Classic Sailing Race to Benefit Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum

     St. Michaels, MD -- Launching at Annapolis’ Eastport Yacht Club on Saturday, May 21, the inaugural Elf Classic Yacht Race will bring the centuries-old tradition of yacht racing to the Bay in a race benefiting and ending at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum (CBMM) in St. Michaels, Maryland.
     Organized by the Classic Yacht Restoration Guild (CYRG), the race’s flagship will be the CYRG’s restored 1888 racing yacht Elf. More than ten classic yachts will join Elf in a cloud of traditional sail for an 1880s-style race from Annapolis to St. Michaels. Featuring the nautical version of a Le Mans start, the race will have yacht captains row to their vessels in the Annapolis harbor to raise their anchors, sails and get underway.
     Spectators are invited to watch this unique 9 a.m. start off the Eastport Yacht Club and then spend the day at CBMM in St. Michaels as the racing fleet runs in during the afternoon. Captains will finish the race by anchoring off the museum and rowing to shore to sign the race log at the historic Tolchester Beach Bandstand on the museum’s grounds.
     The event coincides with the museum’s annual Maritime Model Expo, which runs May 21-22. The events are free for museum members or with admission.
     “We are really pleased to be recreating a by-gone era of yacht racing on the Chesapeake while supporting Elf’s homeport, the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum,” said CYRG President and Elf’s Captain Rick Carrion.
     Proceeds from the race benefit the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum and its mission to inspire an understanding of and appreciation for the rich maritime heritage of the Chesapeake Bay and its tidal reaches, together with the artifacts, cultures and connections between this place and its people. More information about the museum can be found at http://www.cbmm.org/ or by calling 410-745-2916.
     To register your yacht for the race or for sponsor information, contact CYRG’s Rick Carrion at elf1888@earthlink.net. Early registration is recommended, with wooden, classic and traditional yachts given preference when participating vessel limits are reached.
     The Classic Yacht Restoration Guild is a membership organization dedicated to the preservation of maritime heritage through the maintenance and operation of the Elf. Built by the renowned Lawley Yard in Boston, Elf was restored to historically accurate condition by CRYG and re-launched in 2008. Go to http://www.cyrg.org/ for more information or search Classic Yacht Restoration Guild on facebook.

NOAA Up-To-Date Charts Available for Free

Charts available free online and through “print-on-demand” service     Spring is around the corner and nearly 13 million registered boaters in the U.S. are priming to hit the water. As part of their preparations, boaters need to make sure that they have the latest NOAA nautical charts on hand to avoid groundings or accidents while navigating along the coast. With modern technological advancements, obtaining the latest chart is easier — and more important — than ever.
     “Sailing the oceans and Great Lakes doesn’t have to be a voyage into the vast unknown of ages past,” explained Capt. John Lowell, director of NOAA’s Office of Coast Survey. “Obtaining the latest charts that provide increasingly precise depths and up-to-date navigational features can be as easy as clicking a link on a website.”
     Because storms alter seafloors, and water depths constantly change due to shifting shoals and submerged hazards, NOAA’s Office of Coast Survey is charged with maintaining the nation’s suite of over 1,000 nautical charts, covering about 3.5 million square nautical miles of ocean coasts and the Great Lakes.
     NOAA updates its charts weekly using hydrographic survey data that is collected by the agency, along with the most current U.S. Coast Guard Local Notice to Mariners, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency Notice to Mariners, and other critical safety information reported by commercial mariners or other sources. Recreational boaters may also submit information or chart discrepancies through the Office of Coast Survey’s website: http://nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/.

WC Sailors Take Second at Regatta on the Chester

  Chestertown, MD -- The Washington College sailing team finished second of five schools in the Washington College 2-on-2 Team Race this weekend on the Chester River. Washington went 15-5 during five round robins of racing.
     Nineteenth-ranked New York Maritime won the regatta with a 19-1 record. University of Pennsylvania finished third at 11-9. Maryland (4-16) and Ocean County (1-19) rounded out the field.
     Junior Mike Whitford (Chicago, IL/Francis W. Parker School), freshman Sam Fitzgerald (Fairfield, CT/Green Farms Academy), junior Mildred Conroy (Newtown, MA/Tabor Academy), and sophomore Sam Bedinger (Richmond, VA/St. Christopher's) skippered for Washington during the weekend. Sophomore Matt Lawler (Alexandria, VA/Christchurch School), senior Max Kurland (Sharon, CT/Hotchkiss School), senior Caroline Hill (Tiverton, RI/Bishop Stang), and freshman Erin McAuliffe (Germantown, MD) were Washington's crews.
     Three round robins were completed on Saturday in a brisk 18 mile-per-hour southwest wind that slowly shifted to west-southwest throughout the day. The final two round robins were sailed on Sunday in a 10-15 mile-per-hour north breeze.
     The Washington College sailing team returns to action at the Team Race Challenge, hosted by Cornell, next weekend.

Womanship to Offer Sailing Lessons in Annapolis

  Annapolis, MD -- Now in its 27th year of teaching women-only crews, couples, families, and groups, Womanship will be offering its onboard two- and three-day Sail Yourself Safely Home sessions in its homeport of Annapolis for the first time this spring. Taught in the familiar waters of co-sponsoring organizations in New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Maine, Virginia, and Louisiana over the past 23 years, the Annapolis-based Sail Yourself Safely Home sessions begin in April and will continue through October. Participants will come aboard for hands-on learning, practice, and advancement in 17 safety, control, and emergency procedures so they can sail their boats safely home in all types of weather.  For more information call 800-342-9295 or visit http://www.womanship.com/.

American Schooner Association Meeting at CBMM

St. Michaels, MD -- A few seats are available for CBMM members and guests to attend the Mid-Atlantic Chapter of the American Schooner Association's annual meeting this Saturday, March 12 from 10 to noon in the Museum's Van Lennep Auditorium.
The topic for this meeting will be the anniversary of the War of 1812.
The guest speaker is Geoffrey Footner, author of Tidewater Triumph; The Development and Worldwide Success of the Chesapeake Bay Pilot Schooner and USS Constellation; From Frigate To Sloop Of War.
Cost of lunch is $5. The event is free for Museum members or with Museum admission. Pre-registration required, as space is limited. To register or for more information, contact Darlene Alexander of the Mid-Atlantic Chapter of the American Schooner's Association at darlene36507@gmail.com.

First CG Foundation Cup in Annapolis

  Annapolis, MD -- The Coast Guard Foundation, a non-profit organization committed to the education, welfare and morale of all Coast Guard members and their families, has announced its first annual sailboat race, the Coast Guard Foundation Cup. Established to raise funds for foundation programs for enlisted Coast Guard members, provide financial support for college to families of Coast Guard members lost in the line of duty, and offer relief for Coast Guard families who have lost possessions in natural disasters, the first annual Coast Guard Foundation Cup will be hosted by the Annapolis Yacht Club (AYC) in Annapolis, Maryland on Saturday, May 14.
  The Coast Guard Foundation Cup is an overnight distance race, highlighted by a fun-filled weekend of events that will increase awareness and raise funds to support the foundation’s important projects and programs that benefit the Coast Guard. The race will start and finish outside of Annapolis Harbor; with additional events scheduled for participants Friday, May 13 and Sunday, May 15.
  “The Coast Guard Foundation Cup is a perfect mix of two of my core passions -- the Coast Guard Foundation and sailing,” said Jim Muldoon, noted sailor, Coast Guard Foundation board member and chairman of the Coast Guard Foundation Cup. “It is a great opportunity for sailors to take part in a competitive race and the community to learn more about the foundation and the tremendous work it does for our maritime guardians.”
  Sponsorships of the Cup are available to individuals and businesses with proceeds benefiting the Coast Guard Foundation and its support of the men and women of the Coast Guard and their families. Available sponsorships are Presenting Sponsorship with Exclusivity; as well as Title, Captain, First Mate, and Shipmate sponsorships ranging from $15,000 to $1,000. Details on sponsorship opportunities and benefits are available at coastguardfoundation.org.
  “This race is a natural fit for the Coast Guard Foundation,” said Anne Brengle, president of the Coast Guard Foundation. “The men and women of the Coast Guard serve our country by protecting sailors and other mariners. By sponsoring this Cup, people and businesses are able to give back to those who give so selflessly of themselves to protect everyone at sea.”
 The Coast Guard Foundation Cup is open to sailboats with valid PHRF/Chesapeake 4P ratings; J/30, J/35 and J/105 one design classes; and boats with valid CBYRA Multihull ratings. Boats with IRC ratings will sail in their PHRF class and will be scored for both PHRF and IRC. The race will be governed by the rules as defined in The Racing Rules of Sailing 2009-2012 (RRS). Scoring will be in compliance with the Low Point System as defined in Appendix A of the RRS. A Coast Guard Foundation Cup skipper’s social will be held at the AYC on Friday, May 13, 2011. Awards will be presented at the AYC on Sunday, May 15. The race is a CYBRA sanctioned event.
  Entries for the race must be submitted by 7:00 PM, Tuesday, May 10. An online entry form and race details will be available starting late February on the Annapolis Yacht Club’s racing website, www.race.annapolisyc.org. For more information on the first annual Foundation Cup including sponsorship opportunities, the Coast Guard Foundation or to help support its work, please visit the Coast Guard Foundation website http://www.coastguardfoundation.org/.

AMM to Host Cruising Chesapeake Seminar

Janie Meneely at the Baltimore Boat Show.

 Annapolis, MD -- Annapolis Maritime Museum, along with West Marine, Weems & Plath, Annapolis School of Seamanship and Chesapeake Bay Magazine, presents an innovative one-day learning program for boaters interested in cruising the Chesapeake Bay.
  The Chesapeake Bay offers a vast array of spectacular cruising opportunities for recreational boaters, but for many boat owners new to the Bay (or new to boating), deciding where to go and figuring out how to get there can be a daunting prospect. With these novice Bay boaters in mind, the Annapolis Maritime Museum will be hosting a "cruising readiness" seminar on Sunday, April 3, from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m., at the museum campus in Eastport.
  Entitled "Cruising Chesapeake Bay: Tips and Hands-On Training for Bay Cruisers" the all-day event will give boaters the low down on how, when and where to cruise the Bay this season, whether you're traveling with kids in a small cuddy cruiser or heading out as a couple aboard a more commodious trawler or sailboat.
  Led by experts Captain Robin Allison of West Marine, Peter and Cathie Trogdon of Weems & Plath, Captain John Martino of Annapolis School of Seamanship and Janie Meneely of Chesapeake Bay Magazine, the seminars will focus on making sure your boat is cruising ready, reviewing navigation and seamanship as it relates to Bay-wide situations, and providing a virtual tour of the Chesapeake, including not-to-miss calendar events. In addition, special small-group hands-on training segments will review basic chart reading, dead reckoning, rules of the road, provisioning and safety equipment.
  Attendance fee is $60/person, which includes four seminars, product demonstrations, several hands-on sessions, lunch and a wine-and-cheese wrap up, plus door prizes and take-aways. Proceeds benefit the Annapolis Maritime Museum.
  To register, contact the Annapolis Maritime Museum at 410-295-0104 or http://www.amaritime.org/.

CRAB Knot-Tying Class in Annapolis

 Annapolis, MD -- Chesapeake Region Assessible Boating has scheduled a knot-tying workshop for sailors, skippers, volunteers and friends for four upcoming Saturdays. Participants will learn the basic knots that every capable sailor uses for safety, ease and quickness. Increase your skills and use the right knot for the need. You’ll have fun and leave knowing how and what to knot … and what not!
  Allen Faurot, who teaches knot-tying at the Naval Academy, will lead the class with Don Backe’s assistance.
  Faurot moved to Annapolis from NYC in 1994 and has, since then, volunteered as a Sailing Coach at the Naval Academy. He retired after a fourteen year career with the Ford Foundation as a money manager, and, before that, practicing law for twelve years in the Big Apple.
  Faurot has served CRAB as a coach in the CRAB Cup and the Boatyard Bar & Grill Regatta to Benefit CRAB for many years. He owned and raced his Tartan 30 and C&C 35 Mk III, mostly in Long Island Sound. He has cruised the East Coast extensively as well as four of the Great Lakes. Faurot competed in the Chicago Mackinaw and the Huron Mackinaw races with Midshipmen as crew. With his Navy crew, he sailed a donated C&C 49 from the Great Lakes to the Naval Academy in Annapolis.
  The same knot-tying workshop will be offered on four Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
  The workshop will be limited to 6 persons each session. The classes will last approximately 1 1/2 hours and will be held in the Chesapeake Bay Yacht Racing Assoc. (CBYRA) office, 612 Third Street, Annapolis, MD 21403, Suite A, 4th floor (just above the CRAB office).
  The workshop’s tuition is $15, including the cost of class materials. Reserve your space by sending your check, made out to CRAB, to: Don Backe, Executive Director, CRAB, P.O. Box 6564, Annapolis MD 21401-0564. Note on the check the date of the knot-tying workshop you will attend. Include your phone number, postal address and email address.
  Sign up early as space is limited. Contact Backe with any questions: 410-693-1878, cell; or 410-626-0273, office; donbacke@aol.com.