A SALTY BUNCH ~ THE SCHOONER CAPTAINS

Just kidding, you couldn’t meet a nicer bunch of gentlemen! Best wishes to all for a great race.

Gloucester Schooner Race Captains 2016 copyright Kim SmithThe Captain’s meeting, Sunday morning, Schooner Festival 2016

Tracking the Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race (GCBSR)

The GCBSR starts Thursday October 15th at 1330.  Each boat carries a transponder and can be tracked via the website link below.  The race course is 127 miles straight down the Chesapeake from Annapolis to Thimble Shoal Light off Hampton Roads.  Participating schooners that have raced in Gloucester include Adventure (MD). Adventurer 65, Apella, Liberty Clipper, Light Reign, Malabar II, Norfolk Rebel, Pride of Baltimore II, Summerwind and When and If.  Here is the complete entry list.  http://www.gcbsr.org/#!fleet-2015/chps

There is a legendary Awards Ceremony/Oyster and Pig Roast October 17th at the Portsmouth, VA Visitor Center (photo).  Operatives from the Gloucester Schooner Festival Committee will be present.

http://www.baltimoremarinecenters.com/About-BMC/Schooner-Race-Tracking.aspx

Al Bezanson

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Short walk to Pig Roast

Bring on the Rain – I Know Where I’m Going

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I considered posting a gloomy photo of rain running down a window pane. That could be depressing and sappy, but it’s not my style. When rain and storms block in the way, don’t slow down, stay the course. Move forward to where you want to go. During a rainy Gloucester Schooner Race, Captain Steve Douglass looks ahead, consults his charts, and sees beyond the rain. I do not look at the rain dripping down the glass, but rather navigate as Captain Douglass does: Carry on toward your destination. I welcome the impending rain.

Gloucester Schooner Festival Labor Day Weekend- Info

Continue reading “Gloucester Schooner Festival Labor Day Weekend- Info”

Track the Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race

The 127 mile Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race (GCBSR) starts October 17th.  This year’s fleet includes several schooners familiar to us here in Gloucester ___  Adventurer 65, Hindu, Liberty Clipper, Light Reign, Norfolk Rebel, Pride of Baltimore II and Virginia.  http://www.schoonerrace.org/fleet13.htm

Portsmouth 06 (9)Portsmouth Visitor Center

Every boat will have a tracker to enable watching the race live.   Keep your eye on the race website for a tracker link to be posted prior to the start.  The Chesapeake can get pretty rough, and this has often been the case.  To add interest you can get real time wind info as well as the forecast along the route from the NOAA site.  I did this race in Green Dragon six times and am familiar with the bay and many of the boats, so it’s great sport watching on the internet.   An all-nighter at the computer in a safe, dry, warm place with a little rum is not a terrible alternative to racing.

There is an all-day pig and oyster roast / awards ceremony at the Portsmouth, VA Visitor Center.  I got these shots from the adjacent Marriott Hotel.

Al Bezanson

Riding with King Eider and the Schooners

King Eider Captain Steve Douglass brings us thru a rain squall to the Gloucester Schooner Race.
King Eider Captain Steve Douglass brings us thru a rain squall to the Gloucester Schooner Race.

Passengers getting wet.
Passengers getting wet.

Captain Steve Douglas can position the Eider for the best schooner photos.
Captain Steve Douglas can position the Eider for the best schooner photos.

Steven Douglass with first mate and wife Virginia. A totally good experience.
Steven Douglass with first mate and wife Virginia. A totally good experience.

The Gloucester Schooner Adventure, built in 1926, joins the race for the first time in 20 years. She placed 2nd.
The Gloucester Schooner Adventure, built in 1926, joins the race for the first time in 20 years. She placed 2nd.