Opening Day in New York Harbor!
Saturday, June 5, 2010 - 1 to 4 p.m.
It's
a simple concept - let's all go sailing in the harbor to celebrate the start of
the new boating season and to demonstrate the growing popularity of recreational
boating.
Welcome to Opening Day in New York Harbor!
This year, Opening Day will be Saturday, June 5 (the Blessing of the Fleet is the evening before). All recreational vessels are invited and encouraged to go boating between the hours of 1 and 4 p.m. At 2 p.m., all vessels are encouraged to rendezvous in the vicinity of the Statue of Liberty and then head north up the Hudson River.
This is designed to be a free flowing event, not anything heavily scripted. Just head out into the harbor, boat in a safe and responsible manner and enjoy the beauty as your fellow recreation users float by.
Be sure to spread joy and happiness during Opening Day. Invite lots of friends to sail with you, wear bright colors, fly many flags, toot your horn and wave as you pass other boats. Back at dock, we encourage you to hold a party on your boat or dock and continue the celebration into the evening with a picnic and good cheer.
Prizes will be awarded to yachts which show a great amount of
creativity and enthusiasm. Among the trophies which will be awarded are:
Best Display of Flags
Most Enthusiastic Yacht
Most Creative Yacht
Most Historic Yacht
Largest Vessel Yacht
Largest Fleet in Show
To compete for one of the trophies, you must pre-register (so we know who you are and how to find you if you win a trophy). Then please pass the Official Reviewing Stand at North Cove between 2:30 and 3:30 p.m. There will be an orange buoy in the Hudson River off the south side of North Cove. The judging stand will be based ashore and marked by a large orange flag. All yachts passing between the judging stand and the orange buoy will be photographed and judged. Be sure to identify yourself to the judges on VHF CH 69. The winners will be decided at 4:30 p.m. and announced on VHF CH 69. The judges will then head out shortly afterwards to find the winners and present them with their trophies.
Fleet Captains are needed to help spread word at all marinas in and around the harbor. If you would like to serve as a Fleet Captain, please register here. The role of each Fleet Captain is to coordinate a group of 3 or more vessels. As a Fleet Captain, you can give your fleet a name which will be listed on this website along with all yachts sailing in your fleet. At the end of the event, the size of each fleet will be tallied by the judges and a trophy will be awarded to the Largest Fleet in Show.
Organizing your own fleet is a great way to celebrate the start of the season and build camaraderie among your boating friends. We encourage you to take on this leadership role and sign up as a Fleet Captain.
Special note: During Opening Day, please stay clear of all commercial traffic including cruise ships and ferries. Remember that large vessels have limited maneuverability and according to maritime law, have right-of-way over small vessels. In other words, sailboats do not always have right of way. Small and maneuverable vessels must give right of way to cruise ships and other deep draft vessels with limited maneuverability when they operate in New York Harbor.
Vessels registered for Opening Day 2010
Rapa-Nui 26', Carlos Tessi, Liberty Harbor Marina