Sunrise Sailstice at the Shanghai Boat & Yacht Club
The first sail of Summer Sailstice was surely taken by the Shanghai Boat & Yacht Club and members there likely deserve another award as the the Summer ‘Soulstice’ winners since their pre-dawn sail to welcome not only the sun on the solstice but also the summer sailing season surely embodies the soul of Summer Sailstice. The heart and soul of Summer Sailstice remains sailing and sailing the longest day of the year starting at sunrise is a worthy effort! Congrats to all the sailors on Dianshan Lake in Shanghai for your early sail and for joining the rest of the world in a Summer Sailstice sailabration.
Alistair Skinner of the SBYC give us the full report:
I know the attached pictures do not show a sunrise but at Shanghai Boat & Yacht Club a small but intrepid band of member were out on the water early if not 'bright and early'.
Alarms were set at 0330, boats were readied the night before to give a few more valuable minutes of 'heads on pillows' on the morning of the Sailstice. One participant had even contrived a reason for not going to bed the night before and only arrived back in Shanghai in the early hours.
In the end only 6 of us hit the water and saw not only the sun brightening the sky but the civil twilight that preceeded it and what's more the 'maritime twilight' that came before even that.
One advantage of being on the water that early is that a beer at 0700 actually seems quite civilized.
Will we do it again next year? Damn right we will! This is one thing that is worth truly establishing as tradition and it was even suggested that the NOR of the SBYC Summer Series be rewritten to include 'First preparatory signal will be at 0510' but then again that was just the magic of the moment.
Joining myself and Li Li on 'Bird of Prey' on the Water were Colin Clarke and Pan Yu on 'The Jolly Roger' along with Keith Ellis and Ed Poels on 'The Black Pearl - what do you mean we are just a bunch of pirates!
As the hour got more civilized more club members appeared on the water with altogether between Shanghai Boat & Yacht Club and Saimeng Water Sports Club over 50 people taking to the waters of Dianshan Lake, Shanghai on this the longest day of 2008. For the rest of the year we will all be able to say (to use a good Scottish expression "The nights are fair drawing in"
Alistair Skinner
Club Admiral
PS The photo shows we were on the water during 'Civil Twilight' being before 0450 Beijing Time, the next Opening Ceremony in China will be a bit later in the day being at 8pm on 08.08.08 for that other important sailing event of the ear, the Olympic Regatta
