Over 45 schooners are expected to race in the open waters of the Chesapeake Bay, starting just south of the Bay Bridge near Annapolis, Md., on Oct. 14, 2010, sailing through the night, and docking in Portsmouth, Va., on Oct. 15 for the 21st annual Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race.
Depending on winds and conditions on the Bay, the race can take from 12 to 15 hours. The event’s mission, with the motto “Racing to Save the Bay,” is to promote public awareness of the Chesapeake Bay’s maritime heritage and to encourage the preservation and improvement of the Chesapeake’s natural resources.
The first Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race was founded in 1990 by the late Captain Lane Briggs, as a personal challenge between his Tugantine, Norfolk Rebel, and the Pride of Baltimore II. It was his contagious commitment to the maritime heritage of the Bay and his love of schooner-rigged sailboats that energized the growth and success of the event. Since Briggs’ death in 2005, the Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race has been held in his memory.
“This is a great adventurous event because it perpetuates Captain Lane’s dream of bringing attention to the Chesapeake Bay’s history, tradition, and the need for its preservation,” said Al Roper, president of the Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race. Roper said the event breeds better Bay stewards through its educational component. Hundreds of local school students at both the starting and ending points of the race have the opportunity to go on board some of the schooners while they’re docked to learn knot-tying, sail-hoisting, and the teamwork it takes to crew a boat. “You take a kid and put him on a boat and it changes his life” said Roper.
Through the years, the race has raised more than $140,000 for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s (CBF) environmental educational programs.
Dubbed a world class racing event by sailing enthusiasts, the Race is organized by volunteers representing four boat clubs: Fells Point Yacht Club in Baltimore, Portsmouth Boat Club, Towne Point Yacht Club in Norfolk, and Broad Bay Sailing Association in Virginia Beach. Each year, more than 100 committed volunteers donate their time, energy, and financial support.
Although the race begins October 14, the public can enjoy related festivities throughout the race week. For more information, contact Virginia@schoonerrace.org or Maryland@schoonerrace.org.
EVENT SCHEDULE:
BALTIMORE, MD
October 10, 1:00 p.m.: Dinghy Race fundraiser in Fells Point to benefit the Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race
October 12, 6:30 p.m.: Schooners & Crooners free concert on Broadway Pier
October 13, 9:00 a.m – noon: Education program at Broadway Pier; area students get hands-on experience aboard select schooners
October 13, noon: All schooners docked in Fells Point, some open for tours
October 13, 5:00 p.m.: Parade of Sail through Baltimore’s Inner Harbor and Fells Point
NEAR CHESAPEAKE BAY BRIDGE, ANNAPOLIS, MD
October 14, 1:30 p.m.: Photo opportunities abound as race begins with as schooner-rigged vessels in full sail, embarking on their fast-paced adventure down the Chesapeake.
October
FINISH LINE HAMPTON ROADS, VA
October 15: East-West line at the Thimble Shoal light off Hampton’s coast for classes A and AA. Others finish at Windmill Point. All dock in downtown Portsmouth.
PORTSMOUTH, VA
October 16, 9:00 a.m.- ?noon: Bay related educational opportunities; open house tours of racing schooners; variety of related activities and exhibits during Schooner Days, Old Towne Portsmouth.
source: Chesapeake Bay Foundation
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