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts, led through the opening 500 metres, nearly a second up on Washington and 2.5 ahead of the Brits. Washington took the lead in the second 500, with Northeastern holding second at the halfway mark. Great Britain surged through the third quarter, moving past Northeastern and beginning to reel in the Huskies as the crews hit the sprint.

On a roaring Montlake Cut, the British eight drew level and the finish was too close to call with the naked eye. It took a photo to confirm what Washington’s final stroke had earned them: a win by 0.165 seconds, the closest men’s finish in the regatta’s history, stretching back to 1987.

Callahan’s crew featured a handful of British athletes who knew exactly the kind of opposition they were facing: coxswain Nikita Jacobs, who drove Great Britain’s women’s eight to gold at the 2025 World Rowing Under 23 Championships; Cameron Tasker in the two-seat, part of the eight that won gold in Poznan last year; and Sam Ford at five.

Results

Women’s Windermere Cup

1. Great Britain (6:10.02)
2. University of Washington (6:13.54)
3. Canada (6:15.27)

Men’s Windermere Cup

1. University of Washington (5:29.08)
2. Great Britain (5:29.24)
3. Northeastern University (5:35.91)