DOCKSIDE PORTSMOUTH, VIRGINIA
GREAT CHESAPEAKE BAY SCHOONER RACE RESULTS FOR 2010
The Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race awards were presented late afternoon yesterday. PRIDE was awarded the exquisite ship’s clock “LINE HONORS” award…recognizing that PRIDE was indeed the first boat in fleet to finish the race. PRIDE was also awarded 2nd in Class AA,while the United States Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point entry, SUMMERWIND, was awarded 1st in Class AA.
There is a handicap for all of the schooners. While Line Honors is awarded to the first schooner to finish, the handicap establishes the fist three “winners” of the each racing class in the race based on a time allowance created from the handicap system. 3rd in Class AA went to Privateer LYNX.
Handicaps are sometimes funny things. For instance LYNX was rated in such a way as she had to “give” time to SUMMERWIND. Meaning that in this race LYNX would have had to lead SUMMERWIND across the finish line by nearly an hour in order to actually place ahead of her. From the perspective of technological representation alone, such a rating where LYNX, a model of a 1812 War Privateer, gives time to the highly modified 1929 schooner yacht SUMMERWIND does not make sense. Even so, LYNX did very well to cross the finish line only 15 minutes behind SUMMERWIND.
Meanwhile the success of this schooner race is to be envied by all. It provides support to all things good about the Chesapeake Bay ~ Financial support to the Save the Bay Foundation; education of youth about schooners and the Chesapeake Bay; and mutually supportive community that spans the Maryland/Virginia border. The race also gathers what is the largest fleet of schooners in North America and maybe the world. What a remarkable legacy for all of us and thank you to the originator of the idea…Captain Lane Briggs…a most beloved character of the Chesapeake Bay from Tidewater Virginia.
Signed,
Jan C. Miles, Captain aboard Pride of Baltimore II
