East Coast Socks

The 2009 vernal (spring) equinox will officially occur on March 20th, which is the time when all the ‘buttheads are to burn their socks after surviving another Northern Hemisphere winter.

The Annapolis Maritime Museum will host its seventh annual Sock Burning ceremony to herald the first day of spring on Wednesday, March 19 at 5:03 p.m.

The tradition dates back to the mid-1980s when Bob Turner, then manager of the Annapolis Yacht Yard, got tired of the winter blahs. He'd spent the whole season working on OPBs (other peoples' boats), all the while collecting metal filings, bottom paint grindings, sawdust, fiberglas fibers, and globs of paint, caulk, resin and filler in his socks. On the first day of spring one year, he took off his socks, put them in a paint tray, doused them with lighter fluid, and toasted spring with a longneck beer while they burned.

Traditionally, die-hard boaters wear deck shoes sans socks from the Vernal Equinox until winter arrives. In Annapolis, socks are regarded the same way that shackles are to a prisoner. No one wears them in the summertime, and a sure way to herald warmer weather is to char the dreaded things to ash. "It's illegal to wear socks in Eastport," one man said seriously.

Here's a simple proclamation that you can use for your club's First Annual Burning of the Socks Day:

Ring your Club's bell while intoning, "Oyez, Oyez Oyez!" in your best 'English Town Crier-style', and read the proclamation from the commodore that "in order to celebrate the arrival of spring, you hereby proclaim March 26th, 2009 as First Annual Burning of the Socks Day. I further decree that from this day forth until the end of the sailing season, the official dress for all members of the sailing club while engaged in the activities of the club, will be white shirt, khaki pants or shorts, and boat shoes WITHOUT SOCKS."

Then loudly declaim the call for "all members to celebrate this auspicious day by attending a Burning of the Socks Ceremony at which appropriate, respectful and solemn ceremonies will be held to celebrate the arrival of spring which will require the removal and casting off of socks, and the incendiary destruction of said socks."

Having said all that, then propose a toast to the commodore, go burn your socks and thus is a new tradition established. From: Tillerman's Blog on http://propercourse.blogspot.com.