The Corinthians Chesapeake Bay Fleet

The Corinthians Chesapeake Bay Fleet Sail Near and Far This Spring and Summer

Chesapeake Fleet racers in Mystic, CT

On Saturday April 5, The Corinthians held its annual Frostbite Regatta, racing 9-foot Dyer Dhows at Mystic Seaport in Connecticut. Each year the winner is awarded the Ed Colie Frostbite Regatta Memorial Trophy. There was a great turnout with 18 sailors from three Corinthian Fleets: Mystic our hosts, Long Island Sound, and the largest contingent from the Chesapeake Bay Fleet who braved their warmer waters for the cold of the North. Although the forecast was for rain and high winds, the springtime New England weather cooperated.

Winds were gusty, the rain departed, and the tide was rising. Highlighted by four capsizes and two dismastings, the sailors fought valiantly. As noted by the sailing instructors, “If you capsize don’t hold onto the boat, just stand up!” The water depth is only three feet or so.

The two dismastings were particularly interesting. Ted Corning, regatta chairman, was about to cross the finish line in the second race, when his mast was clipped by a boat heading for the leeward mark, breaking the shackle at the hounds holding the headstay with the mast then slowly dropping into Ted’s lap as he glided across the finish line into a solid fifth place. Will Beery, sailed by and said, “Need a shackle?” and produced one from his pocket. Ted’s headstay was repaired before the next start! Will was not only a great sport, but went on to win the regatta for the third year in a row! The second dismasting happened 15 seconds before the start of the third race when the knot holding the headstay mysteriously untied and the mast fell. The skipper, Tony Ray, grabbed the mast, pushed it up with his shoulder, retied the headstay knot, and started—late, but not out of it. He hit the first shift, rounded the weather mark in second, and held on to a second-place finish! In Dyer Dhows, you’re never out of it!

We had six women competitors with the high finish of third place also getting the best woman finish. This feat went to Katie Morgan.

An awards party following the race was hosted by longtime Corinthian Dan Van Winkle at his beautiful home on Mason’s Island.

The Corinthians have a long-standing relationship with Mystic Seaport and are grateful for the cooperation from the Seaport in supporting this event. The Seaport’s fleet of Dyer Dhows is used throughout the year to teach sailing. The maintenance and preparation of such a fleet is accomplished by a dedicated team led by Matt Forte.

Back on the Chesapeake

On April 26 and 27th the Chesapeake Bay fleet held a Non-Procrastinators rendezvous on Clements Creek. Organized by Ed and Tina Burke, the turnout was excellent with 17 boats meeting on the creek. Sailing conditions on the Bay were beautiful that afternoon, until a fast-moving thunderstorm blew through with 30 knot winds out of the northwest. Fortunately, most of the 17 boats were already on their moorings in the well-sheltered creek. The storm was brief, and sunshine quickly followed.

A cocktail party with heavy bring your own hors d’oeuvres ensued on three boats, Menagerie, Erin Brie, and Merlin, rafted together on one of the Navy moorings.

Future Chesapeake Bay Corinthian events scheduled for the summer include a Memorial Day weekend multi club event on the Wye River and a “Grapes and Grains” Spring Cruise June 6 – 14 on the Northern Bay starting in Chestertown and finishing in Middle River at the Baltimore Yacht Club. Stops include Havre de Grace and Georgetown.

Many Chesapeake Bay members will also head north in July for The Corinthian Annual Cruise to be held in Maine July 31 to August 9.

The next Fleet Challenge will be at Eastport Yacht Club in Annapolis on September 20 in J/22s.

The Corinthians are a sailing club with no home base. The club were founded in 1934. There are four fleets: New England, Mystic, Long Island, and Chesapeake Bay. The club encourages sailing, camaraderie, and skill-building among sailors of all experience levels. Activities throughout the year include events on the water and on land. If interested in joining, visit thecorinthians.org.

By Cheryl Young