LOW RENT REGATTA

Today, Labor Day is the true end of the Summer season here at Chic's Beach. The weather is glorious, sunny and not as hot as recent days. There is plenty of breeze but not as good as yesterday for sailing.

Watching the children play reminded me of when I would bring my children to the beach and made me sorry that Peggy and her children don't live closer. This is an ideal beach for children, without much surf and current and a gradual slope that means there is a right depth for all ages.

For years, the traditional end of summer ritual here was the "Low Rent Regatta". So named for the snide remarks made by some of the rich folks out at the ocean beaches. But it got too big. The police were worried about parking and traffic. The sanitation department about litter. The licence bureau about the food vendors that set up on city streets and private driveways, without permits and didn't pay sales tax. The final straw was when the city said the committee had to rent an exorbitant number of port-a-potties for the event. For a few years they found local corporate sponsors for the expenses, but ten years ago they finally declared the last tack and sailed off into the sunset. The event had finally become too much work for an event they started as a lark.

I am happy to report that the Chic's Beach tradition of racing hobbie cats on Labor Day weekend remains alive and well. The events is kept private to avoid the organizational hassels of past years. It still provides the basis for a party that I am just recovering from.

So it is 1100 and back to the beach.