Tuesday nights during the summer, roughly May through Labor Day, you can usually spot tourists gawking at a swarm of sailboats navigating (using the word loosely) the narrow confines of Lake Union. They’ve caught sight of the Duck Dodge, a quasi-official sailboat race that began in 1974, and which features more theme nights and race-time beer drinking than the usual regatta.
This past Tuesday, more than 100 boats turned out for the race, which has three starts (fast boats, half-fast boats, slower boats). Fast boats will be larger and boast such extravagances as a spinnaker sail. Don’t get complacent because you sailed last: One sailor was captaining a dinghy at a decent clip. The theme was “Pick Your Own Theme,” so there were a number of tutus and reindeer. One patriotic boat was broadcasting Sousa marches over a loudspeaker. (Next week is “Prom.”)
Ducks dodged include the regular kind, and those ferrying tourists around the city. A large part of the time is spent dodging other racers, generally, as there is a wide variety of yachting talent on display.
Depending on the wind and the speed of the boat, the race lasts about an hour to, on very peaceful nights, three hours (after which point, a decent number of boats, low on beer, will simply motor off the course). It’s a rite of passage when you make your first Duck Dodge — an entrée into Seattle’s boating subculture. Until there’s a Tinder-style app invented for crewing the Duck Dodge, you have to either buy a sailboat or make friends with someone who needs deck hands. If called upon, it never hurts to show up with a six-pack at the ready.