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Konza Sailor |
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Volume 2007, Issue 2 Konza Sailor March 2007 |
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Ooohhh, that smell ... and it's on purpose Kevin Elliott Staff Writer |
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Blue Valley Yacht Club member Henry Otto is getting ready to make a big stink. "We can't let those East Coast sailors think they're better than us," Otto said, "just because they have more water, more boats and more wind." In a show of Kansas spirit, Otto and other Manhattan area sailors recently issued a challenge to members of the Annapolis Maritime Museum, located on Maryland's Chesapeake Bay. The contest — the annual burning of the socks at Equinox. Otto admits it sounds strange, but it's actually a way of ushering the spring and saying goodbye to Old Man Winter. The tradition reportedly started at the Annapolis Maritime Museum. Because socks are not worn with boat shoes, the idea is to burn the winter socks, and along with them the evil winter spirits as a way to usher in the sailing season. Otto said he read about the tradition in the March issue of Sail magazine and sent a challenge to the Annapolis club. While he said the rules of the contest are not exactly clear, the winner is determined by which group has the smelliest sock burning. "They proposed each side having four judges standing downwind and judge on an odoriferous scale," Otto said. "We assume both sides are going to cheat." Otto said the secret weapon for the Blue Valley club is to load the judges panel with fishermen and sailors, who have a reputation for exaggerating the truth. "We already conceded defeat," Otto said. The Blue Valley Yacht Club sent several t-shirts to the Annapolis club as payment for losing. In addition, participants will have to recite a "terrible" poem written by the Annapolis Maritime Museum director Jeff Holland. The burning is expected to begin at about 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday at the Blue Valley Yacht Club. Otto said hotdogs will be served, but it's strictly "Bring Your Own |
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Socks." "We'll have two fires," Otto said. "One for the socks and one for the hot dogs." |
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Reprinted from the Manhattan Mercury, March 20, 2007 |
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Bart Bartholomew gets a little help from Nathanael Martin, 7, pitching a colorful sock on the fire at the Blue Valley Yacht Club Wednesday evening as Bob Mullen and Wayne Martin wait their turn. The traditional sock-burning takes place to drive out evil winter spirits and usher in the sailing season. |
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Photo by David Mayes, Manhattan, Mercury, March 22, 2007 |