Greetings, All, from a very chilly Schooner Amistad, currently docked in Solomons Island, MD. We are here en route to Cambridge, MD, taking refuge from a cold front which is generating strong North winds and cold temperatures.

After a pleasant stay in Baltimore, with numerous school groups visiting and the opportunity to host many folks during open houses on-board, Amistad joined a group of 56 other schooners for an event which happens once a year on the Chesapeake Bay: The Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race! This event is a wonderful gathering of ships on the East coast and has always proved to be an enjoyable social event as well as a race—an opportunity for old shipmates to visit and to go aboard other schooners and compare operational schemes. The race itself is from Baltimore to Norfolk, a distance of 126 miles. This year was its 19^th running.

The race began on Thursday, October 16^th in the early afternoon. Amistad was in the AA group, which are the largest schooners participating in the race. Of that class, we are on the smaller side—which is not to our advantage as, generally, bigger is faster. But with a game heart and all sail set, off we went.

The start became crowded when the wind dropped out and all the ships came together at the line. Some of the faster ships were able to break away from the crowd, especially Pride of Baltimore II, who worked her way to the front of the race and seemed poised to stay in front for the duration. We were, however, about to be treated to a whim of nature. Amistad was well to the West of Pride, when the wind started to freshen—on the West side of the course. Suddenly we were sailing at 6 knots and the vessels to our East did not yet have any wind. Within 5 minutes we had caught up with Pride and actually, for a shining instant, we took the lead.

I sure hope some one took a picture…. A short time later, the wind arrived at Pride, her waterline advantage began to take effect and she accelerated ahead.

In any event, it was a fine race with the wind freshening out of the North and all vessels making good time down the Bay.  One vessel, Virginia, that state's tall ship, lost her main gaff around midnight, when the rising wind pressed it against her rigging. That same increase of breeze convinced me to take in Amistad's T’gallant sail, as our boat speed achieved 10 knots sustained.

We finished the race in 19 ˝ hours and arrived in 4^th place with an average speed of just under 7 knots—just about in the middle of the fleet of AAs. And a great time was had by all.

Saturday morning, we again hosted school groups, telling the story of Amistad to several schools and in the afternoon participated as a crew in the awards ceremony and the pig and oyster roast.

We will arrive in Cambridge, MD on Friday to be part of that town's “Schooner Rendezvous”. Cambridge will be a first-time visit for Amistad and I’m looking forward to learning about its rich and diverse history.

Until next time.

Cheers,

John Beebe-Center

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