POMP AND CIRCUMSTANCE: An Opening Day Ceremonies Primer

By: Doug Owen

“So why should I put on a shirt and tie, blue blazer and white slacks at 0700 on a Sunday morning, and show up at the Club for a bunch of ceremonies?”

Probably a really good question if you’re a new member, haven’t been involved with Club activities recently, and/or if you had just too much fun with the goings on at the Club on Saturday! But then isn’t that what Corinthian Yacht Club, like many others, is all about? People with common interests joining together in the spirit of friendship to further a common goal. There are lots more reasons to be in attendance for Opening Day Weekend than there are excuses for missing it!

Thirty-eight years ago, Staff Commodore Charlie White along with Capt. E. J. Towle (another member) conceived the idea of the Blessing of the Fleet Ceremony in Raccoon Strait. The event, held each Opening Day on the Bay, started with the Blessing being offered from a 50’ Stephens Yacht, went from there to a U.S. Navy Destroyer, and in these days of military cutbacks and budget constraints, is now hosted by a U.S. Coast Guard Patrol Boat. The one constant has been Charlie White, who, from 1963 through 2000, chaired the CYC Committee that has coordinated the event.

Okay, enough history for now: Let’s get down to why you need to be there! Saturday begins with the member’s cruise-in (if you haven’t already brought your boat into the harbor on Friday for the weekend raft-up. Speaking of Friday, Friday Lunches will have begun once again by this time, so what the heck, blow off the day and make it a long weekend! Sail over Friday morning, have lunch with friends at the Club, spruce up the boat a little in the afternoon, and you’re set for the weekend. And what a good idea that is! Imagine how wonderful you’re going to feel when, after all of that partying on Saturday, you only have to walk down the dock to your boat instead of driving all the way home…..And for that early wake-up call on Sunday morning, you’re already there! Okay, back to Saturday morning: There’s the Boat Decorating Contest in the harbor, and even if you’re not involved, the theme ideas created by members, the elaborate decorations, the antics of the eminently bribable judges in the afternoon, and the entertainment….either a live band, karioke or whatever…the festivities at the bar, the Pelican Grill for lunch, the opportunity to augment your Corinthian logo wardrobe from the lovely Corinthian Women at the Ship’s Store. Okay, you’re right; after all that, you’re really not going to want to get up that early on Sunday! But it’s once a year, and I promise it will be worthwhile.

Sunday morning begins with Religious Services on the Main Deck, including a special blessing of the Corinthian fleet in the harbor, and gives each of us, regardless of religious beliefs, a moment to reflect on how very fortunate we are to be a part of all this. Next is the Flag Raising Ceremony, which, until a few years ago, saw the very flag that flew over the U.S.S. MISSOURI during the Japanese surrender in September 1945, hoisted on the CYC staff. In recent years, that flag has been encased in the Club for preservation, but the event remains equally as meaningful.

Okay, so much for ceremonies…..What about breakfast? You bet, in the Ballroom (reservations required) for a sumptuous buffet, accompanied by introduction of guests and dignitaries and a kickoff to the day’s events.

Even though you’re all dressed up, make sure your shorts and aloha shirts or other casual club wear are in the car! After breakfast the Pomp and Circumstance ends, and all of the fun and festivities of Opening Day begin anew! During the afternoon and early evening there will be dancing to live bands, the awards for the boat decorating contest will be given out, there will be supervised activities for children, the Pelican Grill will be open for lunch, and all of your friends will be there. If you know anybody in the harbor with a boat (oh come on, of course you do!!) chances are excellent that you’ll be invited aboard for the beverage of your choice. Roaming the docks with an empty glass can be effective too……oops, maybe I’d better save that one for myself.

As the music continues into the evening, the Opening Day Buffet begins; once again, reservations are required, but there’s no chance that you’re going to go home hungry from this event!

Make sure you set aside the last weekend in April for Opening Day, and make reservations early. It’s important for the Club to know how many boats to expect for the raft-up in the harbor, and how many will be attending the Sunday morning breakfast, plus Sunday evening’s buffet. After that phone call you’re about to make to the Club, the next thing you need to do is attend as much as you can; if this isn’t it, what the heck did you join a wonderful Yacht Club for??

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