Do You Have Sailing Plans for the Summer Sailstice Weekend?
The official first weekend of summer begins this coming Saturday, June 19, with plenty of opportunities to sail. We list some of the Bay Area weekend activities below, but wherever you sail, whatever your plans, make sure you have them posted as part of the weekend Summer Sailstice celebration of sailing.
For recreational sailors, the Summer Sailstice weekend photo treasure hunt returns, with the opportunity to win prizes from Summer Sailstice and a 2022 PHRF certificate from the YRA. Racers can join the YRA Summer Series #3 off Southampton Shoal, and the PICYA has announced the return of the Lipton Cup, hosted this year by the St. Francis Yacht Club, South Beach Yacht Club and Encinal Yacht Club.
Sailors without a boat have options too. Sign up with the Matthew Turner, which will be heading out on Saturday for a Maritime Heritage Sail, while Modern Sailing in Sausalito will offer a Summer Sailstice introductory sail and Alameda Community Sailing Center will host an Open Sail Saturday from their base on the west shore of Alameda.
We’re not sure where all the yacht club cruise outs will be headed this weekend, but we do know Ros de Vries of Island Yacht Club is planning to join a club cruise to Clipper Cove. Or, like Vince Casalaina, you can post plans that simply say, “I’ll be doing a fun sail with friends somewhere on S.F. Bay or adjacent waters (depending on where it’s warm and [with] not too much breeze”).
When you post your club’s cruising plans you’ll be adding your pin to the map and you, and everyone else in the club who signs up on the Summer Sailstice website, become eligible to win prizes from Summer Sailstice contributors such as IMTRA, Beneteau, Jeanneau, Sun Powered Yachts and many others. Check out the prize list here.
Sailor, soon-to-be sailor, cruiser, racer or daysailor, use this weekend to start your summer of sailing. With more daylight than any other Saturday of the year, you’ll have plenty of time to start your Delta Doo Dah or take your friends on a Bay tour. You only have so many summers, and there’s just one Summer Sailstice celebration a year, so now’s the time to make your plans and add them to the Summer Sailstice map.
If you’re outside the Bay Area there are plenty of places to sail and plenty of reasons to add your own sailing plans. If you have a sailboat, Summer Sailstice is there to remind you that a sailboat, like a mind, is a terrible thing to waste. You’re encouraged to start your summer sailing and make it habit-forming. So start now, get the habit, and have fun with it too! See you on the water.