Sunday, May 1 is Opening Day on the Bay. It’s a grand nautical celebration, some of which can be enjoyed from the shoreline.
By Captain Ray
Published: April 1, 2011
The first of these is the Blessing of the Fleet. This celebration, begun in the Mediterranean many hundreds of years ago, was originally Roman Catholic, and in many areas of the world, it still is. The local priest would bless the fishing fleet, seeking God’s blessing for a productive season and petitioning God to ensure the safety of the fishermen.
Here in the Bay Area, we tend to be a bit more inclusive and the party is open to all: fishing boats, sailboats, powerboats, workboats of all types and others. In keeping with this theme of being more inclusive, there is often more than just a Roman Catholic priest available to dispense the blessings. In the more recent past, various Protestant denominations have been represented as well as Wiccans and Druids. The Corinthian Yacht Club in Tiburon hosts the event. It will take place in Raccoon Strait, starting at 10:30 a.m. on Opening Day. This part of the day’s celebrations will be difficult to view from the shoreline.
The next part of the day’s activities, however, is very visible from the shore. It is intended to be a display for those who do not have a boat as well as a celebration for those who do. This second event is the Opening Day Decorated Boat Parade. The theme this year is “Giants of the Bay”—celebrating many different aspects of what makes our Bay the best in the world to sail and to visit. It undoubtedly will be very entertaining to see the various interpretations of that theme on boats participating in the parade. Two come to mind immediately: the fact that the S.F. Giants won the World Series and the arrival of Larry Ellison’s giant America’s Cup-winning trimaran. That victory will bring the next competition for America’s Cup to San Francisco Bay. (I will write more about that exciting upcoming event in a later column, and be sure to check out the America’s Cup Corner in Bay Crossings every month for updates.)
The Opening Day parade route was purposely chosen to allow for very good viewing all along San Francisco’s northern shoreline. Between noon and 3 p.m., boats will parade from a point near the Palace of Fine Arts and the St. Francis Yacht Club, along the waterfront passing close to the Marina Green, Gashouse Cove, Fort Mason, and Aquatic Park, all the way to Pier 39.
The Pacific Inter Club Yacht Association (PICYA) sponsors this parade. Organized on May 12, 1896, its purpose (as stated in the by-laws) is: “…to constitute an association of yacht clubs and boating organizations, to promote inter-club communications, yachting activities and the social interaction relating thereto, and to organize and conduct programs which enhance the general welfare of the member organizations.”
From its original five founding clubs, the organization has now grown to represent more than 100 member clubs in northern California, and it has sponsored this parade since 1917. You can visit the website, www.picya.org, for more information about the organization.
So, on May 1, pack a picnic lunch and come on down to the Marina Green. You don’t need to own a boat to enjoy the Boat Parade: The viewing is free!
Ray Wichmann, is a US SAILING-certified Ocean Passagemaking Instructor, a US SAILING Instructor Trainer, and a member of US SAILING’s National Faculty. He holds a 100-Ton Master’s License, was a charter skipper in Hawai’i for 15 years, and has sailed on both coasts of the United States, in Mexico, the Caribbean, and Greece. He is presently employed as the Master Instructor at OCSC Sailing in the Berkeley Marina.
