By Bob Naylor
It’s back! Join AYC, ASF, and the Arizona Sailing Team (ASU) for the second annual Halloween Spook-tacular Nighttime Sail at Tempe Town Lake on Friday evening, October 27. Sailing thrills and chills start at 6:30pm.
Ghosts, zombies, and other monsters will sail to various stations on the lake to:
- Receive poker cards
- Receive bingo cards
- Be judged on boat decorations
- Be judged on individual costumes
Show us your creative side by dressing up! And arrive early to decorate your boat. Ghost and pirate ships should launch by 6:30pm and must be fully compliant with the City of Tempe nighttime navigation & lighting requirements (see below). Detailed sailing instructions will be sent to registered participants 24 hours prior to the start of the event.
After returning to the docks, judges will announce the winners in each category in the TTL Boatyard at about 9pm. Prizes (Halloween candy) will be awarded for the best poker hand, bingo card, boat decorations, and (grand prize – MORE Halloween candy!) individual costume. Anyone overly frightened, too spooked, or ghoulishly hopped up on candy, or just looking for more fun is invited to join the judges for a Halloween nightcap at Hundred Mile Brewing afterward.
We need a few people to help on the Pontoon Boats, with judging, and ashore with vessel check-in / check-out. Contact Bob Naylor if you are interested in helping.
Registration – $5: Halloween Fun Run
City of Tempe Regulations – See Nighttime Navigation
Lights attached to the boat (not the operator) are required for all boats operating on TTL after dark. Inexpensive, reusable boat lights such as these can be used.
The following is copied from Tempe boating regulations:
All boats operating after dark and before sunrise are required to have
lights. The lighting policy for all boats operating after dark and before
sunrise on Tempe Town Lake is as follows:
- Lights are required to be physically attached on the boats and not on the rowers/paddlers/sailors in the boats.
- Lights need to be visible from all sides (360 degrees)
- A white light must be placed on the stern of the boat so that it can be reached by at least one person in the boat and waved in case of an emergency.
- A red light or a red/green light (this is preferred) must be placed on the bow.
A helpful hint to gauge when lights are required is to use the street lights around Town Lake as a guide; if the street lights are on, you need lights on your boat. Please be sure you are equipped with lights if you will be on the water before sunrise or after sunset. There are no exceptions to this rule, and violators will be ticketed.