Let #optsailing Turn Black Friday into Blue Friday

After our long-overdue first seasonal rain, our boats have finally had a Mother Nature-provided rinse to get them ready for a Thanksgiving sail. Over the past decades, Thanksgiving weekend has transformed from a family celebration of gratitude into a celebration of rampant consumerism.

Fortunately, you can #optsailing.

The beauty of having access to sailing is leaving all that mayhem ashore and spending a quiet day on the Bay with the seals, migrating whales, harbor porpoises and, most of all, friends.

We went sailing both days last weekend with light air and cool temps, but it was an overall pleasant time on the water. Both days were the basic, classic ‘cruise to nowhere’; it was nice to just be out with friends, catching up, seeing the sights, and enjoying the Bay Area’s magnificent Bay.

For the long weekend of gratitude after our first blustery rain, make sure you find some time to hoist those sails. The 2019 Northern California Sailing Calendar shows that Tiburon Yacht Club will host Friday’s only scheduled event with their Wild Turkey race in the North Bay. Saturday doesn’t have any events scheduled at all, and on Sunday there is the Berkeley Yacht Club Chowder Series, the Sausalito Yacht Club Midwinter #2 and the first Small-Boat Midwinter at the Richmond Yacht Club. With so little racing, it means the Bay will be one of the least crowded places in the Bay Area and one of the greatest escapes you can have close to home.

Have a great Thanksgiving, and, if you #optsailing this weekend, send us some shots of your time on the water. It’s time you won’t regret.