Wheelchair Regatta wrap up

Last Saturday I took my vintage fiberglass boat (that's a joke) to the Encinal Yacht Club to participate in the 9th annual Wheelchair Regatta.

Yacht club people aren't at all like you may have seen on Gilligan's Island or Caddyshack. None of that "Love-ee" stuff or "Hey, you scratched my anchor!"

Well except for the St. Francis Yacht Club. (hey that's a joke too, lighten up you STFYC guys!)

So there were a big group of powerboats in the Oakland estuary waiting to be called to the docks. A tugboat, an Alameda county sheriff boat, some fishing boats, a few trawlers and more. Close to 40 boats showed up.

Everybody would take their turn and come to the docks where firemen and Coast Guard members were there to lift the wheelchairs and vets in the boats. I could take 2 chairs and 2 people. So I had a vet and his wife, maybe both in their 70's, and an older man at least in his 80's. A caretaker from their hospital came onboard with them.



I took them to Coast Guard Island to see the big cutters tied up there, then we headed out the estuary past the big cranes and container boats tied up at the docks. The water was pretty flat so I put the throttles forward a bit and headed under the west span of the Bay Bridge and towards Alcatraz. The fog was not in so we all got a view of the Golden Gate and the city skyline.





Then we headed back along the waterfront, to McCovey cove and views of SBC park, and back to the Encinal Yacht Club.

It was a good day for all and couldn't have been done without lots of help from local boaters and volunteers on the land. Thanks to all, and especially thanks to the vets.