Opening Day on the Bay Exceeded Expectations

Wedged between a cloudy, cool Saturday morning and a cloudy, cool Monday morning was a warm, sunny, brilliant blue Sunday morning. It was was a blessing for Opening Day. This was the 106th annual Opening Day on the Bay, when boaters traditionally head out on the water to start their summer season by having their boats blessed as an added safeguard for their upcoming adventures on the Bay or ocean.

The event is organized by the Pacific Inter-Club Yachting Assocation (PICYA), which organizes a Cityfront boat parade with an annual theme, this year, Broadway on the Bay. Along the Marin shore the Corinthian Yacht Club organizes a blessing of the fleet in Raccoon Strait, with all boats invited to sail by for a blessing from a priest, minister and rabbi. They’ve got you covered.

It is days like Sunday that remind you why it’s great to own a boat on San Francisco Bay, and it’s events like Opening Day that remind you to use them! On Raccoon Strait, San Francisco Yacht Club rallied members and came out in force to join many other boats coming from the Corinthian Yacht Club, Sausalito and Richmond for a relaxing cruise down a surprisingly warm and calm Raccoon Strait.

We’re always inspired to see families with kids on small boats like the Pearson Commander above. There’s nothing like starting young to learn to sail, and sailing as a family builds a good future together. It is aboard small boats like this (or smaller) that most of today’s sailors started. In 2020 we wrote about Martin Machado’s cruise up the Delta aboard his Pearson Commander Larus. There are plenty of great adventures to be had on small boats.

If you didn’t get this on your calendar this year you can put April 28, 2024, on your calendar for next year. In the meantime there are 51 weekends between now and then, plus a summer ahead calling for you to hoist your sails and come out on the Bay, Delta or long California coastline.