Regatta Day 2022

Impressions of Regatta Day
By: Sarah FitzGerald

The sun shone on the lower parking lot.  A  light breeze fluttered the flags.  The space was outlined in tents and sprinkled with tables & chairs from the club, lending it a street café vibe.  From the windward, the delicious aroma of grilling meat wafted across the gathering. Music energized a crowd that grew throughout the afternoon and danced on a blacktop dancefloor adorned with children’s chalk drawings. 

Some people brought their own folding chairs, and a regular audience collected on the edge of the grass. Behind them, people  played bocce ball in a makeshift court and  beanbags whizzed from side to side at the cornhole. Groups gathered around to learn about tying knots, to build boats of recycled materials, and to meet representatives of the Coast Guard.

The cooks and servers bustled back & forth, offering generous and tasty lunches featuring barbecued pork, chicken, salmon dogs,  grilled mushrooms, and delicious side salads. The bar dispensed soft drinks, beer, wine, and homemade sangria. When the ice cream seller came around, the street cafe became  a ballpark.

The 45’ Coast Guard Auxiliary vessel Silver Charm looked huge on the guest dock.  The young men aboard welcomed all comers with smiles and loads of information, even though they’d been on patrol the night before.  When the Coast Guard helicopter flew overhead, the crowd rushed to the breakwater to see the rescue demonstration.  The chopper flew back & forth a couple of times and then off to the north.  The spectators' groans turned to good-natured acceptance when a radio message informed them that duty had called to help a boat in trouble.  Then, the breakwater area was taken over by the kite flyers and giant flying legs with high heel shoes danced above our marina.

At 4 o’clock it was time to sink the makeshift boats.  People had been provided kits of scrap materials to build their vessels.  The entries floated proudly in kiddie pools, as marbles were loaded on one by one, the crowd chanting, “One, two, three…” Each participant whose boat was eliminated as it sank was applauded enthusiastically. “Two hundred eighteen, two hundred nineteen, two hundred twenty!”. Finally, only Krista’s boat was left afloat.  

Inside the club, nearly emptied of furniture, people enjoyed talking and eating in a calmer and quieter atmosphere, the music floating in from the outside. The deck provided a perfect lookout on the festivities below. The chef was busy in the kitchen replenishing the fresh food all afternoon.

It was 5 o'clock and the end of the party was nigh.  Buoyed by good feelings from a warm & festive day, so many people stayed to help that what had taken 3 hours to set up took 45 minutes to strike. But that’s because we are a community that pulls together to make things happen!