Jack London Yacht Club ‘boat reveal’ party in Glen Ellen

On a rising tide of enthusiasm, the Jack London Yacht Club made a huge splash last Sunday with its “Boat Reveal Party” for the upcoming Jack-to-Jack Race.

Over 100 people attended the Boat Reveal Party in the back patio of the Clubhouse (aka Jack London Saloon) last Sunday to review the many miniature Snarks on display. Over 35 individuals, businesses, neighborhoods, and wineries are sponsoring the tiny replicas of Jack London’s Snark, to be sailed .7 miles down a fast-flowing Sonoma Creek on race day. Tiny chocolate champagne bottles, made by Wine Country Chocolates in Jack London Village, were distributed to guests to symbolize the christening of the boats.

The inaugural Jack-to-Jack boat race will occur on Saturday, April 27. Father Guido Sarducci – Don Novello of Saturday Night Live fame – will be on hand to bless the boats. There will be music and festivities at Jack London Lodge and at the finish line at Jack London Village.

There will be several heats during the day and each heat last about 30 minutes. Winners from each heat participate in the final race to determine the year’s winner. There will be trolley transport between the Lodge and the Village, entertainment, food and wine. Volunteer firefighters will be in charge of releasing and catching the boats to avoid happy participants clamoring down into the creek and damaging wildlife habitat and the beloved creek.

The 18-inch Snark replicas have been crafted from the singed redwood from the fires. Each boat is outfitted with GPS which will update its location every 30 seconds, and there will be cameras situated along the raceway. This will enable on-lookers to follow their boat on a screen located in several wineries, the Jack London Saloon.

And so, through the inspiration of Commodore Jim Burch and Vice Commodore Ana Dominguez, another Glen Ellen tradition is born.