Encinal YC Gearing Up for Sailstice

With this weekend’s Summer Sailstice events now just a few days away, volunteers at Encinal YC are busy making preparations. Mike Scheck, a past club president, explains why he and other members are so enthusiastic about being ‘Sailstice Central’ for the third year in a row: "It’s a great fit for EYC, because many of our goals align with those of Summer Sailstice: promoting the sport of sailing, introducing the sport to the general public, a focus on youth, and support for on-the-water nonprofits."

For the uninitiated, Summer Sailstice (the brainchild of Latitude 38 Associate Publisher John Arndt) is defined as a "worldwide celebration of sailing" that takes place on the weekend closest to the annual summer solstice — the ‘longest’ day of the year in terms of daylight hours. Individuals, YCs, sailing clubs, waterside resorts and other facilities are invited to create whatever means of celebrating that they can come up with, from simply going out sailing, to orchestrating giant circular raft-ups, to hosting elaborate shindigs like Encinal’s. (And if you register online you can win valuable prizes.)

 "We make sure that there is something for everyone," says Scheck. "From experienced racers/cruisers to people who are interested in learning about the sport, they’ll find free boat rides, sailing exhibits, sailing seminars and boat displays." Needless to say, any and all are welcome to attend. There’s plenty of free parking, and boat-in attendees are welcome to tie up at EYC’s guest docks — and even stay overnight if they choose to. 

"We will have many boats on display, ranging from Millimeters to big cats," Scheck adds. "Sailing schools, charter clubs and boat brokers will all be on hand to discuss a variety of entry points into the sport. Most importantly, we want to show that you don’t need to be a millionaire to get into sailing." That said, guest speaker Tom Ehman, vice commodore of Golden Gate YC, will give his insights into the highest echelons of the sport, as he discusses the imminent Louis Vuitton and America’s Cup races.

Now in its 13th year, Summer Sailstice has grown from a vague idea into a widely recognized focal point for celebrating the sport we all love. So we suggest you put off the yard work and mall mashing this weekend, and get out on the water instead!

Related Addendum: Loaner Lasers needed! A couple of sailors from Artemis Racing have shown interest in competing in this weekends resurrection of the Sir Francis Chichester Race for Lasers around Alameda. It’s been 18 years since it was last run with a record set of 2 hours and 43 min set by Morgan Larson (unconfirmed). Follow the links from www.summersailstice.com/sf for the NOR if you want to race your own Laser or email [email protected] if you have a Laser to loan Artemis.