DELTA DOO DAH 3D W
ho could have suspected that such a goofy-sounding event as the Delta Doo Dah would age as gracefully as the finest Bordeaux? OK, maybe more like a decent boxed wine, but still, the week-long rally from San Francisco Bay to the Delta just seems to get better and better every year. "Best Doo Dah ever," enthused threetime vet Jay Hickman of the Islander 36 Zorza when asked how the third running of the event stacked up with the previous years. That was a common sentiment with the crews from the 20 other veteran boats who joined the Delta Doo Dah 3D, though they couldn't always put their finger on exactly why. Maybe it was the hearty welcome the fleet of 50 boats received at each of the official stops. Or perhaps it was all the great prizes donated by generous sponsors. Or it could have simply been the excitement and entertainment that comes from bringing together 120 sailors who all want the same thing: to have a little fun in the sun.
getting around in the Delta and James Muller with the San Francisco Estuary Partnership offered everyone anchored in Potato Slough on Wednesday a free holding tank pump-out, and tons of prizes were handed out — the tables were cleared and the dance floor filled. Some revelers enjoyed the club's relaxed bar hours until the wee hours, making the next morning's early wake-up call a bit of
a headache . . . in more ways than one. With a 40-mile day lying ahead, coupled with an early switch in the current, the fleet was ready to break the raft-up at 9 a.m. — though some crewmembers were noticeably less perky than others. Their spirits were soon lifted as the wind picked up and the marine layer cleared, making for one of the loveliest sailing days many had had in a long
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Latitude 38
• September, 2011
PATRICK WILKINSON
ALL PHOTOS LATITUDE / 'DOODETTE' LADONNA UNLESS NOTED
MITZI CARTER
D
elta Doo Dah 3D kicked off the evening of July 29 at Berkeley YC, where skippers and crew got the chance to get to know each other, swap a few stories and dip into some of the mouthwatering pulled pork whipped up by vets — and BYC members — Erik and Brian Jones of the Glastron Spirit 28 Sizzle. Berkeley Marina graciously hosted a number Aya Camps-Romero, 2, o f D o o D a h ' e r s shows off her 'ink'. who had brought their boats over in preparation for the following morning's photo op/start. As has been so typical of this summer, the morning of July 30 dawned gray and gloomy but almost as soon as the fleet sailed under the Richmond Bridge at around 11 a.m., the skies cleared and the wind filled in enough for some brisk — yet smooth — sailing all the way to the event's first official stop: Vallejo YC. Having a century's worth of experience fitting hundreds of boats into their snug harbor, VYC members neatly tucked the fleet in between rows and called everyone up for dinner. After an in-depth skippers' meeting — during which guest speakers Chris Lauritzen talked about
