Elf Classic Yacht Race to Benefit Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum

     St. Michaels, MD -- Launching at Annapolis’ Eastport Yacht Club on Saturday, May 21, the inaugural Elf Classic Yacht Race will bring the centuries-old tradition of yacht racing to the Bay in a race benefiting and ending at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum (CBMM) in St. Michaels, Maryland.
     Organized by the Classic Yacht Restoration Guild (CYRG), the race’s flagship will be the CYRG’s restored 1888 racing yacht Elf. More than ten classic yachts will join Elf in a cloud of traditional sail for an 1880s-style race from Annapolis to St. Michaels. Featuring the nautical version of a Le Mans start, the race will have yacht captains row to their vessels in the Annapolis harbor to raise their anchors, sails and get underway.
     Spectators are invited to watch this unique 9 a.m. start off the Eastport Yacht Club and then spend the day at CBMM in St. Michaels as the racing fleet runs in during the afternoon. Captains will finish the race by anchoring off the museum and rowing to shore to sign the race log at the historic Tolchester Beach Bandstand on the museum’s grounds.
     The event coincides with the museum’s annual Maritime Model Expo, which runs May 21-22. The events are free for museum members or with admission.
     “We are really pleased to be recreating a by-gone era of yacht racing on the Chesapeake while supporting Elf’s homeport, the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum,” said CYRG President and Elf’s Captain Rick Carrion.
     Proceeds from the race benefit the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum and its mission to inspire an understanding of and appreciation for the rich maritime heritage of the Chesapeake Bay and its tidal reaches, together with the artifacts, cultures and connections between this place and its people. More information about the museum can be found at http://www.cbmm.org/ or by calling 410-745-2916.
     To register your yacht for the race or for sponsor information, contact CYRG’s Rick Carrion at elf1888@earthlink.net. Early registration is recommended, with wooden, classic and traditional yachts given preference when participating vessel limits are reached.
     The Classic Yacht Restoration Guild is a membership organization dedicated to the preservation of maritime heritage through the maintenance and operation of the Elf. Built by the renowned Lawley Yard in Boston, Elf was restored to historically accurate condition by CRYG and re-launched in 2008. Go to http://www.cyrg.org/ for more information or search Classic Yacht Restoration Guild on facebook.