One of the favorite ways people celebrate Summer Sailstice is a cruise with friends, family or like-minded sailors to a favorite anchorage or other destination. Here are some examples of what folks are doing across the country this coming June 20-21.
Fleet 10 Annual Cruise Middle Chesapeake Bay - Most weekends of the year, Fleet 10 is a group of Catalina 22 owners based out of Rock Hall, Maryland. However, for the Summer Sailstice, Fleet 10’s cruise around the mid-section of Chesapeake Bay is open to all brands and sizes of sailing vessels. The ‘start’ is at 6 p.m. Saturday, June 20, at Rock Hall, and the cruise – Fleet 10’s longest of the year - runs all through the next week, ending June 27 back at Rock Hall. “We’d love new people to join us,” says Fleet 10’s Carol Ross. The event is posted here. And for more information, go to www.fleet10.org, or email Carol at carosssail@gmail.com.
Fleet 10 is normally a Catalina 22-only club. But on Summer Sailstice they’re inviting boats of all sizes and makes for a cruise around Chesapeake Bay.
Northwest Sailing Association - Back in 1975, a group of Chicago sailors got together and formed the Northwest Sailing Association. Forty years later, the NWSA is still going strong and their mission is still the same – exchange sailing knowledge and experience and have a good time out on the water. For Summer Sailstice, two separate events are on the docket. One is a bunch of NWSA members who are planning a trailer-sailor cruise out of Marshal Park on Wisconsin’s Lake Mendota, which is about a two-hour drive northwest of Chicago. That three-day event starts Friday, June 19. Closer to home, NWSA plans a still-in-the-planning-stages harbor sail on Lake Michigan starting at 10 a.m. on June 20. Learn more about these events, and/or the Northwest Sailing Association at www.nwsail.com.
Neptune Sailing Club 50th Anniversary Picnic - Neptune Sailing Club of Kirkland, Washington, was founded as a non-profit family day sailing club in 1965. Half a century later, they remain just that, capping membership at 85 families, who participate in club-owned boats in races, cruises, daysails and teaching sessions. NSC has coordinated their 50th anniversary celebration to happen on Summer Sailstice! Members and guests are invited to join the festivities, which begin at 2 p.m. on Saturday, June 20, for a picnic and afternoon sail at Marina Park Pavilion (on Lake Washington) in downtown Kirkland. See their event here. For more information, www.neptunesailing.org.
2015 Western Canada Jeanneau Rendezvous - The 14th Annual Western Canada Jeanneau Rendezvous is the longest running Jeanneau Rendezvous in North America – and if you’ve ever attended, you’ll know why: the sponsors, Fraser Yacht Sales, do a great job of “herding the cats”, and the participants are the icing on a weekend-long cake. We have it on good authority that hardly anyone attends just once. This year’s celebration kicks off at noon on Friday, June 19 and, as mentioned, runs through Sunday afternoon. The venue is Poet’s Cove Marina Resort on Pender Island, British Columbia (about 25 miles due south of Vancouver). RSVP to this event through the Summer Sailstice website and you will be eligible to win prizes. For more information.
Jeanneau enjoy cruising in fleets all over the world, like this one in Australia.
2015 Southern Chesapeake Bay Summer Sailstice - This event is a Summer Sailstice “group hug” co-hosted by members of four Virginia-based clubs - the Hampton Yacht Club, Broad Bay Sailing Association (Virginia Beach), Hampton Roads Fleet 30 and Old Point Comfort Yacht Club (Fort Monroe). Members and guests from all clubs are encouraged to just “get out and go sailing,” or join the Southern Chesapeake Bay Summer Sailstice Cruise. Here’s the itinerary:
Wednesday, June 17, 6 p.m. - Meet at the flag deck to pick up cruise packet and decide where to anchor on the first night.
Thursday, June 18 - Sail to the first anchorage at Jackson Creek. There will be a progressive dinner that evening (weather permitting).
Friday, June 19 - Sail to the official Summer Sailstice anchorage, Little Bay (off Fleets Bay). Fun on Pirates Beach, special activities, happy hour and a bonfire.
Saturday, June 20 – Second day at the beach. A whole day at the beach with many sailing related activities. Lots of fun on the beach, games/contest, happy hour.
Sunday, June 21 - Return home, continue with Up The Bay Cruise, or head out on your own adventure. See the event here.
For more information on these organizations, see www.fleet30.org (Hampton Roads Fleet 30), www.hamptonyc.com (Hampton YC),
See the event here. For more on the Southern Chesapeake Bay Summer Sailstice Cruise, contact HYC’s Mary Greblunas at marygeblunas@yahoo.com.
They have a history of good Summer Sailstice parties in the Southern Chesapeake!
ECSA Sailstice Cruise - The East Coast Sailing Association had so much fun on Summer Sailstice last year, they’re doing it again. All sailing clubs in the area of Melbourne, Florida, are invited to cruise with ECSA up to Grill’s Riverside Seafood Deck and Tiki Bar. The Melbourne and Port Canaveral locations of Grill’s both feature gigantic South-Seas-themed restaurants with ample ‘parking’ for both visiting boats and cars. Our recommended dinner entrée: Lionfish. Grills is one of dozens of Florida restaurants participating in the “Eat Them to Beat Them” campaign to eradicate the invasive Pacific Lionfish from taking over Florida reefs. (Note: only the fins of lionfish have venomous spines that can cause painful, but non-fatal stings. The meat is not poisonous.) The “taste profile” is said to be a combination of grouper and mahi-mahi. Bon apetite. Learn more here.
Their fins can transmit painful stings underwater, but properly prepared, lionfish make good eating ashore.
Members of the East Coast Sailing Association cruise far and wide around Florida waters. They’ll be rendezvousing at Grill’s Restaurant in Melbourne for Summer Sailstice.
Hunter Sailing Assoc Celebrates Sailstice - The Hunter Sailing Association Station #1 was founded in 1978. They are a group of more than 100 Hunter sailboats and owners, concentrated in middle Cheasapeake Bay. As part of their 35 year celebration, fleet members will participate in Summer Solstice with a cruise to Deep Creek (Arnold, Maryland) for a “raft-up and land party.” Rendezvous time at Deep Creek is 3 p.m. on Saturday, June 20. This event is open to all members – and even nonmembers who BYOH (bring their own Hunter). Festivities ashore will include “a really laid back version of a Commodore’s Ball.” See the event here. For more information in HSA-1.
The new Marlow Hunter 31 would be a perfect way to join the Hunter Sailing Association’s Summer Sailstice cruise.
