The Day of Winter Solstice and California King Tides
Happy winter solstice! Today is the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. That means it’s the start of a six-month countdown to summer sailing and the Summer Sailstice on the weekend of June 24.
In San Francisco, the precise time of the winter solstice today is 1:48 p.m. The day is actually a whole five hours, 14 minutes shorter than next year’s summer solstice, coming up on June 21 (so many fewer sailing hours!). In case you missed it, the sunrise was at 0721 this morning. Sunset will be at 1653.
At this seasonal turning point, now is a great moment to start your 2023 sailing plans. If you’re thinking about racing, renew your PHRF certificate and look at the 2023 race schedule coming out with our January issue. Or make your Summer Sailstice plans by signing up for one of many regattas being held on the June 24 weekend, including the StFYC Woodies Invitational, the Farallones Race, the EYC One-Design Regatta, and the Half Moon Bay Race. And if you really want to step it up, sign up for the Singlehanded Transpacific Race, starting on Sunday of Summer Sailstice weekend.
The weekend ahead will be the first after the sun starts heading north again, and to keep the waterfront interesting, there will be California king tides. The California Coastal Commission is inviting you to send high-tide waterfront photos here.
Enjoy the winter solstice. But dream about the summer solstice by signing up for Summer Sailstice now. You can figure out the details later!