Events on the Water
Sailing, boating, and other water based events have been part of Houston history since the city was founded.
Sailing and canoeing and many other sports, as well as parades and festivals of many varieties, have taken place on the bayous and Galveston Bay for many, many years. This recreation sometimes related to historical events or business interests. For example, the Not-Su-Oh (Houston, spelled backwards) festival included a water-borne arrival of King Nottoc (Cotton), a fitting symbol for the role of waterways (and the explotative labor practices of cotton plantations) in building Houston's economy.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt visited Houston in 1936 and toured the ship channel, turning basin, and San Jacinto battlefield aboard Captiva, one of the Houston Yacht Club fleet’s finest yachts. President Roosevelt's trip to Houston reflected the partnership between the Yacht Club and Ship Channel both of which had grown together for more than a quarter-century.
The Houston Yacht Club was becoming increasingly successful in various sailing competitions, which led to diverse types of recreational boating and constant annual events.