Happy Fourth of July on the Bay and Beyond

We’re halfway through the 2023 Fourth of July long weekend (for those who have managed to sneak in an extra day or two), and so far the weather has given us some beautiful sailing opportunities — depending on where you are, of course. For example, yesterday Sausalito experienced full sunshine, not too warm, no chilling winds, while on the Bay, Alcatraz was shrouded in fog. How was it in your neck of the woods? Not that it matters too much; sailors will do what sailors do. It’s a little like the old Pony Express motto, “Neither rain, or snow, nor death of night, can keep us from our duty.” OK, we know that might be a little extreme, but you get the idea.

Regardless of how you’re spending the holiday, we wish you warmth and sunshine and as much sailing wind as you would like. If you’re out on the water, remember that the Coast Guard always ramps up its on-water presence. This year their crews are working under the name Operation Dry Water — we expect you know what that means, so we won’t go on about it, but if you do want to know more, here’s the link to the USCG press release.

We will, however, share a couple of Independence Day sailing photos.

This first one you’ve seen before, but this time we’re adding a little background, thanks to John ‘Woody’ Skoriak.

The Coquina skiff Independence is the result of a boatbuilding project for a group of students in San Francisco, sponsored by San Francisco art patron and philanthropist Ann Hatch. Independence was designed by Nathanael Herreshoff in 1889 for sailing the Mediterranean coast and Europe’s rivers and canals. After her launch in 2010 (give or take) Independence was exhibited at a Lake Tahoe museum, and later donated to Call of the Sea, where she was frequently sailed until being put into storage due to the COVID shutdowns. Now that she’s out of storage and being tidied up, the aim is for her to serve as a sailing tender for guests and crew aboard the Matthew Turner’s longer voyages.

Our next photo is the J/100 Feather, owned by Bay Area sailor Zach Berkowitz.

If you’re celebrating the Fourth by sailing, remember to have fun, be safe, and take photos to share with your friends, and with us at [email protected].