Summer Sailstice 2014(reported by Joe Coleman)
The 4th annual ECSA Summer Sailstice at Grills Riverside Melbourne was a great success. This year an invitation was extended to other sailing clubs, organizations, marinas and sailors to join us there for the afternoon. Five different organizations attended: East Coast Sailing Association, Melbourne Yacht Club, Manatee Cove Marina, Eau Gallie Yacht Basin, and Sundance Marina. One unaffiliated sailor saw the event listed on the Sailstice website and joined us. It was our biggest Summer Sailstice gathering so far with eighty attendees and twenty-three boats at anchor. Activity started at 1:00 p.m. with a sign-up and social gathering. At 3:00 Fr. Todd Schmidtetter was ferried through the anchorage as he blessed all of the boats there. The rest of the day was spent with good company, dodging the thunder storms, and enjoying a great meal at Grills. On Sunday morning, those of us who had stayed overnight enjoyed breakfast on the restaurant deck.
Two awards were handed out: Best Decorated Boat went to Bob and Linda Norway aboard Beowulf while the East Coast Sailing Association had the most boats at anchor, earning the first entry on our new Summer Sailstice plaque.