The government may be back in business, but the big news on the outskirts of DC is the 24th Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race. The race started at approximately 1400 (that's 2 pm for you landlubbers) on Oct. 17, when the first warning gun was fired just south of Maryland's Chesapeake Bay Bridge. Schooners are sailing an historical route, 127 knots from Baltimore, MD to Portsmouth, VA.

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Ths Sultana, Chestertown, MD Cpt. Tanya Banks-Christense by Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race Facebook page

The government may be back in business, but the big news on the outskirts of DC is the 24th Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race. The race started at approximately 1400 (that's 2 pm for you landlubbers) on Oct. 17, when the first warning gun was fired just south of Maryland's Chesapeake Bay Bridge.


Adventurer, Annapolis, MD. Cpt. Duncan Hood. by Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race Facebook page

Planning a boat race on the East Coast during hurricane season can be risky business, but King Neptune must have been smiling today as he bestowed near-perfect weather.


LIberty Clipper, Boston, MA. Cpt. Andy Huntoon by Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race Facebook page


The schooners are sailing 127 nautical miles down the Chesapeake Bay from Annapolis to Portsmouth,  Virginia, an historic route. The finish line for classes A and AA is an east-west line at Thimble Shoal Light. Classes B and C finish at Windmill Point and proceed to docking in Portsmouth.


The Virginia from Norfolk, VA. Cpt. Hank Moseley by Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race Facebook page


In 2007 the schooner, Virginia, set a new record of 11 hours,  18 minutes and 53 seconds. She beat the previous record  by well over 90 minutes. That record of 12 hours,  57 minutes,  51 seconds,  was set in 2005 by "Imagine!"


The Bohemian from Davidsonville, MD. Cpt. David Wiedeman by Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race Facebook page


The 2013 Fleet list  includes 35 schooners.

Festivities started in Maryland on Monday. Visitors were able to view the schooners dockside at the Baltimore Marine Center Lighthouse Point,  which is nestled along the waterfront in Baltimore's renowned Inner Harbor. Schoolchildren, as well as young patients receiving treatment at Johns Hopkins, participated in a number of interactive educational activities onboard the ships.


The Parade of Sail Oct. 16, 2013 by Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race Facebook page



On Wednesday the schooners participated in the Parade of Sail in the harbor area.


Heron, Solomons Island, MD. Cpt. Aram Nersesian by Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race Facebook page


The 2012 Parade of Sail as viewed from the crows nest of the Heron can be seen in this video:

The race is designed to focus on the maritime traditions of schooners and to bring attention to the environmental issues facing the Chesapeake Bay. All net proceeds of the race are donated to support youth education efforts aimed at saving the bay.


Sally B., Galesville, MD. Cpt. Daniel MacLeod by Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race Facebook page


More than 150 schooners have participated since the race was initiated 24 years ago. 40 have raced at least five times. The Norfolk Rebel, the only Tugantine in the world, hasn't missed a race yet. (What's a "Tugantine" you ask? More on that tomorrow in Part 2 of this series.)

Norfolk Rebel, Norfolk VA. Cpt. Steve Briggs. Photo: Pam Fraser. by Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race Facebook page


You can track the schooners on a live map at  http://www.baltimoremarinecenters.com .

The race is a grassroots event: the same volunteers who donate work, also donate money. There are no cash awards, these folks do it for the love of sailing! If you want to share the love, donations to the race are tax-deductible under 501(c)3 and qualify for employer matches: http://www.schoonerrace.org


Mystic Whaler, New London, CT. Cpt. John Eginton by Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race Facebook page


Stay tuned for Part Two which includes the enchanting story about how this race got started, the historic schooner route in the Chesapeake Bay, and more about the unique Tugantine.


Pride of Baltimore II, Baltimore, MD. Cpt. Jan Miles by Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race Facebook page

Authors Website: http://www.OceanViewArts.com

Authors Bio:

Meryl Ann Butler is an artist, author, educator and OpedNews Managing Editor who has been actively engaged in utilizing the arts as stepping-stones toward joy-filled wellbeing since she was a hippie. She began writing for OpEdNews in Feb, 2004. She became a Senior Editor in August 2012 and Managing Editor in January, 2013. In June, 2015, the combined views on her articles, diaries and quick link contributions topped one million. She was particularly happy that her article about Bree Newsome removing the Confederate flag was the one that put her past the million mark.

Her art in a wide variety of media can be seen on her YouTube video, "Visionary Artist Meryl Ann Butler on Creativity and Joy" at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcGs2r_66QE

A NYC native, her response to 9-11 was to pen an invitation to healing through creativity, entitled, "90-Minute Quilts: 15+ Projects You Can Stitch in an Afternoon" (Krause 2006), which is a bestseller in the craft field. The sequel, MORE 90-Minute Quilts: 20+ Quick and Easy Projects With Triangles and Squares was released in April, 2011. Her popular video, How to Stitch a Quilt in 90 Minutes with Meryl Ann Butler can be seen at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrShGOQaJQ8

She has been active in a number of international, arts-related projects as a citizen diplomat, and was arts advisor to Baltimore's CIUSSR (Center for Improving US-Soviet Relations), 1987-89. She made two trips to the former USSR in 1987 and 1988 to speak to artists, craftpeople and fashion designers on the topic of utilizing the arts as a tool for global wellbeing. She created the historical "First US-Soviet Children's Peace Quilt Exchange Project" in 1987-88, which was the first time a reciprocal quilt was given to the US from the former USSR.

Her artwork is in collections across the globe.

Meryl Ann is a founding member of The Labyrinth Society and has been building labyrinths since 1992. She publishes an annual article about the topic on OpEdNews on World Labyrinth Day, the first Saturday in May.

OpEdNews Senior Editor Joan Brunwasser interviewed Meryl Ann in "Beyond Surviving: How to Thrive in Challenging Times" at https://www.opednews.com/articles/Beyond-Surviving--How-to-by-Joan-Brunwasser-Anxiety_Appreciation_Coronavirus_Creativity-200318-988.html

Find out more about Meryl Ann's artistic life in "OEN Managing Ed, Meryl Ann Butler, Featured on the Other Side of the Byline" at https://www.opednews.com/Quicklink/OEN-Managing-Ed-Meryl-Ann-in-Life_Arts-Artistic_Artists_Quilt-170917-615.html

On Feb 11, 2017, Senior Editor Joan Brunwasser interviewed Meryl Ann in Pink Power: Sister March, Norfolk, VA at http://www.opednews.com/articles/Pink-Power-Sister-March--by-Joan-Brunwasser-Pussy-Hats-170212-681.html

"Creativity and Healing: The Work of Meryl Ann Butler" by Burl Hall is at
http://www.opednews.com/articles/Creativity-and-Healing--T-by-Burl-Hall-130414-18.html

Burl and Merry Hall interviewed Meryl Ann on their BlogTalk radio show, "Envision This," at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/envision-this/2013/04/11/meryl-ann-butler-art-as-a-medicine-for-the-soul

Archived articles www.opednews.com/author/author1820.html
Older archived articles, from before May 2005 are here.