Sultana Projects Downrigging Weekend Starts Today

     Chestertown, Md. -- A fleet of Tall Ships, schooners, and historic wooden boats will be on display in the historic port of Chestertown, Maryland on October 27-30, for what’s been called one of the Chesapeake Bay’s best annual events -- Sultana Projects’ Downrigging Weekend Tall Ship & Wooden Boat Festival.
      Established in 2001, Downrigging Weekend has grown to become one of the largest annual Tall Ship and Wooden Boat gatherings on the East Coast, attracting over 10,000 visitors to Chestertown each Fall. Whether you are a sailor, a lover of wooden boats, a history aficionado, a family looking for a fun weekend, or someone who just loves spending time on the Chesapeake, Downrigging Weekend has something for you.
     Always the highlight of Downrigging Weekend, the festival will feature several opportunities for visitors to sail the historic Chester River aboard their choice of a fleet of visiting Tall Ships and historic sailing craft, including the KALMAR NYCKEL, PRIDE OF BALTIMORE II, LADY MARYLAND, Chestertown’s own schooner SULTANA, and the skipjacks ELSWORTH and SIGSBEE. In addition to the festival’s featured “Tall Ships,” there will also be dozens of privately owned wooden boats and yachts on display on the Chestertown waterfront as part of the Downrigging Weekend Wooden Boat Show.
     Participating vessels include the historic racing sloops ELF and WITCHCRAFT, the 1950 John Alden ketch HOWARD BLACKBURN, the Northern Chesapeake Bay Buyboat Fleet, the Smith Island Crab Skiff Association, as well as dozens of smaller wooden power and sailing craft.
     In addition to wooden boats and activities on the water, Downrigging Weekend will also feature numerous lectures and forums. At 7:00 p.m. on Friday, October 28, bestselling author and noted science journalist Dava Sobel, will present Downrigging Weekend’s keynote lecture based on her award winning book, Longitude - The True Story of the Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time. On Thursday, October 27 at 5:00 p.m., Ryan Lizza, Washington Correspondent for The New Yorker Magazine, will speak on “The Politics of Climate Change” in a lecture based on his acclaimed article, “As the World Burns.” At 5 p.m. on Saturday, October 29, Sultana Projects’ own Chris Cerino will moderate a forum with the builders of the schooner SULTANA to celebrate the 10th anniversary of her launch. All lectures and forums will take place at the Garfield Center for the Performing Arts in Chestertown and are free and open to the public.
     Music will also be a significant theme at Downrigging Weekend. Internationally renowned jazz musician and harmonicist Frederic Yonnet and his band will headline the Downrigging Concert at 8pm on Saturday, October 29 at the Garfield Center for the Performing Arts. Yonnet, who regularly performs with well known artists including Stevie Wonder, Prince, Erykah Badu, and John Legend, has been called the “Jimmy Hendrix of the harmonica.” Comedian David Chapelle, another big fan of Yonnet, once said, “I didn’t even know I liked harmonica music until I heard him play.” In addition to his Saturday evening concert, Yonnet will host a children’s harmonica workshop on Saturday afternoon at 3:00 p.m. at the foot of High Street in Chestertown. Other musical performances for Downrigging Weekend include perennial Annapolis favorites - Them Eastport Oyster Boys, Chris Cerino, and Pam Ortiz & Friends.

     Finally, Downrigging Weekend wouldn’t be complete without plenty of activities for families and children. Sunday, October 30 will be “Family Day” at Downrigging Weekend with loads to do for children and adults, including model boat building and sailing, wildlife exhibits, touch tanks with live sturgeon and rockfish, pumpkin decorating, remote control model sailboat exhibits, and more. Children are also invited to trick-or-treat on the visiting Tall Ships from 2:30-4:30 p.m. on Sunday afternoon. All Family Day events are free with the exception of some model boat building activities.
     Other Downrigging Weekend activities that are great for the family include a fireworks display over Chestertown’s historic harbor, an encampment by The British Marines, exhibits by the Washington Ship Model Society, and a parade of the Smith Island Crab Skiffs.
     For more details about Downrigging Weekend events, including dates, locations, tickets and reservations, visit www.sultanaprojects.org or call 410-778-5954.