Gray skies, damp weather herald the start of boating season

On one yacht, a woman dangled on a trapeze over the water in the Montlake Cut.

· Photos from Opening Day festivities

Another vessel had a replica of an elephant on its bow, water shooting from its trunk.

And on several boats, red-nosed clowns with frizzy, rainbow-colored wigs danced.

A three-ring circus was this year's theme for the Seattle Yacht Club's annual Opening Day parade, which ushers in the region's summer boating season.

"Come on out from your cave. Hibernation is over," joked Medina resident Laura Bolin, 41. "Summer is coming."

Despite the gray clouds and light rain, scores of people lined the water around the urban narrows Saturday for the celebration.

About 300 boats participated in the parade, and hundreds of other boats lined log booms in Union Bay as people watched the morning crew races and the afternoon boat parade that made its way from Portage Bay.

Many spectators kept their baseball caps snug to their heads and umbrellas open because of the rain.

The noontime parade started with a Seattle fireboat that shot water into the sky, sending a mist over spectators.

Patrol boats from the Port of Seattle and King County Sheriff's Office spun in gentle circles before dignitaries and judges, who later gave out awards for different categories.

The University of Washington's band packed several boats, floating by the campus and cheering alumni.

Then came a small fleet of classic auburn-colored vessels, some from the early 1900s.

Crewmembers from throughout the Northwest stood at attention on bows, dressed in blue blazers and white pants, saluting as they passed dignitaries and judges.

One boat owner put his dog on the bow for the parade.

"If the dog salutes, they'll win," joked Dennis Ward, a 75-year-old member of the Queen City Yacht Club.

Ward marveled at the Virginia V, a steamship that was launched in 1922 and was part of the region's "Mosquito Fleet." He recalled how the historic ship once ferried people around the Puget Sound.

Other old wooden ships also caught his attention.

"These are classic boats that might have been pieces of junk at one time," he said. "But people put their hearts and souls into restoring them."

During the parade, the Montlake Bridge was raised so boats with tall masts could pass.

People on some of the decorated boats wore gorilla and elephant costumes. A circus muscle man pretended to lift weights.

The Seattle Singles Yacht Club, which brings together singles and boat owners, used a yacht named "Lucky Dog."

A woman in a hot pink costume leaned out of the window and hooted at spectators.

"Craziness," an elderly woman said of the entire spectacle.

In addition to the Saturday parade, there were crew races, which drew large crowds.

While some people waved to friends and relatives who competed, Seattle resident Sean McCain, 42, and his friends rooted for just about any team that passed them.

"Yeah, whoever you are!" his friend cried.

He and his friends picked teams with catchy names, such as "Martha's Moms" and "Ancient Mariners," and wished them the best.

"We don't know any of these teams," McCain said.

Still, he brought his camera along and said he planned to post photos of the crew races on the photo-sharing Web site, flickr.Earlier, as dignitaries and judges sailed by in luxury yachts, Des Moines resident Jan Monson, 65, remarked on the sight before him.

"They have a lot of money," he said, referring to the owners. "Everyone knows that."

As the rain fell Saturday morning, some people stayed warm by drinking coffee, others just ignored the wet.

Bolin, the Medina resident, said she and her family often go out in the water in a dinghy -- and wet weather was not a problem.

"We're sailors," she said. "We don't melt."

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