Summer Sailstice 2004 has passed but that means the warm days of summer sailing are ahead. We're happy to report that 
participation doubled again going from about 1400 in 2003 to 2800 in 2004! That means more sailors, in more places out celebrating sailing together on the solstice. To really get a feel for how Summer Sailstice went take moment to browse some of the regions under the 'Locations' page - you'll see all kinds of folks in lots of places planning on a great day sailing 'somewhere'.
A curious thing about having a global outdoor event is that we have started to worry about the weather everywhere. You know we want everyone to be safe and have a great time sailing. The day before Summer Sailstice weekend we found ourselves scanning the web to check on the weather all over the Northern Hemisphere. We were hoping to find the sun shining and a great breeze blowing everywhere so everyone could enjoy a beautiful sail on the weekend. The typhoon that was supposed to hit participants in Japan squarely on Summer Sailstice thankfully stayed East and allowed some to sail on Saturday. How did the rest of you fare?
San Francisco Bay cooperated in a big way bringing us some classic Bay sailing weather. We managed to get out on Saturday for a Friendship regatta between Tiburon Yacht Club and Corinthian Yacht Club. Our efforts didn't contribute much in the pursuit of trophies but we did have a great time with the clubs and Summer Sailstice party afterwards.
On Sunday, the solstice by most calendars and also Father's Day, we set out for a late afternoon picnic sail to the favorite 
barbecue location on San Francisco Bay - Ayala Cove on Angel Island. As you can see the kids sailed across on their DeWitt dinghy while we tagged along under main on our Ranger 33 'Summer Sailstice'. On the docks we ran into Aaron Kennedy and friend Claudia Santos who were also celebrating Summer Sailstice with a dockside barbecue on their San Juan 30 'Gold Star' while their Sailstice burgee flew overhead.
After a relaxing barbecue ashore we hoisted the DeWitt on to the foredeck and went for a sunset sail. It doesn't get much better. The wind lasted right up until sunset and we coasted home on the final breathes of air. Now it's summertime!
The results from the prize drawing will be posted on the site in the next few weeks along with your Summer Saiistice pictures and stories. We'll be posting more pictures and details of our Summer Sailstice weekend under 'Sailstice Tales'. We hope you'll send some of your own as well. Thanks for joining us and enjoy a great summer of sailing ahead!