QCYC 2005 Sailpast

QCYC home page

Saturday, May 21, 2005

 

The Annual Sailpast and Review of the Fleet by Commodore Dwight Hamilton marks the official opening of the Club. Times to note are:

 

1205     Skippers Meeting

1345     Review of the Fleet

1530     Sailpast of the Fleet in the Lagoon accompanied by the pipes

1700     Commodore’s Punchbowl Reception

1800     Formal Dinner

1810     Head Table Piped in

2035     Head Table departs for Flag Lowering Ceremony

2042     Sunset and Flag Lowering Ceremony

2100     Dancing

 

The Review Ship is the Commodore’s yacht, Tou Tai The fleet will gather at the east end of the harbour at 1315 hours. At 1345 hours, the Fleet Captain will lead the fleet past the Commodore’s yacht and will be followed by the Past Commodores, the Fleet and then the Rear Commodore.

 

The fleet will assemble in the marshalling area upwind of the Commodore’s yacht. The Race Committee vessel, The Harold S. Robbins, will signal the start of the Review with a warning, prep and start signals at three intervals with the warning at 1340. When you have sighted the vessel you are to follow, fall in behind in as orderly fashion as possible. Pass the Commodore’s yacht maintaining an interval of approximately two boat lengths and salute in the following manner.

 

Yachts wearing an ensign dip the ensign

Yacht not wearing an ensign, luff the foresail

 

The salute should commence one boat length before reaching the Review Vessel and continue for boat length beyond. Where possible the skipper and crew should stand and face the Commodore. Only the Commodore salutes by hand. Afterwards, return to the moorings and dress ship.

 In the event of foul weather, upon instructions from the Rear Commodore, the fleet shall remain at the moorings and the Commodore’s yacht or his designate will pass through the lagoon.

 The Commodore subsequently hosts a reception on the front lawn. In the event of poor weather, the reception will be held inside the Club on the main floor.

 Dinner follows at 1800 in the Great Hall

Dancing to Midnight Walk

Proper formal attire is required for the dinner.

Sailpast Menu

 

Wild Berry Spring Salad

Gape Seed Vinaigrette & Toasted Almonds

***

Mediterranean Style Chicken,

Tiger Shrimp & Crab Mousse

Chive Noodles

***

Chocolate Paradise Charlotte

 

Coffee & Tea

 

$47 per person all inclusive of taxes & services (Minimum Billing Event)

Please reserve with the Club Office

 

Sailpast at Queen City Yacht Club ­ Saturday, May 21st , 2005

The Annual Sailpast and Review of the Fleet by Commodore Dwight Hamilton marks the official opening of the Club. As events at QCYC go, this is quite traditional and formal. It is also a day when all members celebrate the new sailing season. For as long as anyone can remember, Sailpast at Queen City has taken place on the Saturday of the Victoria Day weekend (this year: Saturday, May 21st, 2005). This is an all-day event to which all members are invited.

 

There are 3 parts to the day: Sailpast in the afternoon, post-Sailpast social, and the dinner/dance in the Great Hall in the evening.

 

Sailpast

The Rear Commodore leads the Skippers meeting at around noon. In the meeting, written instructions for the Sailpast are distributed. The important thing to learn in the meeting is which boat is the leader of your section. For example, in 2004, the boat Leilani led the boats in the 31 to 35ft section.

 At around 1pm, members on boats head out into the north-east section of the harbour and sail (or motor-sail) around, upwind of the Commodore’s anchored vessel, take pictures and generally have a great time waving to each other and admiring the new canvas or water-line or sail or boat that each may have acquired.

The actual Review of the Fleet begins at about 1:45 (after warning guns are fired on the Race Committee vessel, The Harold S. Robbins ­ The sailing directions distributed at the Skippers meeting provide the details.)

When the gun to begin the Review is fired, the Fleet Captain leads the boats on which Past Commodores are present, past the Commodore’s boat. The Past Commodore’s boats are followed by boats in the category “Sail 36ft and up”. The next group of boats is those 31 to 35 ft. Then those that are 26 to 30ft, etc. The larger boats go before the smaller boats because the larger boats are ‘usually’ faster than the smaller ones. Since the objective is to have an orderly Sailpast and to allow the Commodore a chance to salute each boat and the members aboard, the practice is to let the faster boats move ahead, out of the way, rather than coming up fast from behind. In that same manner, within any category, the longer boats should go first, followed by those with a shorter waterline. For example, within the 26 to 30ft category, the C&C 27’s should follow the 28 to 30ft boats. Therefore, find the leader of your section and then fall in line behind it, with boats of like type and length. If your boat is moving too fast to maintain a good order, reduce sail or cut power.

Saluting the Commodore

When you ‘sail past’ the Commodore’s boat, leave 2 boat lengths between you and the boat ahead.

 Salute the Commodore in the following manner:

 

·    Yachts wearing an ensign (the Canadian flag) dip the ensign

·    Yacht not wearing an ensign, luff the foresail

The salute should commence one boat length before reaching the Review Vessel and continue for one boat length beyond. Where possible the skipper and crew should stand and face the Commodore. Only the Commodore salutes by hand.

 

Etiquette

The traditional “dress of the day” is white pants and navy blazer. Many members follow this standard. But if the weather is lousy, the rule is: stay warm and dry. (If the weather is really foul, the Rear Commodore may direct the fleet to remain at the moorings; in such case, the Commodore’s yacht or his designate will pass through the lagoon.)

Finally, your boat should look ship-shape: take up your boat’s fenders, leave the dinghy at your dock.

If you do not have a boat

Some members watch the Sailpast from the Great Hall. In 2004, a few members participated in Sailpast by climbing aboard the Algonquin Queen II which carried the Fleet Captain.

 

Post-Sailpast / Pre-dinner

After you sail past the Commodore, return to your mooring and “dress ship”. This means hauling your line of race or signal flags up a halyard to the top of your mast.

At this point members tend to congregate in various cockpits around the lagoon (assuming the weather is decent) for drinks and hors d’oeuvres. At about 3:30pm, the Commodore and Flag Officers cruise past the fleet in the Harold Robbins.

This is followed at 5pm by the Commodore’s Punch Bowl on the front lawn of the club (or inside the main floor lobby if weather is inclement.) Basically this is a cocktail party and another opportunity to raise a glass to the Commodore and/or the new sailing season.

 

Dinner/Dance

Sailpast dinner is a formal dinner in the Great Hall (with over-bookings in the dining room) which begins at 6pm. Don’t forget to book your tickets!

The dress is “semi-formal”. It is traditional for men to stay in their ‘whites and blazers’. Some women do this as well but many change into a dress or dress pants. Remember that the Great Hall can be quite chilly in May.

The dinner is followed by the ceremonial Flag Lowering on the front lawn and then by a great dance.

For more information on Sailpast, contact the Rear Commodore at rearcommodore@qcyc.ca.