SEATTLE – Sunny skies and a strong headwind made for an exciting morning of rowing at this year’s Windermere Cup on the Montlake Cut in Seattle.

The invitational event brings masters, juniors, and collegiate rowers together to showcase the sport and celebrate the opening of boating season in Seattle. Thousands of spectators lined the cut and cheered on the rowers.

Bainbridge Island Rowing Masters Men’s 8+ won Gold in their race. Coxswain Sam Bloom called a race plan that rowers A. Oddo, K. Frost, M. Olason, J. Christiansen, E. Driggers, B. Fleet, M. Stewart and M. Saunders executed effectively for the win.

Men’s Masters coach Kate Berry commended Bloom’s coxing of the race.

“This was Sam’s first experience coxing at the Windermere Cup and he did an excellent job,” she said.

Strong strokes in a competitive field brought the Masters Women’s 8+ to a third-place finish overall.

Coxswain Addie Taylor’s energy spurred on rowers C. Vessenes, S.Nordgren, K. Berry, S. Entress, M. Courtway, S. Haines, T. Galbraith and A. Chymiy to a solid finish.

The Junior Women’s Varsity 4+ also rowed hard in their event and placed fourth, just shy of the podium.

The next regatta on the schedule for Bainbridge Island Rowing is the US RowingNorthwest Junior Regional Championships, taking place in Vancouver, Washington between May 17 and May 20.