This aquatic parade used to be an annual feature in the Sooke Basin, but skipped a beat last year. It was started up by Sooke’s Eagle-Eye Outfitters and taken over by the Sooke Chamber of Commerce. This year, Eagle-Eye Outfitters has resumed the coordinating of the event.
The December 7 Sailpast will begin at approximately 5 p.m. and will last about an hour.
According to Erin Neitsch, co-owner of Eagle-Eye Outfitters, the best vantage point will be at the Rotary Pier or the Boardwalk.
“All the houses between Sooke Harbour Resort and the Rotary Pier and back will have a great view of it,” said Erin.
They are anticipating half a dozen boats, and in true Sooke fashion, they are expecting a number of boaters to sign up in the last minute.
Boaters can still sign up
Anyone interested in decorating their boats and participating in the Sailpast are invited to call Erin or Ron at 250-213-5472, or stop by Eagle-Eye Outfitters in Sooke any day between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Alternatively, you can contact Sheri at Sooke Harbour Resort and Marina at 250-642-3236 or by e-mail at reservationssookeharbourmarina.ca.
The boats will gather at the departure time in the waters near Sooke Harbour Resort and Marina, and will be monitoring channel 72 on VHF.
A Sooke Coast Guard Auxiliary boat will be asked to lead the Sailpast and the participating boats will simply fall in line until every boat has joined in. The boats will follow in line along the Westerly shoreline of the harbour as that’s where most of the spectators are usually located.