Blazing boats on Halloween - at it again

Halloween Boat Burning - LI Maritime Museum - West Sayville NY
The museum's annual Halloween Boat Burning is one of New York's most unique family events! Each year, someone donates a large, wooden boat that is simply beyond repair and we set it ablaze for Long Island's largest bon fire!

Each year at this event, we also raffle off a new wooden boat, lovingly hand-crafted by our boat shop volunteers to a lucky winner!

Halloween costumes encouraged.



Interesting video from last year's inferno - have to skip ahead to the three minute mark in the video to see them enkindle the sacrificial yacht.

Local sailing legend to retire

Local sailing legend, Bruce Franklin announced his retirement from yacht racing at Oak Orchard, but will continue to support the program in another capacity. Franklin stated that he made his decision to retire "after a long hard look." "I like the idea of sailing," Franklin went on to explain, "It's the actual sailing part that I need to give up. I'm going to continue to watch sailing; I love that. But, the actual pulling lines, tangling them around my feet, and putting over-rides on winches while trying to protect my head -- that part needs to stop." 

Skipper Ray Leonard commented on Franklin's decision, "He's a vital part Emeraude's crew, and I think other crew members look to Bruce to draw the heat off themselves when things get tense out there. I'm not saying that he's a whipping boy - because we don't actually whip the crew anymore. But, I'd say he was very important to crew morale." 

Franklin has requested to fulfill a very important role as the Committee Cottage. "I've got a really good vantage point to watch the races from my front deck." he explains. "I would like to run the races from my front lawn where I can keep track of the racing or take a walk if I want. I really only have to pay attention during the starts and finishes; that I can do."

The O.O.Y.R. Logo Design - Available

The design scheme for Oak Orchard Yacht Racing encompasses the iconic image of the newly built Oak Orchard Lighthouse at Point Breeze, N.Y. The lighthouse was destroyed in a storm in 1916, and with the rebuilding project, it has become the newest lighthouse built on Lake Ontario in the past one hundred years. So, it was an easy choice to include this image in the design. 

The design is available on clothing and other merchandise through CafePress.com.  CafePress the items are purchased at a nonprofit price. Just a few of the items are shown here in this posting.The online storefront in located at: http://www.cafepress.com/ooyr

THEN

NOW

The Ebb of Summer

The colors of autumn were beginning to show along Oak Orchard's treed banks, and the weather was like a summer's day this Columbus weekend. Up here in the north we have to shelve our summer skills and prepare for the cold that will turn this little river to ice.  The video of Emeraude making her way to the gin pole and readied for the yard, is a bit of an art/music video to capture the waning of our warm sailing days.