A Sensational Start to Summer

For Bay Area sailors, this past weekend was dedicated to celebrating the arrival of summer, and the weather gods couldn’t have provided better conditions to kick off our prime sailing season. Sunny skies graced the Bay both days, which helped to maximize the enjoyment of the Summer Sailstice festivities Saturday at Alameda’s Encinal YC, and the Master Mariner’s Annual Wooden Boat Show at Tiburon’s Corinthian YC. By all accounts, both events were hugely successful and loads of fun.

The Bay Area Sailstice shindig found a new home this year, thanks to the generous support of EYC club members. The family-friendly event featured a broad range of sailing-oriented exhibits, several informative seminars, a mini in-water boat show, free boat rides and more. Two highlights were tours of the IACC boat USA 76, a veteran of the ’03 America’s Cup competition in New Zealand (now based at KKMI in Richmond), and the boat-building contest, where contestants had six hours to complete a navigable craft out of no more than $150 worth of materials. Remarkably, neither boat sank, and both completed the course with a near photo-finish.

Sunday’s show at the Corinthian was a visual feast of gleaming varnish, polished brass and teak that had every attendee oohing and aahing. One longtime sailor — who shall remain nameless — was so enthralled by the beauty of Nike, that she took a small step back and ended up in the drink!

With a Dixieland band pumping out feel-good music, a barbecue sizzling on the upper deck and an eye-popping array of woodies to salivate over, it was a splendid day for both the old salts and neophytes who attended. The next grand gathering of wooden boat aficionados, by the way, will be at the Great San Francisco Schooner Race, hosted by the San Francisco YC on August 27.