Surface Motion
S hips Run Aground in Opening Day Ceremonies
"Three Ships Aground at Harbor Mouth"
Santa Cruz Sentinel photo
Sunday, May 6, 1968, Sentinel article. Here's the text from the photo caption, which captures the folly of what is practically a yearly town event.
No damage was done, but three large sailing craft went aground on the sand bar at the mouth of the Santa Cruz Yacht Harbor yesterday. It occurred during the annual Opening Day Ceremonies yesterday. The dredge which is working to alleviate the condition can be seen in action. The beach at the right of the picture will be dredged. The vessels in trouble are located in the center background. The third vessel is partially hidden by the dredge. The two ships in the foreground stopped when the other vessels hit the sand.
In the photo, a beach sandbar can be seen well inside the harbor. Harbor visitors look more like beachgoers here. The dredge seems like a small device, overwhelmed by the task of removing an entire beach from the Harbor mouth.
Commentary: May 5 seems like a very late date to open the Harbor, as fine weather is usually had by March. There's something absurd about the idea of celebrating an annual Harbor dredging. The annual opening day ceremony owes its existence to the Harbor shoaling phenomenon. Boat owners anxiously await the completion of dredging. The day the Harbor is finally dug deep enough to free the boats stuck inside is an event calling for a celebration.
