Floatline - Chesapeake Bay News

April SpinSheet Is on The Docks

Spring on the Bay

The cherry blossoms are popping, the osprey are back, and Chesapeake Bay sailors have one thing on the brain—getting back on the water!

The April issue of SpinSheet is filled with ideas for new sailors and old salts to learn new tricks, find Bay charter boats (or catch rides on Other People’s Boats or OPB), and do the very thing we are obsessed with—get back on the water!

Captain Mark Einstein has written a funny account of the sailing learning curve in his “School of Hard Knocks,” while Cindy Wallach has interviewed a number of local cruisers to find out why world cruisers gravitate towards Annapolis and surrounding areas. Dave Gendell’s APS Spotlight features John and Linda Edwards, the new owners of the M30 Rhumb Punch. Jack Hornor profiles the J/120 in his Used Boat Marketplace. And there’s more…

The SpinSheet Calendar can be found in full on our website as well as in the print edition. Save the dates for these April events:

Argentinean Wine Tasting for Leukemia April 12
Fells Point Pyrate Invasion! April 19
SpinSheet’s Crew Listing Party April 20
Sperry Topsider NOOD Regatta April 25-27

We are currently working on the May issue of SpinSheet. The advertising deadline is April 10. (410) 216-9309

Cover photo by Dan Phelps/SpinSheet

Maryland Day at Annapolis Maritime Museum

The Annapolis Maritime Museum (AMM) will participate in the region-wide celebration of Maryland Day on Sunday, March 30 from noon to 5 p.m. Discover the wealth of history in our own backyard by touring the many historic sites and organizations of the Four Rivers Heritage Area free of charge.

AMM will focus on two of Maryland's state symbols. the terrapin and the skipjack. Terrapin Institude representatives and terrapins will join the Museum's terrapins to provide opportunities for visitors to get up-close-and personal with these beauties of the Bay.

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation's skipjack, Stanley Norman, will be at the Museum docks, as well as the Museum's own little skipjack Lydia D, for visitors to tour. In addition, the National Aquarium's Marine Animal Rescue group will be on hand to discuss and demonstrate the impact marine debris has on Bay animals. There will be hands-on and craft activities throughout the Museum campus for all to enjoy. 

Top photo by  Eastport Elementary Chesapeake Champion Nakeshia Jones. The Chesapeake Champions are participants in an after school program developed by the Annapolis Maritime Museum and Eastport Elementary School. The students’ motto is “Caring, Conserving, and Campaigning for the Chesapeake.”

Photo on right by Jeff Holland, Director of AMM

To learn more about Maryland Day, Chesapeake Champions, and volunteer opportunities, visit www.annapolismaritimemuseum.org

Back to School

Which bus will you take? 

Taken last year during Annapolis Race Week, this shot shows our friends on their Cal 25, affectionately known by the crew as the Short Bus, doing what they love best.

It's back-to-school time for many Chesapeake sailors of all levels. Due to hit the docks in the next couple of days, the April issue of SpinSheet will feature learning opportunities up and down the Bay for newbies and old salts alike.

We're fired up to get back on the water!

Photo by Dave Gendell/SpinSheet

Windsurfer Farrah Hall's Second Chance at #1

Annapolis resident, St. Mary's College of Maryland graduate, and top-ranking windsurfer, Farrah Hall still has a chance to go to the Olympic Games. Last October after winning the U.S. Olympic Trials, Hall had the title torn from her 90 minutes after having won her ticket to Beijing, after runner-up Nancy Rios filed a request for redress that changed the results.

Rios's claim followed a collision and a torn sail, both which she said affected her overall standing. The jury agreed. Following complications about whether or not Hall filed her redress request on time, a formal grievance document Hall drafted for the Olympic Sailing Committee, and some new photographic evidence, U.S. Sailing is holding a special hearing April 9 and 10 in Providence, RI before the original jury members plus two new ones. Hall, Rios, and witnesses will be able to clarify their perspectives.

Hall was the subject of SpinSheet's APS Racer Profile in October 2006. When asked about her favorite escape along the Chesapeake, she responded, "Southern Maryland is my absolute favorite place to sail. The St. Mary's River is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. There is little boat traffic and development, and the area has the classic old tidewater look and feel. As far as windsurfing goes, nothing beats Point Lookout on a windy day... it rivals the Gorge for challenging conditions."

Stay tuned to SpinSheet for the latest developments. Check out a cool video about Hall by the Baltimore Sun.

Above: Farrah Hall at the Olympic Trials. Photo by Rich Roberts

It's Spring!

The vernal equinox officially begins at 1:48 a.m. on March 20. The Annapolis Maritime Museum, neighbors, and friends will begin their spring celebration at 5:03 p.m. this evening with the Sock Burning ceremony.

BYOB, and bring along your friends and dog, too. It's a short and sweet celebration of spring...

Come burn away the winter blues!

www.annapolismaritimemuseum.org

Read more about Sock Burnings up and down the Bay on page 26 of the print edition of SpinSheet.

Sea Safety Seminar on Weather

The Fishing Bay YC in Deltaville, VA is sponsoring a Safety at Sea Seminar at 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. April 12. Pat Healy will lead the morning session on analyzing and understanding marine weather. He is a weather expert, the marketing director for Commanders' Weather Corporation, and an accomplished sailor, coach, and race manager. U.S. Sailing instructor Ralph Naranjo will lead an afternoon session on heavy weather sailing and storm tactics. Naranjo is a circumnavigator, sailing program manager for the Navy, and author. His first-hand experience with heavy weather spans the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans. Admission is $30 per person or $50 per couple. Register early at www.fbyc.net or contact George Burke at burkeg@paraccess.com or (804) 359-1187.

You never know what might develop when you're out and about... Above, an enormous extratropical low is creating havoc along the entire Eastern Atlantic Seaboard in this infrared image at 1200 UTC (0700 EST) on October 30, 1991. Labelled the "perfect storm" by the National Weather Service, the storm sank the swordfishing boat Andrea Gail, whose story became the basis for Sebastian Junger's novel The Perfect Storm. A little-known and bizarre ending came to this monster, called the Halloween Storm. A hurricane developed at the center of the storm as it was dying. The hurricane was not named to avoid further confusion at the time. Image courtesy of NOAA

April PropTalk is on the docks!

A hint of spring is in the air and the April issue of PropTalk magazine is on the docks.

Pick up a copy today and get the 2008 Chesapeake Bay Fishing Preview.

From the April issue - News Flash: Grand Prix Hydroplanes Added to the Fleet for the Cambridge Races, July 26 and 27. The Cambridge Classic, one of the oldest motor sports events in the nation with a history of roostertails, thrills, and spills since 1911, returns to Marsh Park and Hambrooks Bay on the Choptank River with the added attraction of the Grand Prix class of inboard race boats. Admission will be free for viewing from land or on the water. And, like all Chesapeake Bay powerboat racing events, the action never stops. This will be one of only two stops for the Grand Prix racers on the East Coast in 2008.

Shuckin' and Tongin': A Day's Work at McNasby's

As shown here at last year's Grand Ole Osprey with Remember, Inc., actor Tim King will do his rendition of Eastport storyteller Art Teurs at the Annapolis Maritime Museum's Winter Seminar on Thursday night March 13 at 7 p.m. at the Barge House on the AMM campus. Creative Director Shari Valero will bring memories of former watermen to life in her presentation about the last oyster plant in Eastport. 

**This event will not be at Maryland Hall as other Winter Seminars were. It will be held at the Barge House at 723 2nd Street, Annapolis, 21403.

AMM is also actively seeking volunteers for oyster shucking, party planning and management, educational programs for kids, lighthouse tours, and more.

For more information visit www.annapolismaritimemuseum.org or e-mail volunteer@annapolismaritimemuseum.org.

Photo courtesy of Annapolis Maritime Museum.

Brendan Sailing 2007 Awards

On Sunday, March 5, the Brendan Sail Training program presented its 2007 awards and program recap before a crowd of more than 100 at the Annapolis Marriott Waterfront Hotel. The well-respected program enters its 25th year in 2008 and has made a massive impact on the lives of learning disabled youth and their families. Program founder Jim Muldoon says, ‘It has been our experience that the learning process is easier facilitated by ‘doing’ rather than listening, watching, or discussing.”

The program built its base in Annapolis as a mid-summer operation using the facilities of the Annapolis Sailing School. Three summers ago, the program expanded to include sessions at St. Mary’s College of Maryland. Jerry Hauprich of the Downtown Sailing Center was on hand for the awards ceremony and a Baltimore extension of the Brendan program could be coming soon.

The 2007 sessions were filled with enthusiastic participants, instructors, and behind-the-scenes volunteers. Several special awards were presented at the ceremony. Jean and Howard Klutz presented the Nogutsnoglory Award to program participant Brennan Connelly (West River, MD). Jim Muldoon, Jr. presented the Valerie M. Hill Award to Guy Weigand (Silver Spring, MD), a talented and dedicated volunteer. Annapolis Sailing School owner Tim Dowling presented the Jerry and Kathryn Wood Award to Timothy Wilkins (Hollywood, MD). Port Annapolis Marina owner Arthur Birney presented the award named for him to Henry Cloutier (Annapolis). And St. Mary’s College Board of Trustees member Molly Mahoney presented the award named in her honor to program volunteer Marc Apter (Annapolis).

Learn more at www.brendansailing.com.

The Latest from the Docks

Say you’re exhausted, and your crew is hot and crankier than usual. Your bow has spent your “day off” bucking a bumpy Bay breeze. The only things left on your must-have list are a safe harbor, a shower, and dinner. Many marinas on the Chesapeake will give you those happy options and a boatload of others, as well. For example, we know of a resort marina with a breezy hill where wrought iron chairs beckon you to sit, sip lemonade, and quietly take in the view of lazy Carter Creek and surrounding shores. Want bright lights and big cities? For starters, marinas in Norfolk, Washington DC, and Baltimore should do the trick. Like the variety of boats they serve, there’s a Bay marina for most every sailor’s taste.

This year, Annapolis-based Bert Jabin’s Yacht Yard (www.bjyy.com) and Smith’s Marina on the Severn River (www.smithsmarina.com) each have a new travel lift. That news was all it took to plant a seed. We at SpinSheet wondered: what else is new at marinas around the Bay this year? Check out what we’ve discovered, moving up the Bay as the osprey flies...

Read the rest of Ruth Christie's Marina News and Tipping Tips as well as Warren Milberg's "Finding the Right Marina" and Molly Winans's "Is Your Marina Clean?" in the March Marina Section on page 60 of the print edition of SpinSheet.

While you're gearing up for spring sailing season, don't forget to update your online Crew Listing before our party on April 20 from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Annapolis Maritime Museum beach.

Harrington Harbor dock photo by Warren Milberg

Jackstands at Hartge's by Joe Evans/PropTalk