May I confess something? No pun intended. Because last month was chock full of fabulously fun events, I was a little concerned May might not be as exciting. Then I took one look at our club calendar online and realized my fears were unfounded. After all, this is traditionally when boating season “officially” begins.
Of course, that means Opening Day. If you’ve already registered for the Saturday, May 6 Opening Day Parade, our Fleet Captain Wendy Weeks thanks you! If you haven’t yet registered your boat, and you’re reading this before May 3rd, you can still sign up and take part (registration deadline is 12pm on Wednesday, May 3rd). The goal, as you might imagine, is to get as many PTYC member boats involved as possible. And if you are on the fence because you haven’t participated in the Opening Day Parade on the water before, rest assured it’s a lot of fun. We hope you join us!
This year we are aware some newer members heard that the boat parade can be a bit daunting. Those of us who have enjoyed participating over the years can attest that docking your boat is way more challenging than being in the parade! Even during the Small Craft Advisory we dealt with back in 2014, the parade was nice and orderly and easy to navigate. Making things even easier this year, Wendy, along with the assistance of past Fleet Captain Bill Baratuci, will assign and hand out large numbers designating which boat you are in the single file parade. It’s pretty simple, really. If you are boat #8, you follow boat #7. And you will know who boat #7 is in advance.
Standard procedure is to gather our vessels off Boat Haven around 11:30am and “mill about,” staying clear while waiting for the 12:15 arrival of the Coupeville ferry and the subsequent 12:30 departure. As soon as the ferry clears the course and Bill gives us the go ahead on the VHF, the parade commences along the downtown waterfront.
One thing to keep in mind this year is an extreme low tide on the day of the parade. That Saturday at 11:07am we will have a -1.7. Deeper draft boats in Boat Haven will need to adjust accordingly, heading out of the marina earlier in the morning. When the parade ends about 45 minutes after it began, the entrance depths should be much better (rising to zero tide at 1:03pm).
Of course, we can’t have a proper PTYC boating event without good food and camaraderie, right? The night before Opening Day is the traditional Past Commodores Dinner. This annual event, back from its COVID-induced hiatus, is a great time to gather and acknowledge the contributions made to our club by past Commodores. And not surprisingly as the dinner occurs on May 5, the theme will be Cinco de Mayo. So, if you’re a fan of Mexican food and margaritas, be sure to register on our website by Tuesday, May 2 at 6:00pm ($20/pp). And topping things off Saturday evening after the parade is the Opening Day Pizza Party. Just $10/pp gets you all the pizza you can eat, with beer and wine provided by the club. Register by May 1st so we know how much pizza to order.
While these Opening Day festivities celebrate the start of boating season in the beginning of the month, things really officially get underway later in May with the first two club cruises of the year: the Bell Harbor Spring Baseball Cruise and the big Sunshine Coast and Beyond Cruise. As of this writing, both are full. (However, you can still join the baseball cruise by registering with the marinas on your own.) Filling quickly was a testament to how popular these two new cruises were with members this year. I know we’re all looking forward to hearing how wonderful they were. Although we’ll have to wait until the September meeting to hear about the 6-week Sunshine Coast Cruise. It doesn’t end until July 2nd!
A SUPER THANK YOU to all PTYC Members who have gotten your Covid-19 Vaccinations! Please encourage your fellow members, friends and family to get their vaccination shots when they become eligible.
Commodore Darren
“Always approach the dock at the speed you wish to hit it.”