Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race 2009 - Fells Point Baltimore, Maryland to Portsmouth, VA

*Please note this is a recap of the 2009 race that has been posted in 2010.* 

Wednesday was a full day at Fells Point with over forty schooners participating in the parade of sail that ceremoniously circled the harbor. The day had deteriorated  weather wise to growing overcast skies, but spirits were not swayed by the dampened weather. Cheers of greetings rang out from numerous pockets of spectators lining the shore while the schooners hailed "huzza" echoing  in return from the multiple decks.

Parade of Sails in Baltimore Harbor, Maryland.

Later, at the heels of  the sail, the race organization held a dinner for the race participants at the Latin Palace followed by sea shanty singing at the Wharf Rat that quickly filled to a packed house and the roar of jubilant singing.  Although this unique establishment has certainly had its wooden timbers shaken in the past, it accepted the exultant sailors like a weather beaten vessel.

Wharf Rat in Fells Point, Maryland.

Captains and crew gathered Thursday morning at central square as the town criers issued forth various proclamations. I do not remember the proclamations word for word, but I due recall that the Spirit of Independence was mentioned regarded something about an exploding head on the boat. I dare not elaborate further except to state that it was one of those moments when you just had to be there to appreciate it. The race organization covered a few last details and held an appreciative prayer of safe passage. Following a short safety meeting to apprise the rules of engagement, crews returned to their vessels, and shoved off for the starting line located approximately 15 miles south of Fells Point, at the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. The weather continued to deteriorate throughout the day, and the schooners raised as much sail as they could muster in efforts to make the line with time to jockey for position to begin the race. The conditions at the start line were windy, overcast and drizzly as an eventual 35-knot Nor'easter was looming over the fleet.

Town Criers Fells Point, Maryland.

The start time for the Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race was 13:30 hours and we very close to the start line quickly setting all canvas. The Pride of Baltimore, Schooner Virginia and Mystic Whaler were soon past us, but hey, they are in the AA class so surely they would breeze by an A class boat. We didn't see them again until our arrival in Portsmouth, Virginia. Now I appreciate racing, the speed, competition,and the history of the race as schooners once competed for business, but if you enjoy sailing as much as I do then being on the water is far superior  to being moored to a jetty? Savor the moment! Carpe Diem.

Pride of Baltimore at the start of GCBSR

The schooners were spread out far and wide across the Chesapeake into the evening and by dusk we were by ourselves with no others in sight, with the exception of a spotted commercial tanker in the distance as we sailed towards the Thimble Shoals and the finish line. Frequent radio chatter was heard throughout the night between sailboats and commercial container ships discussing position, but fortunately there were no incidents and the fleet of schooners sailed safely through the pitch-black night.

The Nor'easter continued to build during the night creating inclement weather and frigid conditions during deck watch and frequent tacking.  Dawn brought a gray bay and continued rough conditions with white capped seas. We crossed the finish line just north of Willoughby Spit with a total race time of 23:45-hours. Log entries were kept every hour on the hour, throughout the night and we eventually learned that we had finished last in our class.

In Portsmouth the town rolled out the red carpet to the boaters for the first annual Schooner Days, a celebration of the arrival of the Great Chesapeake Bay Race schooners. Olde Towne was abuzz with activity and Starboards Coffee Kiosk made enough coffee to keep everyone content in the windy and drizzly frigid weather. We had a breakfast at Roger Browns Saturday morning and a great cookout that  afternoon and evening at the North Landing with sing along sea shanties with the Tanners Creek Whalers. Many folks came around and toured the boats (even in the record breaking cold weather) with great enthusiasm.

A cluster of schooners at Portsmouth, Virginia's High Street Landing.

So that concludes the prelude to this years 21st running of the GCBSR. Please check our blog Schooner Racing on the Chesapeake often for ongoing updates and pictures of this years events and race and we look forward to seeing you again in Olde Towne Portsmouth, Virginia during Schooner Days, October 15-17, 2010. See you there!

Tanners Creek Whalers perform during the GCBSR  finale celebration  in Portsmouth, Virginia.

*Sadly noted that the Schooner Virginia will not be a participant in the 21st running of the GCBSR due to ongoing budgetary shortfalls. The Schooner Virginia holds the record time of 11 hours, 18 minutes and 53 seconds in the 2007 Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race. Hats off you and a stout salute for your time. Please contribute to the Schooner Virginia and help her get back under sail! You can visit her website at: http://www.schoonervirginia.org/.  The Schooner Virginia needs your support! You can also contribute by buying Schooner Virginia merchandise. Go to the Schooner Virginia ships store @ Schooner Virginia Ships Store.

Recounting last years Schooner Race- Portsmouth to Fells Point Baltimore, Maryland

*Please note this is a recap of the 2009 race that has been posted in 2010.*

This story began one day in September, 2009, with a phone call from my friend Joe Elder, the owner, with his wife Alison, of Skipjack Nautical Wares and Marine Gallery in Portsmouth, Virginia. Joe wanted to know if I would be interested in participating in the Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race aboard the schooner Spirit of Independence as a photographer, reporter and member of the crew. The purpose was to document the event from the time the Spirit left Portsmouth until the time it returned. Then photograph the Schooner Days events throughout the following weekend. "What a great opportunity this would be," Joe expressed. "You'll have a great time and what an adventure!"

Schooner Spirit of Independence under way.

I thought about the offer for a few days with a little apprehension since I'm by no means a seasoned sailor and this assignment sounded like it potentially required skills that I may lack. My boating experience has been limited to smaller crafts-- canoeing/kayaking whitewater rivers, motor boating on the Rappahannock River and years of live-aboard dive boat trips scuba diving around the globe. I had had the opportunity to sail aboard the Spirit for the first time a few months earlier. We sailed from Portsmouth, VA to Yorktown as an overnight sail. Crewing on board a 65 foot schooner as part of the Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race is a whole different story?  This is not like an amusement park ride that you can simply get off after a short time. Once you've committed to participate and the boat leaves the dock, you're there. If the weather gets rough, you ride it out. You get seasick, you tough it out. And who knows what kind of conditions you might run into on the bay.

But the adventure did sound quite amazing...imagine the thrill of being under sail on a sleek schooner chasing the wind as a participant in the Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race!

I arrived in Portsmouth on a Friday afternoon after an uneventful drive from my home town, Charlottesville, Virginia, and met up with Captain J. C. Waters and the crew of the Spirit. We worked the next day provisioning the schooner and getting her ready for the trip up the bay.  We set sail bright and early Sunday morning for Baltimore, Maryland, with a small gathering of friends waving us off as we headed away from her slip at Tidewater Yacht Marina, north up the Elizabeth River, and then into the Chesapeake Bay. The sail up the bay was a lot of fun with clear skies, light winds and calm seas. Two watches, port and starboard divided two of our three captains, Joy Waters and Peter Youngblood, with several crew members each to sail the boat non-stop on four hour watches. During each watch our duties were to take the helm for at least an hour, keep a careful lookout for any hazards, trim the sails, and navigate the boat using electronic GPS. At dusk we dined on a scrumptious meal prepared by our competent cook while the darkness falling over the bay allowed an incredible panoramic view of the night sky and the glow of the brightening Milky Way. Later in the evening the moon appeared orange and bold above the shimmering bay and suggested an omen of good things to come. Not that mariners have ever been a superstitious kind!

After a non-stop thirty hour trip up the bay, we finally reached our destination, Fells Point, Baltimore, Maryland. We moored - rafted to the Schooner Pirates Lady - along a wharf and headed into the historic district that featured a wide variety of pubs and restaurants in search of fellow schooner-folk. We nestled into a eatery called Shuckers, a sports bar on Thames Street with views of Baltimore's Inner Harbor, and used their free WiFi to report back and check emails. Gotta have WiFi! Thanks Shuckers!

Waterfront view from Shucker's.

Schooner Spirit of Independence moored next to Schooner Pirates Lady at Fells Point Baltimore, Maryland

The rest of Monday and Tuesday everyone scattered in a variety of directions: meeting sailors, exploring the city, shops, restaurants and showers available to the boaters a short walk away from the dock. Fells Point it's cobble stone streets and quaint shops has the feel of an old time shipping town at the height of the age of sail. If you like burgers, check out Kooper's Tavern, sit at the table upstairs by the window and look out into the harbor while you dine. You won't be disappointed and I'm definitely going back this year for sure!  

Kooper's Tavern with awesome burgers and harbor view.