Sailpast pass complete

Nancy Macken

June 23, 2022

Will makes a perfect toss to the commodore. Photo Nancy Macken

Tom Brady couldn’t have thrown a better spiral. This is a shot of my handsome son, Will, carrying out our Sailpast tradition for the first time in three years. And wow, was everyone aboard happy to see it!

June is traditionally the month for sailpast. However, I needn’t (and likely shouldn’t) remind you that everything has been locked down for longer than we have been able to stand. So, when the Commodore announced that we were actually having a live, in-person, talking-to-our friends-and-dockmates event this year, you could hear the cheers all the way from E-dock.

Like everyone else, we invited a boatload of friends and each of them responded with delight but also a note of disbelief. “you’re actually going to go out, to have fun, to party????” It was almost incredible. But yes, Sailpast is happening.

On the day of the event, the weather, as it has been for a lot of this spring, was unstable. Even though there were clouds on the horizon absolutely no-one cared at all. We are going out and that’s all there was to it!

So Sailpast 2022 was a live event. The boats went out, Will made a touchdown pass to and the long string of boats saluted and cheered the Commodore in turn. The season kick-off party followed, the chatter and laughs filled the dock just like the “old days”, which we will no longer take for granted. It was great to be back to mostly normal.

John Morris
Online Editor
Canadian Yachting Magazine
CYonboard@kerrwil.com

Related Articles

Video Gallery

Starcraft SV 16 OB

By Craig Ritchie

Photos by Starcraft Marine

Building great boats has always come down to a mix of art and science, and that’s particularly true when it comes to meeting the biggest challenge of all—creating an appealing yet affordable family runabout. Buyers want a boat that is affordable but not stripped to the bare bones.

Enter Starcraft and its delightful SV 16 OB, an all-new-for-2025 family deck boat that elegantly balances comfort, amenities and affordability.

Read More

Destinations

The Erie Canal – An Extraordinary Waterway

By Mark Stevens

Photos by Sharon Matthews-Stevens

As I shift our chartered canal boat into neutral, I’m soothed by the soundtrack of bird calls, the occasional plaintive horn of a distant train and the hum of our engine.

I reach for the VHF to radio the lockmaster in charge of Erie Canal’s Lock 32 dead ahead. Our boat spins gently in the current like a maple key in a mud puddle.

“This is Onondaga,” I say. “Headed westbound and requesting passage.”

Read More

Lifestyle