A Regatta (or Hurricane Party) Not To Miss
Y ##A wonderfully windy Boatyard Bar & Grill Regatta for CRAB the last weekend in August 2012. Photo by Dan Phelps
Annapolis ATHLETIC CLUB
Celebrating
10 years of
Changing Lives I’d just like to make a special call-out for Chris Johnson. He has been an amazing trainer. He greets me at every session with a big smile. Even though I work with him three times a week, he always keeps our workouts diverse, new interesting, challenging, and FUN! He always encourages me to give that extra bit, even when I think I’m spent!” - Koren Brewer, CVO-Hobo Bags, Annapolis Athletic Club Member since 2006
Annapolis ATHLETIC CLUB
annapolisathleticclub.com | 410.990.1095 80 August 2013 SpinSheet
ou would think that a regatta—always held the last weekend in August—that’s been called off for tropical storms twice and fizzled out for lack of wind a couple of other times wouldn’t be worth your time signing up for. Guess again. The Boatyard Bar & Grill Regatta for Chesapeake Region Accessible Boating (CRAB) is a different animal. “Wait a minute,” you say. “It was windy last year!” Yes, blissfully and record-breakingly so. We were thankful for it and for the rocking party in the drizzle afterward, but here’s the point: we would have gone anyway. There’s a positive vibe in the air at this regatta and a lighthearted attitude toward the competition; although it’s a CBYRA-sanctioned event, every bit as important as the others. Maybe it’s the band, who get everyone on the dance floor, that make it special. Maybe it’s Team DFL, regatta regulars who sport a team costume at each event and who are proud to come in last (although they did well last year and messed up their reputation). Maybe it’s the fun memory of Dick Franyo drawing awards out of a hat in the years racing was cancelled or the lingering memory of a hilarious toy air-guitar lip-syncing contest. What really makes this regatta special is the heart of it: raising funds for CRAB, a non-profit dedicated to making sailing available to people with disabilities. Proceeds from the event keep CRAB sailors on the water for recreation and for competition (see page 83 to read about a winning CRAB skipper). Put Saturday, August 25 on your racing calendar and dance card. You don’t want to miss this one. crabsailing.org spinsheet.com