As far as juicy racing to open the season goes, little can hold a candle to the Windermere Collegiate Invitational at Redwood Shores on March 29-30th this year. Several of the best collegiate teams in the nation will be in action in Henley-style racing under California sunshine. With winter just releasing its hold on the Northeast and Midwest, and teams struggling to find water time as a result, racing promises to be gutty.

Preseason polls will be put to the test this weekend, as #1 Cal faces off against defending Eastern Sprints champs #4 Wisconsin in the second race of the regatta, while #7 Princeton faces #9 Navy just after. On the womens side, a strong Stanford squad coming off a surprising fall campaign will face off against perenially strong Virgina, who finished 4th at the NCAAs last year. Also promising good racing is the #1 Princeton vs. #4 Radcliffe matchup in the women's lightweight eight.

row2k will be bringing you daily reports, photos and news items daily from Redwood Shores, so be sure to check back for updates!