Hundreds gather for the 103rd Opening Day of Boating Season

Hundreds gather for Opening Day of Seattle Boating Season

Hundreds of people spent the day along the shores of Portage Bay for the 103rd Opening Day of Seattle Boating Season.

SEATTLE - Hundreds of people spent the day along the shores of Portage Bay for the 103rd Opening Day of Seattle Boating Season.

The historic tradition sailed through the Montlake Cut on Saturday, featuring 140 different boats, according to the Seattle Yacht Club.

"It is an opportunity to bring boaters and all of the Puget Sound together and also bring Seattle together," said Suzi Ward, member of the Seattle Yacht Club Board of Trustees.

Ward has also been a member of the private club since 1976.

"My personal favorite, because I’m a yacht club member and a husky, is putting the band through and being able to provide students who may have never been on a boat before, an amazing day," Ward said.

Todd Mcchesney is also a Seattle Yacht Club member. He’s been to Opening Day at least 20 times and came to Saturday’s event dressed as a pirate.

"The theme for the Opening Day parade this year is ‘Pirates and Pursuers’ so a lot of people are dressed up in pirate outfits," Mcchesney said.

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From the pirates to the yachts and even steamboats, people of all ages were all in the same boat when they gathered along Portage Bay to take in the sights and sounds.

"It’s exciting," Patrick Brennan said. "Lots of action and lots of interesting boats going by."

He and Erica Speights are new to the Seattle area and were told they should check it out.

"It’s one of the things you have to see when you’re in Seattle," Speights said.

They brought their two-year-old son Ray who was all "a-boat" the event.

"He’s been saying boats, boats the whole way here," Speights said.

Before the parade was the Windermere Cup, where the University of Washington came out on top for the men's and women's events.

It's possible the event gained popularity this year after the release of the 2023 film "Boys in the Boat," which is based on UW's 1936 Olympic rowing team. Several actors from the movie were in Seattle ahead of the regatta.

'Boys in the Boat' actors in Seattle for Windermere Cup

Actors from the 2023 film "Boys in the Boat," based on the University of Washington's 1936 Olympic rowing team, were at UW ahead of the famed Windermere Cup!