The scene on Union Bay on the banks of Lake Washington, where Ohio State and Washington fans “sailgate” before Saturday’s game. Credit: Jack Diwik | Managing Sports Editor
A sea of purple spilled out from the north end of Husky Stadium, streaked with scarlet-and-gray wearing Ohio State fans.
This crowd isn’t headed for a parking-lot tailgate. Instead, they stream down a narrow path toward a weathered dock that juts into Lake Washington, the gateway to Seattle’s famed “sailgating.”
Before every Washington home game, a few hundred boats come out to do tailgating the Seattle way, on Union Bay, part of Lake Washington.
The earthy brine of the lake mixes with the aroma of barbecue smoke and the bite of cheap beer. Music thumps from boat decks, competing with laughter, chants and good-natured heckling that echoes across the water.
This weekend, scarlet has matched purple nearly boat for boat. Ohio State’s traveling faithful packed the docks and alongside Huskies die-hards, giving the northwest scene an unmistakable Midwestern feel.
“It’s definitely more crowded,” Bill Crow, owner of the aptly named Crow’s Nest, said. “There are so many Ohio State fans here–it’s really fun to see.”
Beyond the lake lies a postcard backdrop: elegant homes perched on the hillside and the faint outline of the Olympic Mountains layered like a watercolor behind the glittering surface of Lake Washington.
For first-timers like Jonathan Andrews, an Ohio State fan from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, the setting makes the moment like no other.
“This is absolutely awesome,” Andrews said. “Seeing the backdrop with the mountains, how cool is that?”
