Retro October 2012

A decade ago I rode Condor and saw close up the start of the 23rd running of the great! Chesapeake Schooner race.  Covid intervened for a few years and actually changed the format;  now there’s a Bay Race, which begins today, and a virtual race, fund raiser.

In 2012, the starting boat also raised its tugantine sails after all the schooners had passed /checked in at the starting line.

There were too boats many to reprise here, but A. J. Meerwald sailed, as 

did Lady Maryland.  She and Meerwald appeared on this blog way back in 2007 on a foggy summer day.

The Colvin design is evident with Cuchulain. Here’s more on Thomas E. Colvin.

Virginia and Pride of Baltimore II run side by side before the race.

Liberty Clipper and a yawl I’ve never managed to identify pass. I never realized until now that Liberty Clipper was Blount built.

Sultana is a replica of a pre-Revolutionary War  topsail schooner.

Summerwind is no replica;  she’s 1929 Thomaston ME built for a banker just before the October 1929 Crash.

 

Before raising their own sails, the crew of the tugantine shares a libation with the old man of the sea bay.

Then it was tugantine tanbark sails raised and off they scudded to the south end of the Bay.

All photos, WVD, who would love to reprise this race in 2023 . . .

Great! Chesapeake Schooner Race 2

I post this as the race is approaching its finish; see live tracking at the bottom here.

Twenty-fours hours ago Baltimore-based Chock WYTL-65602 was leaving Annapolis to go on station as pin boat 1 . . . the west side of the starting gate.  Pin boat here takes on a whole new meaning.  For a Chock-sibling with a different mission, see bowsprite’s latest here.

Norfolk Rebel, currently itself transformed into a schooner and sailing, was the other pin boat.  Here the jaunty captain and crew relax as schooners arrive at the starting line midday yesterday.

Condor was our platform, dashing around trying to catch the arriving schooners as they plotted a “red-carpet” course toward the pin boats.  No offense to the smaller, class B boats . . . the faster ones . . . but we focused on the larger class A boats.  First in was A. J. Meerwald.  Links to many of the vessels can be found here for full info, but Meerwald is 84 years afloat.

Next across the red carpet . . . Sultana . . .

Lady Maryland . . . whom I sawsome years back in the sixth boro,

Some of the class B boats like the one in the distance . . . I never could identify.  Any help?  RORO is Rigel Leader.

Mystic Whaler and unidentified in background.

And the two vessels  (sort of) that started it all . . .  From l to r, 1916-launched, Tottenville NY-built Virgina  and Pride of Baltimore 2.

Kings Pointer . . .  Summerwind, a 1929 Alden schooner, and unidentified smaller vessels.

Anyone identify these?

Libertate.

A part of the field just minutes before the starter-cannon.

When a schooner races starts on a day with little wind, vessels crowd on all manner of sail, and yet . . . the “natives” on SUPs pass them.  I believe the schooner is Prom Queen, now vying for first across the finish line.

Mystic Whaler and Summerwind, with bulker Clipper Emperor in the distance.

Part of the field follows.  Notice the difference between the start of a schooner race and a tug race.

First Coast bypassed the schooners towing a barge and was already in Norfolk by the wee hours today.

The natives sat down on their boards and hung out at pin boat Chock,

as racers rocket south toward Norfolk.

All fotos by Will Van Dorp.  Thanks to anyone who can identify some of the vessels I could not.

More from the race’s start tomorrow.