PORT TOWNSEND — It’s unknown just exactly how long it’s been going on, but all know that on the second Saturday of May, the Port Townsend Yacht Club hosts the Opening Day Parade.
“It’s a long, long tradition,” said Harry Dudley, commodore of the club for 2009.
Although the idea of an opening day goes back to 1892, “I don’t know for sure how long we’ve been doing it here,” he said.
“It was definitely being done in the ’60s and possibly as far back as the ’40s, but it’s been going on for a while.”
Saturday, vessels powered by wind or by engines sailed across Port Townsend Bay to celebrate an annual new beginning, while about 100 people stood on the city docks waving taking photographs.
“It signals the [first day of boating] season, but also the start of spring, the start of summer, the start of warm weather and hopefully the end of storms,” said Marilynne Gates, a former commodore of the club and captain of the Clione, a 32-foot Grand Banks power boat, which led the yacht club section of the procession.
“This is a lot of fun, because it’s always nice to go out in good weather like today.”
Sunny skies, a light breeze and a calm, smooth blue road of water let the parade slowly crawl across the shoreline of Port Townsend.
Boats join the parade
More than 35 boats were signed up for the parade, but the actual number was far more, as vessels joined the parade in response to Fleet Captain Dave Newland’s urging over the radio.
There were a handful of rowing boats from the Rat Island Rowing Club, six small sailboats from the Port Townsend High School Sailing Team, the Coast Guard vessel Swordfish and large, multi-sailed schooners such as the Alcyone and the Martha.
Gates said she thought the event was part of the yacht club’s community involvement — a part of the club which is perhaps under-publicized, she said.
“I don’t know what people outside of the yacht club think about the yacht club,” she said.
“Some might think we are snooty or millionaires, but we really aren’t the blue-blazer, white-pants people you might think of. We have fun and do stuff like this.”
The club doesn’t have a dress code or a membership waiting list.
Civic duty
Members have a sense of civic duty, Dudley said.
“A big one is cleaning up Mystery Bay State Park every year,” Dudley said.
“This last time we had 29 people and we put in 82 work hours.
“We did everything from trim the blackberries to fixing the docks.”
The club also awards scholarships each year.
In 2008, the club gave nearly $400 to local organizations encouraging boating among the youth in the community.
The club also provides free, community courses on Saturday.
Saturday, Dudley said he was happy with the turnout of people standing along the docks to view the ships.
“I thought it was great,” he said.
“The turnout of boats and people was great, we had this wonderful weather, and it was just great all around.”
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Reporter Erik Hidle can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at erik.hidle@peninsuladailynews.com.
