The Miles River Yacht Club and the Maryland Capital Yacht Club staged their annual Memorial Day races from Annapolis to St. Michaels and back the next day, drawing a typically large fleet last weekend.
More than 160 boats started the race last Saturday morning from the mouth of the Severn River, sailing either a 24.3-mile course for the MORC, J/30 and PHRF A-C divisions or a 17.2-mile version for the other cruising one-designs, the multihulls, and PHRF Sport and Nonspinnaker. Light and fluky air stretched out the time for many finishers, although Miles River did not report times for the race.
After Miles River's traditional Saturday night bash, more than 100 crews made the return trip, covering the 17-mile distance from the Miles River back to the Severn in near-record time as strong breezes propelled the fleet.
MRYC Annapolis to Miles River Race
MORC (11 starters): 1. Skylarkn, Robert Dunning, Easton; 2. Azure, Dave Prucnal, Pasadena; 3. Tops Optional, Steve Olinger, Annapolis.
PHRF A-0 (4 starters): 1. Challenge America, St. Mary's College, St. Mary's City; 2. Predator, Steve Kaminer, Washington; 3. Destination, Ken Klotz, Morganville, N.J.
PHRF A-1 (20 starters): 1. Hot Toddy, Jeff Todd, Annapolis; 2. Infringer, Donald Zinn, Annapolis; 3. Cheers, Tim Bowen, Bowie.
PHRF A-2 (15 starters): 1. The Simpsons, Thompson/Shannahan, Michaels; 2. White Lie, Glenn Robbins, Severna Park; 3. Terrific, Olaf tom Felde, Annapolis.
PHRF B (18 starters): 1. K.C. Express, Scott/Smith, Annapolis/Cambridge; 2. Nicole, T. Coleman duPont, Easton; 3. Sundance, James Wilson, Severna Park.
PHRF C (15 starters): 1. Shockwave, Nick Serinis, Severna Park; 2. Restless, Eric Crawford, Easton; 3. Sails Call, Richard Baucom, Davidsonville.
PHRF Nonspinnaker (13 starters): 1. Spice, Ray Taylor, Annapolis; 2. Serendipity, Dave and Laura Ellerbrake, Severna Park; 3. Accomplice, Coyer/Lee, Annapolis.
PHRF Sport (5 starters): 1. Yellow Bird, Richard Heintz, West River; 2. Warp Speed, Neil Murphy, Falls Church, Va.; 3. Trippwire, Groobey/Hronek, Annapolis.
J/30 (18 starters): 1. Cannonball, William Wallop, Annapolis; 2. Better Mousetrap, Bob Putnam, Greenbelt; 3. Vivacious, Bill Munz, Annapolis.
Rainbow (4 starters): 1. Blue Devils, Keith Strother, (hometown unavailable); 2. Dragonfly, William Sloan, (hometown unavailable).
Catalina 27 (10 starters): 1. Finnegan's Wake, John O'Brien, Pasadena; 2. Gusto, John Potvin, Annapolis; 3. Four Little Ducks, Tom Walsh, Annapolis.
Alberg 30 (10 starters): 1. Sundance, Nye/Evans, Annapolis; 2. Limerick, Pat Gorman, Annapolis; 3. Phantom, Bruce Breiding, Washington.
Triton (6 starters): 1. Winsome, John Hayes, Arnold; 2. Sea Deuced, Eleanor Holmes, Great Falls, Va.; 3. Sandpiper, Chris Gordon, Chevy Chase.
Pearson 30 (8 starters): 1. Severn Run, Norm Baldwin, Annapolis; 2. Vahevala, David Sharp, Annapolis; 3. Solstice, Bruce Drury, Bethesda.
Multihull (9 starters): 1. Gemini, Jere Glover, Annapolis; 2. Sea Trek, Edward Boyle, (hometown unavailable); 3. (no name), Tom Armstrong, (hometown unavailable).
MCYC Miles River Race Back
PHRF A-0 (3 starters): 1. Predator, Kaminer, 2:41:22 c.t.
PHRF A-1 (12 starters): 1. WOFTAM, Michie/Clark, 2:32:25 c.t.; 2. Infringer, Zinn, 2:33:48 c.t.; 3. Moving Violation, Sam Owings, Annapolis, 2:34:06 c.t.
PHRF A-2 (11 starters): 1. Warp Speed, Murphy, 2:32:34 c.t.; 2. Expectation, Omar Jacomini, Severna Park, 2:33:11 c.t.; 3. Terrific, Olaf tom Felde, 2:33:34 c.t.
PHRF B (9 starters): 1. K.C. Express, Scott/Smith, 2:23:56 c.t.; 2. Flying Circus, Jervis Dorton, Columbia, 2:27:39 c.t.; 3. Stinger, C. Harwin Smith, Wilmington, Del., 2:28:54 c.t.
PHRF C (6 starters): 1. Sails Call, Baucom, 2:26:41 c.t.; 2. Wined-Up Toy, Gregory Robinson, Severna Park, 2: 35:43 c.t.; 3. Blue Water, Robert Orme, (hometown unavailable), 2:37:37 c.t.
PHRF Nonspinnaker (8 starters): 1. Class, Bob and Patti Polk, Annapolis, 2:44:31 c.t.; 2. Accomplice, Coyer, 2:52:26 c.t.; 3. Trinity, Joel Beren, Butler, 2:54:26 c.t.
Rainbow (3 starters): 1. Jack Tar, Leigh Doptis, Arlington, Va.
MORC (11 starters): 1. Problem Child, Brian Jones, Annapolis, 2:14:01 c.t.; 2. Fast Company, Barry Moss, Bethesda, 1:24:55 c.t.; 3. Tops Optional, Olinger, 2:25:35 c.t.
J/30 (11 starters): 1. Gunsmoke, Mike McGuirk, Bel Air; 2. Vivacious, Munz; 2. Better Mousetrap, Putnam.
Pearson 30 (7 starters): 1. Knotbobs, Dan Miller, Baltimore; 2. Vahevala, Sharp; 3. Conatus, Rick Warren, Annapolis.
Catalina 27 (10 starters): 1. Finnegan's Wake, O'Brien; 2. Finesse, Baxter/Becker, Bowie; 3. Chaos, Jack Graham, Baltimore.
Triton (5 starters): 1. Sandpiper, Gordon; 2. Winsome, Hayes; 3. Sea Deuced, Holmes.
Multihull (8 starters): 1. The Karis, Michael Ivy, Arlington, Va., 3:00:40 c.t.; 2. Gemini, Glover, 3:34:12 c.t.; 3. Sea Trek, Boyle, 3:22:07 c.t.
Lighthouse Challenge
The Cape St. Claire Yacht Club's Chesapeake Lighthouse Challenge occupied a couple of days for a small, but determined, fleet over the Memorial Day weekend.
In PHRF A, five crews made the 282-mile voyage down the bay, around Chesapeake Light off the mouth of the bay and back, while a four-boat fleet in PHRF C rounded Smith Point Light at the mouth of the Potomac before heading back up-bay.
Chesapeake Lighthouse Challenge
PHRF A (5 starters, 282 miles): 1. La Chasseresse, Carl Geyer, Severna Park, 1:11:48:36 c.t.; 2. Coyote, Gene Barnhart, Annapolis, 1:11:49:34 c.t.; 3. Dreamer, Craig MacGibbon, Bowie, 08 c.t.; 4. Donnybrook, Jim Muldoon, Washington, 1:18:15:17 c.t.
PHRF C (4 starters, 142 miles): 1. Triple Dee III, Peter Driscoll, Beallsville, 0:21:02:51 c.t.; 2. Scrimshaw, Charles Deakyne, Annapolis, 0:21:22:14 c.t.; 3. Aire Locke, Ray Locke, (hometown unavailable), 0:22:25:44 c.t.; 4. Windspiel, W. M. Mueller, Cockeysville, 0:23:00:19 c.t.
Bermuda bound
The biennial Annapolis-to-Bermuda Ocean Race starts Friday at the mouth of the Severn River at 4 p.m. for the 50 boats registered in six classes.
Everyone aged 21 and older is invited to the official send-off -- Eastport Yacht Club's Spring Cotillion -- 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. Thursday at the Annapolis City Marina on Severn Avenue in Eastport (admission, $8; live music by Caribash; cash bar, food).
Spectator opportunities at the start are available through Chesapeake Marine Tours, (410) 268-7600.
A contingent of 17 local boats will be heading north to Newport, R.I., to join the fleet of more than 100 entries for the June 17 start of the venerable Newport-to-Bermuda Race.