A Record-Breaking Hospice Cup Regatta

0 Views

Annapolis sailors turned out in drive final weekend for the annual Hospice Cup regatta, getting in some nice racing whereas serving to increase file funding for the realm’s nonprofit hospice organizations.

Almost 90 boats competed, along with sponsors elevating greater than $200,000, says Hospice Cup Board President Molly Wilmer. It was probably the most profitable occasion in additional than 25 years, with the quantity donated and the variety of donors at a file excessive.

The U.S. Naval Academy Crusing Crew’s Avenger on the course.

Photograph by Wilbur Keyworth/Spinsheet Journal

“The extent of assist from company sponsorships, particular person donations, and staff fundraising offers us hope that we’re certainly growing consciousness among the many neighborhood of the present of hospice care,” Wilmer says. “The spirit of compassion and competitors had been aligned facet by facet this weekend.”

“My father-in-law handed away final fall,” says Jeff Todd of the profitable J/22 Scorching Toddy. “We’re grateful for his hospice care in his final week.” Like most of the different opponents, Todd has been competing within the regatta for many years. “I’ve been collaborating within the Hospice Cups since Walter Cronkite was a grasp of ceremonies. It’s an amazing trigger with glorious race administration.”

This 12 months’s occasion stood out for different causes. As a registered clear regatta, Hospice Cup additionally boasted standing as zero-waste for the primary time in its historical past. Crusing directions inspired use of reusable drink containers and assortment of any trash present in native waters. The crew of RP45 Katsu took the suggestion to coronary heart, retrieving a 30-gallon plastic drum from the Chesapeake Bay on their approach residence from the racecourse and proudly hauling it into the awards occasion the place it was recycled to be used holding refreshments for thirsty racers.

Ninety boats turned out for the regatta, which was held on three racecourses off Annapolis.

Photograph by Wilbur Keyworth/Spinsheet Journal

On-shore sustainability efforts included reusable drinkware and biodegradable eating utensils and dishes. Hospice Cup additionally awarded fleet winners in first, second, and third place in every class with the Ocean Bottle. The trophies funded the gathering of 1,125 kilos of plastic, equal to 45,000 plastic water bottles. Volunteers capped off the weekend’s sustainable efforts with a marina cleanup the next morning.

Circumstances had been superb for enjoyable crusing.

Photograph by Wilbur Keyworth/Spinsheet Journal

The Crusing Membership of the Chesapeake ran the gap race within the Chesapeake and the one-design circle within the Seven River whereas the Storm Trysail Membership led the J/105 course.

Circumstances for the regatta had been higher than forecast, to the delight of sailors like Jim Sagerholm, skipper of the profitable PHRF A entry Aunt Jean. “We went laborious left hoping the prevailing northerly wouldn’t get overridden by the southerly,” mentioned Sagerholm. The tactic paid off with a robust lead on the first mark of the gap race out within the Chesapeake Bay. Regardless of a navigation error, Aunt Jean was capable of appropriate over their competitors and safe the rostrum.

Aunt Jean on her technique to profitable the PHRF A category.

Photograph by Shane Kilberg

Within the mouth of the Severn River course, Jeff Todd on Scorching Toddy credited his crew Chris Ryan. “Good crew work is all the time necessary. The races had been very brief. You needed to get begin and have a transparent lane to the primary mark.”

On the southernmost racecourse, Cedric Lewis on the J/105 Mirage credited their success to ways. “We had good begins and boat velocity. We performed the shifts up the center going upwind and appeared for extra strain downind.” Lewis additionally introduced residence the Van Metre, Sajak, and Hospice Cup trophies for general fleet efficiency, finest efficiency in cruising one-design, and finest three-year efficiency, respectively.

Racecourse motion close to the Chesapeake Bay Bridge.

Photograph by Wilbur Keyworth/Spinsheet Journal

Joe Lombardo on Ingenuity gained the Hospice Class. Extra perpetual trophies included the Geri Manning Memorial Trophy awarded to the crew of the Solaris 44 Tradecraft for finest staff fundraising efficiency, and the Donnybrook-Brendan Crusing trophy, which went to Dan Laughlin aboard the Hood 32 Karma for many youth sailors on board. Laughlin hosted 12-year-old Brendan Crusing camp alumnus Cameron Wakefield.

Loads of breeze made for an action-packed course.

Photograph by Wilbur Keyworth/Spinsheet Journal

This 12 months’s occasion was sponsored by Lyon Rum, whose proprietor, Jamie Windon, has a particular connection to hospice. A longtime volunteer at Talbot Hospice, Windon sponsored the first-ever blindfolded spinnaker packing contest, which rewarded the quickest competitor with a bottle of the native model’s celebrated darkish rum.

The shore occasion additionally featured a stay public sale of William Sutton’s Chasing Crimson, which gained Hospice Cup’s annual artwork competitors, hosted within the spring with the Maryland Federation of Artwork.

“It’s unattainable to place a metric on the worth and impression hospice care has for therefore many households with family members dealing with severe and terminal sickness,” says Wilmer. “However we’re very proud that our neighborhood can come collectively to point out assist at a excessive stage to our associate hospices as they provide compassion, dignity, consolation, and option to sufferers on the finish of life.”

The crew of the RP45 *Katsu retrieved a plastic drum they discovered floating after the race and introduced it to the occasion.*

Photograph by Shane Kilberg

For greater than 40 years, Hospice Cup has supported native care packages for beneath and uninsured sufferers with superior and terminal sickness. Partnering with Montgomery & Prince George’s Hospice, Talbot Hospice, Capital Caring, and the Luminis Well being Gilchrist Lifecare Institute at Anne Arundel Medical Heart, Hospice Cup has raised greater than $30 million because the begin of the race in 1982.

Hospice Cup is a 501(c)3 non-profit group whose mission is to lift consciousness and funds for hospice care in our area. For greater than 40 years, Hospice Cup has frequently supported native care packages in our area, together with Montgomery Hospice, Talbot Hospice, Capital Caring Children, and the Luminis Well being Gilchrist Lifecare Institute at Anne Arundel Medical Heart. For extra data on Hospice Cup, please go to www.hospicecup.org.