On February 16, The Napa Valley Yacht Club and The Coast Guard Auxiliary held their annual boat inspection and blessing of the boats.
This service is sponsored by Napa Valley’s Yacht Club at the beginning of the cruising season each year for all of Napa County’s boat owners. The boat inspections were supervised by Curt Han of the Coast Guard Auxiliary. Participating boats were GrandCru, Tom Foolery, CKing Fun, Calaka, and Bounty Hunter.
This inspection covers 36 points of boating safety, on-board safety equipment, and knowledge of the boat captain. Everything on the vessel is inspected, including flotation devices, electrical, and fuel safety systems to the proper lines and ropes. The insurance requirements and accident reporting responsibilities are covered as well. Additionally, the Coast Guard updates boaters on their current regulations.
The Coast Guard Auxiliary and the Napa Valley Yacht Club perform this voluntary service to allow boaters to be completely prepared for a season of safe boating.
Following the inspections, each captain was gifted a decal to display on their boats.
Donald Buresh, Napa Valley Yacht Club member as well as Waterfront and Riverfront Property Expert blessed the fleet in a traditional ceremony dating all the way back to the Middle Ages! A cruise captain by the name of Karen Agnew and her able-bodied team prepared a delicious lunch consisting of Chicago-style hot dogs, chili beans, potato salad, and brownies. Dr. Tom Hildreth, the fleet captain, thought all of the participants in the event were indeed blessed with a great kickoff the new and exciting cruising year.
The announcement of next year’s boat safety inspection event at the Napa Valley Yacht Club dock will be available in the Napa Valley Register.
