by Kathleen May

The biannual Annapolis to Newport Race started under clear skies with a wind at a steady ten to twelve knots despite the remnants of tropical storm Allison. Yachts with such distinctive names as Air Mail, Bulldog, Flirt, Incessant, Blue Yankee, Tonic and Chesse Racing were at the starting line ready to race in the fifty- fourth race to Newport from Annapolis. With the steady breeze out of the north conditions were perfect for the yachts to hoist their spinnakers giving them that extra bit of speed at the start and providing spectators with a colorful and spectacular start. Art Libby commodore of the Annapolis Yacht Club over saw the start from the flying bridge of Ralph Deckers seventy - nine foot motor yacht Shiloh was pleased with the start " The wind and the weather cooperated and everything went off with out incident." Libby went on to say," We didn't have a single boat go over the line early. The only trouble we had was keeping all the spectator boats out of the starting area".

Annapolis to Newport is one of the most historic and grueling of the East Coast blue water yacht races. The course heads south on the Chesapeake Bay toward Norfolk Virginia for one hundred and twenty miles. Once past Norfolk racers contend with the strong currents and large container ships coming into and out of the Chesapeake Bay around the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. Turning east toward the Chesapeake lighthouse toward the eastern shore of the bay they head out into the Atlantic Ocean it is at this point navigators aboard the yachts must make the decision of whether to sail the rumline to Newport directly north along the east coast of the USA or continue east to find more favorable winds farther out to sea and then turn their vessel towards the northeast to Newport. The race held since 1947 has progressed from the large wooden sailing yachts of yesteryear into the sleek fast yachts of today.

At precisely twelve noon the race started with Blue Yankee a Reichel Pugh 66 owned by Robert Towne of Stanford Conn. crossing the starting line first. Other yacht classes followed at ten-minute intervals. The spectator fleet followed locally well known and sentimental favorite yachts Donnybrook and Chessie Racing a few miles down the bay as they duked it out for the lead over one another. At the helm of the Bruce Farr designed 52 foot Chessie Racing was owner and the driving force behind Baltimore's last entry into the Whitbread Around the World Yacht Race George Collins. Donnybrook the largest entry in this years race was steered by Jim Muldoon. Both Collins and Muldoon are self made millionaires and epitomize the type of person who enters the Annapolis to Newport. Their goal to win the race and add a silver trophy or two to the trophy case. Other well known skippers have been writer and TV's Firing Line host William F Buckley, America's Cup veteran and media mogul Ted Turner and former governor of Louisiana Huey Long. Some of America's most famous yachting families have also taken part the Roosevelt's and Dupont's to name a few.

Donnybrook and Blue Yankee are favored to battle it out for line honors . Don't count out Chessie Racing, George Collins holds the record with his Santa Cruz 70 which was set in 1999 of forty-seven hours and forty - five minutes beating a twelve year record held by Straight Express a ULDB 70. Collins will no doubt be in the thick of it with his Farr 52.

Regardless of who wins Annapolis to Newport will live up to its billing as a grueling and challenging race. Perhaps Jim Muldoon it put best when he said" Annapolis to Newport has always been one of my favorite distance races because it's so strategically challenging".