Glorious, Glorious…This Time There Were More Of Us!

by Doug Owen

How many superlatives can we attach to Opening Day 2001? The weather was what most of us imagined in our minds when we thought of a perfect traditional start to the season. The boats in the harbor were beautiful, festooned with decorative flags and bunting. The clubhouse was artfully and traditionally decorated inside and out, and was bustling with activity from dawn until late in the evening.

All of the preparation, planning and work involved in this event paid off in a myriad of ways, from the member’s cruise-in in the harbor, ably managed by Herb Rodricks and executed by Ingo and Hans, and the boat decorating and judging on Saturday to the theme of “2001: A Yacht Odyssey”. A surprising number of members came up with variations on the difficult theme that were original and comical, making it very interesting for the judges to rate the competition.

Sunday morning dawned clear and beautiful, as once again we were led in thought and prayer by Rev. Capt. Jim Current, Fr. LCDR Michael Barber and Cantor David Margules, in celebration of the day, and the blessing of the boats in the harbor. As always, Amanda Carles as bugler, and Rosalind Colver singing the National Anthem were the icing on the cake for the event.

The ballroom was beautifully decorated for the wonderful breakfast that followed; in addition to many members, community leaders plus dignitaries from San Francisco Yacht Club and the U.S. Coast Guard were in attendance. As part of the ceremonies, Life Membership was awarded to Henry “Art” Muller, recognizing his 35 years with CYC. Also, Milt Stannard was presented with an award, commemorating his long-standing dedication to the tradition of Opening Day. Sandra Solomon, who coordinates this breakfast annually, threatens to make every year her last, but hopefully the many compliments she receives will keep her coming back.

Following the breakfast, Staff Commodore Diana Fischer who chaired Opening Day for her first year, was heard to remark, “Thank goodness; I finally have nothing to do!” She then belied the fact by attending the Blessing of the Fleet aboard the Buttonwood, and assisting Frances Ramage and Andrea Holko, plus others, on entrance gate duty.

[editor's note: the balance of this article was accidentally omitted from the printed version of the Telltale]

The boats in the harbor were crowded with parties, and the Club deck was packed with revelers and live entertainment by the time OSPREY, Vali and Gary Bedey’s beautifully decorated entry in the PICYA boat decorating contest and parade departed the Club docks for the cityfront. The celebration continued on all fronts throughout the afternoon, both with the Claudia Newberry band and the GTS Band. The Corinthian Men’s Chorus also performed several numbers during the afternoon to record crowds, and the prizes were presented for the Decorated Boat Contest.

Vali and Gary came back with a 2nd Place in the powerboat division, although with the wonderful and accurate replica of the Club façade that took days to build, and the Greek costumes to support the theme, it’s hard to imagine what 1st Place must have looked like!

The southwestern barbecue was tasty, the music was great, the addition of an hourly Duty Officer to augment security was helpful, and it appeared that everyone had a really great Opening Day. Thanks go to the Opening Day Committee, Corinthian Women, Corinthian Catering, the CYC Staff and all that volunteered their time and energy to make everything run smoothly. 2001 was an Opening Day to remember!

See VIDEO of the Men's Chorus performing on Opening Day.