Excuses to go sailing?

You might THINK that any self-respecting sailor would be out on the water on the weekend before the longest day of the year (for those of us who stand right-side-up on the globe), BUT examination of any large marina will, sadly, tell you it ain't so.

So, whatever excuses we need to take people sailing are what we gotta use. Don't forget to celebrate the 427th anniversary of Sir Francis Drake landing in California.

In the spirit of celebration, here are historical events that occurred on June 17th:

Birthdates:
1239 Edward I king of England (1272-1307)
1703 John Wesley cofounded Methodist movement/author
1882 Igor Stravinsky Oranienbaum, Russia, composer (The Rite of Spring)
1951 Joe Piscopo Passaic NJ, comedian (SNL, Miller Lite commercials)

Deaths
1986 Kate Smith singer (God Bless America), dies in Raleigh NC at 78

This day in history
1397 Union of Kalmar established between Denmark, Sweden & Norway
1579 Sir Francis Drake lands on the coast of Calif
1775 Battle of Bunker Hill (actually it was Breed's Hill)
1850 Paddle-wheeler "G P Griffith" burns off Mentor Ohio (206 die)
1856 Republican Party opens its 1st national convention in Philadelphia
1885 Statue of Liberty arrived in NYC aboard French ship `Isere'
1895 US Ship Canal (W 225th St) in the Bronx completed; cutting Marble Hill off from Manhattan
1940 France asks Germany for terms of surrender in WW II
1946 SW Bell innaugurates mobile telephone commercial service, St Louis
1960 Ted Williams hit his 500th home run
1962 Brazil Beats Czechosolakia in soccer's 7th World Cup at Santiago
1972 5 arrested for burglarizing Democratic Party HQ at Watergate
1982 Pres Reagan 1st UN Gen Assembly address ("evil empire" speech)

Holidays:
Iceland : Republic Day (1944)
Japan : Lily Festival
Mass : Bunker Hill Day (1775)
Paraguay : Chaco Peace Day (1935) - - - - - ( Sunday )
US : Father's Day (Sunday )