Even with 'thin' water the Ninnescah Sailing Association finds Summer Sailstice a reason to gather, celebrate and be thankful. And hopeful. Thankful some boats have swing keels and can still float, hopeful that the rain will come and provide enough water so everyone else can float and sail again too.
The Ninnescah Sailing Association, located at Cheney Lake in Kansas, celebrated the Summer Sailstice this year with our Annual Blessing of the Fleet Ceremony and Dedication to the members that have passed on. Drought conditions of the last 2 or 3 years have left this sailing club is limited ability to enjoy the water. However, we have persevered and continue to keep our club active and moving forward.
Undeterred by drought conditions over the past 2-3 years, the Ninnescah Sailing Association on Cheney Lake, Kansas persevered with their annual Summer Sailstice celebration! Although the lack of water has left much of their fleet in dry dock, the Association continued their tradition with the Blessing of the Fleet Ceremony and Dedication to the members that have passed on. The event began with a catered meal of baked ham, fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and baked beans in the clubhouse. The meal was followed by the dedication conducted by retired minister Ray Keller and Pastor Larry Greenword who once again donned his bright red attire! As each name of the late member was announced, a single bell tolled in their honor.
After the dedication, Pastor Larry Greenwood, assisted by Ray Keller, blessed the boats in the yard as well as the shallow draft and swing keel boats fortunate enough to be in the water. Norman Dodson, in charge of technical services at Ninnescah Sailing Association, wrote that “the dedication and blessing created a very uplifting event that has the club looking forward to the time when we will all be back in the water again!”.
We are glad that the Sailstice brought some celebration and hope to Ninnescah and we send them our best wishes for more water and our praise for their efforts and perseverance!
We were also happy to hear that the event was well attended, here, you can see some of the Ninnescah attendees showing some Sailstice pride in their green Summer Sailstice shirts!