Celebrate Summer With Sailors Around the World (and Win Prizes!)
John Arndt, the founder of the worldwide celebration known as the Summer Sailstice, says, “The interesting thing about the Covid-19 year is that it’s shown us how much we want to be together even though we’re apart. Sailors have this shared common bond, yet it’s hard to get us together. The Summer Sailstice lines up with the circumstances very well… we can be together apart!”
Now in its 20th season, the Sailstice is scheduled for June 20, 2020. All you have to do is sign up for free at summersailstice.com and go sailing. Easy, right?
“With so few events on the calendar it’s really one of few things people can do on the solstice weekend. It’s the magical moment for it,” says Arndt. He notes that it’s the longest day of the year, the first day of summer, and also the solstice, which connects the event to the navigational and celestial history of sailing.
Arndt created the Sailstice to promote participation and give awareness to sailing. “So much of sailing gets represented by big events such as the America’s Cup or SailGP, which is really not how most of us experience sailing. Sailing out of Spa Creek in Annapolis, or a lake in Ohio, or off the coast of Maine; much of sailing remains invisible because it’s overshadowed by what people see: the Volvo Ocean Race or America’s Cup. Nothing like Sunfish sailing, which is what really happens.”
The Summer Sailstice is for sailors like us, who race in their local creeks, head out for sunset sails with their sweethearts, or pack up the ice box and go gunkholing for the weekend.
“Summer Sailstice helps to unite people,” says Arndt. “They see a broader perspective. Some people like to putter around on a pond in Indiana, and others are like Matt Rutherford, who sailed the Northwest Passage through the ice. Sailing is so much different from how people practice tennis! There are so many ways to play in sailing; there’s a way for everyone to do it. It’s very hard to connect them all. It’s a big effort for Summer Sailstice to have them all feel connected.”
Arndt noted how so many boats were built as racer-cruisers. When models such as the J/24 or Pearson 26 were introduced, their brochures showed great interior shots with cushions, as the boats were made as family cruisers. “This is a great year to go cruising with your kids… you can be a yachting family in your backyard for $4000! You don’t have to drive or stay in a hotel. This is what families did in the 60s and 70s.”
Arndt also noted sailing’s low impact on the planet. “Imagine if everyone lived on 30 gallons of fuel, two 12-volt batteries, and 50 gallons of water. If that was your allocation, you’d learn to conserve, work with nature, and be tuned into the world ‘s resources… If the whole world lived like sailors, it would be a better place.”
Sign up at summersailstice.com for the chance to win great prizes, and go sailing June 20!
