Members of Hampton Yacht Club, Broad Bay Sailing Association, Hampton Roads Fleet 30, & Old Point Comfort Yacht Club joined forces this Summer Sailstice for a whoppin’ good time!
Hoping to grow your Summer Sailstice event next year? Looking to make it last longer? Look no farther than this group of savvy celebrators. They had 91 participants sign up on the Summer Sailstice site and their entire event lasted FIVE days total! Perks included a “Progressive Dinner” potluck (what is it? Read on for details), wine tastings, campfires, morning yoga on the beach, treasure hunts and beach games, drink and recipe sharing, and more!
Here’s the lowdown on their Sailstice bash:
Wednesday, June 17th evening - Captains met at the Yacht Club flag-deck to pick up cruise packets and decide where to anchor on the first night. This meeting was a good chance for everyone to communicate and coordinate plans before setting sail the next day…
Thursday - Everyone participating in the first night (this includes 16 sailboats and 36 people!) sailed to and anchored at Jackson Creek. The evening activity was a fantastic concept called the Progressive Dinner - everyone gathered at the three boats rafted for appetizers and cocktail, from there they got their assignment for which boat to dinghy to for their salad, entrée, and dessert. Spouses were never paired together, so the next two days they could introduce their spouses to their new friends while on Pirate’s Beach. Cool!
Friday - The next destination was Pirate’s Beach for a wine tasting event. Every two people brought a bottle of wine and got to taste the other selections at the table that had their wine. There was one table with 6 different Cabernet Sauvignons, one with 6 other Reds and one with 4 Whites.
Wine tasting was followed by Happy Hour and a campfire where people cooked their dinner.
Saturday - What better way to start the day than with some stretching and yoga on the beach!! Following some restorative morning yoga, everyone gathered for brunch under the canopies. Next on the agenda?! Because the fun never stops, a full on treasure hunt had everyone running around in search of treasure and certainly made for many laughs.
In the afternoon, sailboats started arriving from all different directions, making Little Bay look like a Caribbean anchorage!
There were many beach activities, but the most popular was the East Beach Marine Regatta.
How to play?
Teams were drawn randomly and then given a piece of string, duct tape, a plastic bag and a lemon to be used as crew. Using these items, along with found items from the beach, each team had to construct a miniature sailboat to compete in a race. The competition was tough, but Mistress of the Cove (pictured below with it’s boat builders) was the overall winner of the three races, 2nd place went to Sarah Sail and 3rd place went to Misty of the Sea.
Saturday afternoon/Sunday - the wind started blowing and there was a chance of stormy weather, so the Sailstice crowd broke down the canopies & tables. Some boats took off early to head to a marina or a more protective anchorage. Some who had been anchored since Friday decide to stay.
And if you thought that wasn’t enough…. there’s more! Read on for some of the winning drink and food recipes from the weekend:
Southern G & T
(Sandy & Rick sv Spindrift V.2)
Gin & Tonic to your taste (1 to 2.5)
Muddled Mint & Lime
Simple Syrup
Orange Surprise
(Judy & Tom sv Mazi)
Orange Juice
Mango Smash Liqueur
Triple Sec
Tequila
Wild Berries Schnapps
Shrimp Cream Cheese Gazpacho
5 cup Water
1.5 lbs. unpeeled 40-50 count shrimp, chopped
2 Quarts Tomato Juice
1 Bunch Green Onions, chopped
2 Cucumbers, peeled, seeded & chopped
4 Tomatoes, peeled, seeded & chopped
1 Avocado, peeled & chopped
8 oz Cream Cheese, cut in 1⁄2” cubes (mash into tomato juice, so it’s creamy.)
1⁄4 Cup Lemon Juice or White Vinegar
2 tbsp Sugar
1⁄2 tsp Hot Sauce
(Karen & Fred Southerly)
Directions – makes 13 cups. Bring water to boil, add shrimp and cook 3 minutes after water returns to boil. Drain well; rinse with cold water; cool. Peel & devein shrimp (Set aside 10 shrimps for garnishing, if desired.) Chop everything about the same size. The combine shrimp and the rest of the ingredients, adding more hot sauce if needed. Cover & Refrigerate at least 3 hours. Garnish, if desired with Cucumber Slice Sour Cream, & Whole Shrimp
