Chesapeake Bay News

222 Severn/W&P Nautical, is the newest Clean Marina to be certified by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR). The marina, one of Annapolis’ oldest marine properties is home to a variety of marine businesses.

222 Severn covers an entire city block in the Eastport area of Annapolis. The property has been the site of boat building operations, including the famed Trumpy Yachts, since the early 1900s. The Templeton family has owned and managed the marina since 1974.

source: MD DNR

On April 15, the Chesapeake Bay Trust  announced a $25,000 environmental education grant to fund the the Annapolis Maritime Museum’s “MUDDY FEET” Program.

The program, which stands for “Maritime Unbounded Damp & Dirty Yucky Fun Environmental Education & Training,” seeks to provide all Annapolis-area schoolchildren with at least three meaningful watershed educational experiences prior to high school graduation.

The Trust announced this grant as part of its Environmental Education grant program, which awarded more than $450,000 in 2010 to fund educational initiatives throughout Maryland.

The MUDDY FEET Program has grown dramatically since it was launched in 2008 with 350 students participating.  During the 2009-2010 school year, 1,200 students participated. By the end of this current school year, the Museum will have achieved its objective of reaching all city-based elementary and middle schools, serving 1,700 students in 25 schools.

The Chesapeake Bay Trust grant is expected provide a boost which  could result in over 2,300 students in 33 Anne Arundel County schools getting “MUDDY FEET.”

The Museum’s education programs are aligned with Anne Arundel Country Public School standards and curricula in language arts, social studies, science and math. Students participate in a myriad of activities that include making observations, taking measurements, keeping journal records, exploring historic Bay sites, handling artifacts, and speaking with watermen, tradesmen, historians, and artists.

For more information on the Museum and its programs, visit http://www.amaritime.org

The Maryland Department of Agriculture and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources will be co-hosting a “Celebration of Maryland Seafood” at the Boatyard Bar & Grill in Annapolis on Tuesday, Feb. 22 from 6 p.m. until 10 p.m.

The purpose of the dinner is to promote Maryland’s diverse and high quality seafood from the Chesapeake Bay, Atlantic Coast and aquaculture industry through local restaurants,  grocers and other retail markets. By empowering the local seafood market, Maryland is building a sustainable fishery, reducing the industry’s carbon footprint and creating green jobs.

The evening includes a cocktail hour with raw bar and five-course meal featuring Maryland oysters, crabmeat, striped bass (rockfish) and yellow perch.

The event is hosted by the Boatyard Bar & Grill, Maryland Department of Agriculture and Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Agriculture Secretary Buddy Hance and Natural Resources Secretary  John Griffin will be featured speakers.

Tickets are $40, which includes all food, tax and gratuity, and will be limited to the first 125 to reserve their spot. Call the Boatyard Bar & Grill at 410-216-6206 to RSVP and for more information.

January 11, will mark the start of the second season of Boatyard Bar & Grill and PropTalk’s popular “Anglers Night Out Fishing Flick & Tales.”

Every other Tuesday through the end of March, anglers from around the Bay will gather at the Boatyard Bar & Grill in Annapolis MD to eat, drink, and spin interesting fishing stories, fairy tales, and anecdotes.

The series features fishing movies and documentaries shot around the world shown super-size on the Boatyard’s large, high-definition projection screen. The event is held in the Boatyard Market Section with seating limited to 40, so be sure to get there early. Dinner and drinks start at 6 p.m. with specials on meatloaf and half-price bottles of wine. The feature presentation starts at 7 p.m. sharp.

The January 11 feature is “RISE,” by Confluence Films, the same producers of the popular “DRIFT” documentary shown last year during the inaugural series of Anglers Night Out events. The documentary features freshwater and saltwater fishing in locales such as Venezuela, Idaho, Florida, Alaska, New Orleans, and Patagonia.

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

Sandy Point State Park will once again be the host site for Lights on the Bay, a holiday light show presented by Anne Arundel Medical Center. The show will be held November 21 through January 3, 2010 and features 60 animated and stationary holiday displays located throughout the park.

Lights on the Bay is open each evening from 5:00 until 10:00 p.m. and costs $14.00 per vehicle. Several area businesses and publications offer coupons for a $2.00 discount valid on weekdays, excluding holidays.

All proceeds from Lights on the Bay will benefit Anne Arundel Medical Center. For additional program details, call 410-481-3161.

Sandy Point State Park is located just off Route 50, exit 32 next to the Chesapeake Bay Bridge.

source: DNR press release

The Yacht Basin Company in Annapolis and the Annapolis City Dock in Anne Arundel County have been designated the 110th and 111th certified Maryland Clean Marinas. Together with 24 smaller facilities designated as Clean Marina Partners, Maryland now boasts 135 certified facilities.

“I commend the managers of these two facilities for taking initiative and becoming a Clean Marina,” said Governor Martin O’Malley. “Frequenting these businesses is one way that all Maryland boaters can be involved in the effort to improve the quality of our waterways.”

The Yacht Basin has been a mainstay in the Annapolis harbor for over 70 years and serves locals as well as many visitors. The marina runs a busy fuel dock, its own pump-out boat, and laundry and shower facilities for slip-holders. To meet the Clean Marina Award criteria, marina manager Steve Grace made a few adjustments to existing practices. For example, the marina installed small oil-absorbers in all storm-drain outlets to clean stormwater before it is discharged into the creek. Marina staff also take many precautions when fueling vessels and keep spill response equipment close at hand.

“We have been meaning to pursue the Clean Marina Award for several years but always get busy with other priorities,” said Mr. Grace. “But once I called DNR out, it was done very quickly. I’m glad I didn’t wait any longer and am proud we accomplished this.”

The Annapolis City Dock is a bustling public dock which serves 8,000 – 10,000 visitors to Annapolis each year and also includes the dozens of public moorings throughout city waterways. The Harbormaster’s staff provides environmental education materials as part of every welcome packet and operates a pump-out boat that empties the holding tanks of visiting boats. Also, during a major renovation of the docks last year, several rain gardens were installed in the parking lots to capture and treat polluted run-off.

“The staff understands the need to be environmentally responsible in a city that is known for its environmental initiatives,” said Annapolis Harbormaster Ric Dahlgren. “Earning an award from the DNR is a nice thank you for all we do to educate visitors and protect our waterways.”