For the past 22 years we have been celebrating Thanksgiving weekend at Ayala Cove at Angel Island State Park. The cove was closed due to the recent oil spill, but volunteers have cleaned the small beach area and it is once again open for business.
We started the tradition on our 27-foot Catalina, Yes, Dear in 1985. Sweetie and I had the long weekend off and decided to spend it on the water. We had a cozy dinner by ourselves and told a few friends about our experience when we got back to the dock. The following year, our wonderful friends Joe and Sandie Tynik joined us on their 33-foot Hans Christian, Panache.
The following year, a few other boats joined us, mostly boaters who have family out of the area and don't have commitments. Needless to say, we eventually ran out of room in the salon and so moved our festivities ashore.
That works well when the weather cooperates, but one year it rained, so we moved under the awning of the cafe, which was closed for the holiday.
The tradition continues to this day and some years we have as many at 17 boats participating in the gala pot luck dinner. Some of the dishes we enjoy each year are deep fried turkey (Nakia), pearl onions with peas (Sheba Star), cheesy mashed potatoes with shrimp (Shantung), mashed parsnips with butter (April Dancer), pies, cakes and every kind of appetizer you can imagine. We all bring our own table service to shore and set up the dinner buffet style once everything is ready. Actually, last year the USCG arrived in one of their big cutters and beat us to the covered cafe deck. It was ok because it didn't rain, but I'm sure they would have shared had the weather been bad.
Each year the resident raccoons keep a watchful eye on the food from the safety of the underside of the deck. Little black leather hands would frequently be spotted reaching out for a dropped bit of turkey or pie. Eventually, they became quite bold, actually coming out and trying to steal food from the buffet tables. Water pistols were kept on hand to keep the masked beggars at bay.
One year, Clewless slipped her stern line just as dinner was being served. The current in the cove is swift and action had to be taken to secure the boat before she swung herself into trouble. The fire drill that ensued provided us all with excellent dining entertainment that we are still talking about to this day.
I don't know who is going to cook my Thanksgiving turkey this year. Joe and Sandie have sold Panache and moved away to Maine and John and Linda have sailed Nakia to points south. John usually deep-fried the turkey and Sandie made the best gravy ever invented.
I haven't cooked a turkey since my early twenties when I thought I could do anything. As I recall, I didn't know there was a bag of guts tucked inside the neck cavity, which came as a big surprise at serving time. Maybe I'll just get a big chicken. That's about all that will fit in my oven anyway, if the oven still works at all. Or, like my mom, I could pick up a frozen turkey breast. Unlike my mom, I'll defrost it first. Great chefs are taught, not borne.
My friend Cliff the maintenance guy over at Brisbane Marina says: "everybody likes to eat, but nobody wants to cook."
