Southwinds Sailing June 2004 - Southwinds Magazine

SHORT TACKSUpcoming Major Eventsin the Southern SailingCommunity & News ofInterest to Southern SailorsSee Local Racing Schedules andNon-Racing Calendar of Events in theRegional Sections:■Charleston Maritime Festival,June 17-20, Charleston, SCThe largest gathering of tall shipsin the United States this year to date willbe berthed in Charleston Harbor overFather’s Day weekend. Sailing, boatbuilding, music, food, festivities.www.charlestonmaritimefestival.comor call (843) 722-1030. See festival advertisementpage 17 for more information.■June 20-21, Summer SailsticeCelebrates Its 4th Year with aGrand Prize of a WeeklongMoorings CharterSummer Sailstice (tm) is a new, globalholiday celebrating sailing annually onthe solstice, the longest sailing day ofthe year.June 2004 will be the fourth anniversaryof this global sailing holidayfounded by John Arndt in 2000, whichevery year increases in both sailor participationlevels and geographic distribution.In 2003, over 1,400 people signedup with Summer Sailstice from all overthe world, growing from 400 in 2002 and200 in 2001. Sailors signed up from 12countries, 40 states in the United States,five Canadian provinces and sailed asfar north as Alaska and as far south asVenezuela. The farthest east and westwas Tel Aviv in the Med and Tokyo inJapan! One early bird sign-up for 2004will be sailing in Croatia.Summer Sailstice 2003 was on June21, and because 2004 is a leap year, June21 was going to fall on a Monday. However,due to the careful calculations of celestialphysicists, they’ve determined solstice2004 to fall on June 20 – a Sundayand therefore still on the weekend. Thisaccording to the old Farmers Almanac.However, if you search enough, you canfind some that will call Monday the 21stthe solstice, so we’d suggest you make ita three-day weekend and go sailing bothdays just to make sure.This year, Summer Sailstice is offeringa grand prize of a weeklong chartercourtesy of The Moorings located in theBritish Virgin Islands. “WOW, what agreat grand prize for 2004,” notesSherrie Bonk of White Bear Lake, MN.“I will definitely be signing up for SummerSailstice 2004 and will be tellingfriends to sign up, too, in hopes that theywould consider taking me with them onthe weeklong charter in the BVI if theywin...well, at least now I have somethingto think about while I sit here and freezein ‘Minnesnowta.’ ”In addition to The Moorings charter,Summer Sailstice 2004 prizes includea $500 shopping spree at theWest Marine and over 100 otherslisted on the Summer Sailstice Web site,www.summersailstice.com. Prizes areawarded by random drawing to thoseparticipating in Summer Sailstice sailingon June 19-20 and signed up onlineat www.summersailstice.com. The SummerSailstice Web site helps sailors connectwith other sailors by giving them achance to post their sailing plans onlineand find other sailing crews to sail onthe longest day of the year or just checkin and see what’s happening in their regionof the Northern Hemisphere. Sailorscelebrate in all shapes and sizes ofboats; the largest party in 2003 includedover 300 people celebrating at OCSCSailing in Berkeley, CA, and the mostmembers of a single yacht club signedup was from the Branched Oak YachtClub in Nebraska. The smallest boat20June 2004 SOUTHWINDS www.southwindssailing.com