Doo Dah Fleet Disperses

After the fantastic welcome the Delta Doo Dah 3D fleet received at Owl Harbor Marina on Sunday, folks wondered how their week could get any better. Enter Bethel Island’s Peter Yates and his crew of partythrowers. As the fleet approached this year’s new Bethel Island destination, Sugar Barge Resort & Marina, Peter deftly packed everyone in like proverbial sardines.

The mood was festive and many crewmembers hopped a ride aboard a WWII-era bridge tender to a small beach on Franks Tract, where Peter’s vivacious fiance Katherine waited to hand out adult — and kid — beverages, snacks and water toys. "I didn’t do the Beach Party last year," said one Doo Dah vet, "and now I really regret it. This was a total blast!"

Just about the time the last boat full of partiers returned, Sugar Barge started serving mouth-watering tri tip dinners, followed by locals and Doo Dah’ers alike getting up to sing karaoke, play instruments and generally make a delightful ruckus.

Boats peeled off the massive raft-up fairly early yesterday to ensure they arrived at their destinations before low tide, although rumor has it that at least one Doo Dah boat ‘cleaned the bottom of their keel’ on the way into Potato Slough. Once settled, dinghies, water cannons, and inflatable toys were brought out, giving everyone a chance to cool off.

Today’s loose schedule includes some fierce dinghy sailing competition, fishing, sneak water cannon attacks and more lazing about than should be legal. The San Francisco Estuary Partnership is sponsoring a ‘Honeypot Day’ for any boat anchored in Potato Slough, offering free holding tank pumpouts. Later Ruben and Robbie Gabriel of the Vallejo YC-based Pan Oceanic 46 Buffalo Spirit will host a potluck aboard their boat, and a number of musicians in the fleet are already planning a concert on their massive foredeck. Life doesn’t get much sweeter than this.