CONTACT: 
Nan Nawrocki, The Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race, 410-458-7489
Laura Stevenson, Sail Baltimore, 410-522-3000

Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race to Set Sail from Baltimore
Sail Baltimore supports GCBSR and the Bay as a race partner

Baltimore, MD - Schooners will set sail for the 2006 Seventeenth Annual - Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race (GCBSR), “Racing to Save the Bay” starting October 11 in historic Fells Point. The race takes place October 12-14 from Annapolis, Maryland to Portsmouth, Virginia. 

The schooners will begin to assemble in Baltimore from October 7-12, 2006.  A variety of events are scheduled during the week. 

• Wednesday, October 11 th at 5:00 p.m. approximately 35+ schooners will participate in a magnificent Parade of Sail through the Fells Point and Inner Harbor waterfront.
• Thursday, October 12 th, the schooners will move from Fells Point to the official starting line located just south of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge near Annapolis.  The starting gun goes off at 1:00 pm sending the schooners on the 127 mile Race to Save the Bay! 
• Saturday, October 14 th the race culminates in an awards ceremony on the waterfront in Olde Town Portsmouth, Virginia.

The Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race is one of the world’s largest and most impressive gatherings of these traditional sailing vessels.  The mission of the race and founder Captain Lane Briggs dream is to:  “To promote public awareness of the Chesapeake’s maritime heritage and to encourage the preservation and improvement of the Chesapeake’s natural resources.”   The proceeds of the race provide on-the-water training for young people to discover the Chesapeake Bay. To date the race has provided more than 2,000 young people the pleasure of spending a day on the Chesapeake learning what they can do to help Save the Bay!

The Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race partners with Sail Baltimore annually in support of the educational programs and of the individual schooners and crews.

“Without the majesty and beauty of these participating vessels, their captains and crews as well as the generous volunteers and sponsors this event would not be possible,” said Laura Stevenson, executive director of Sail Baltimore. “Preserving the Chesapeake Bay, along with the integrity of these ships, is the goal of both Sail Baltimore and The Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race.”  

This year’s race will once again host both familiar friends and new entrants.  For the first time Pride of Baltimore II, the Maryland flagship, will have a chance to race against schooner Virginia, the recently launched flagship of the state of Virginia. The public is invited to view the fleet of magnificent schooners during their stay in either port.

For more information, contact either Nan Nawrocki, Maryland Race Chair (maryland@schoonerrace.org) or Larry Bryant, Virginia Race Chair ( race@schoonerrace.org) or visit the race website at www.schoonerrace.org

For more information on Sail Baltimore and its support of visiting ships, please visit our website at www.sailbaltimore.org or call 410-522-7300.