Long Wharf in Cambridge will offer free riverside views of vessels competing in the 17th Annual Choptank Heritage Skipjack Race on Saturday, September 21. The race begins at 10 a.m. following a parade of skipjacks out of Cambridge Creek. The start/finish line is just off Long Wharf, allowing spectators close-up views of the action.
Bleacher seating will be available there during the race, as well as food and gift vendors and information booths. Bill Smith will fire his cannon to salute the vessels during the parade and signal the official race start. A radio-controlled skipjack regatta, held by members of the Model Sailing Club of the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, will provide entertainment while the full-size skipjacks are on the middle legs of their race.
Thomas Parker is bringing his traditional buyboat, Thomas J, down from Chestertown to serve as the race committee boat. About eight skipjacks are expected to compete this year, with final numbers dependent on vessels’ condition and schedule availability.
The boats compete for pride, not prize, with each participating skipjack receiving equal show-up money, derived from sponsorships and donations. The skipjack Nathan of Dorchester, acting as host vessel for the event, donates her portion back to the race to allow larger awards to the other skipjacks.The winning skipjack and her captain’s names are engraved on the permanent Choptank Heritage Cup Trophy, established and sponsored by the National Bank of Cambridge. The trophy is kept on display at the Dorchester County Visitor Center. The winning captain receives a smaller version of the trophy. Capt. Ed Farley won the 2012 race with his skipjack, H.M. Krentz.
Craig’s Drug Store is sponsoring the Captains and Crew Reception at Snappers Waterfront Café in Cambridge on Friday, September 20, from 6 to 8 p.m. The public is invited to come out and meet the participants while supporting efforts to keep these traditional Chesapeake Bay oyster-dredging vessels alive and sailing. Reception tickets are $25 if purchased in advance or $30 after September 14 and are available online through the current-race page of the Nathan’s website, www.skipjack-nathan.org.
Craig’s Drug Store also sponsors this year’s race t-shirt, available at Craig’s in Cambridge, at the reception, at Long Wharf during the race, or at the Nathan’s booth at the Dorchester Arts Showcase in Cambridge on Sunday, September 22.
Race programs and 50/50 raffle tickets will be available at the reception and booth locations. Additional donated raffle prizes are a sterling silver skipjack pendant from Bailey’s Jewelers and framed skipjack images by photographer Craig Caldwell. The winning raffle ticket is drawn during the Showcase on Sunday. All proceeds support the race and participating skipjacks.
In addition to the National Bank of Cambridge and Craig’s, other major annual sponsors are the Nathan Foundation, the Dorchester Skipjack Committee, and Snappers Waterfront Café, where the post-race luncheon and trophy presentation take place, as well as this year’s reception.
Tri Gas & Oil has signed on as a Boat Sponsor. Other sponsor commitments include Delmarva Power, Delmarva Printing, Aero Energy, Cambridge Canvas & Sail Loft, Cambridge Rotary Club, and The J.M. Clayton Company. Additional sponsors and donors are welcome and encouraged to contact Race Chairman Lou Hyman at 410-330-6634 for details.
For more information or to make a donation, contact the Dorchester Skipjack Committee at 410-228-7141 or visit its website, www.skipjack-nathan.org.
Copyright © 2013 by Dorchester Skipjack Committee, Inc. Permission is granted to use any photos within this Press Release only for publication and not for sale or resale. All other rights reserved.
..
Write a Letter to the Editor on this Article
We encourage readers to offer their point of view on this article by submitting the following form. Editing is sometimes necessary and is done at the discretion of the editorial staff.