Sailboat Racing for Fun & Charity New Events Build on Area Traditions by Dick Cooper

The planners of the inaugural Elf Classic Yacht Race and the first American Red Cross One Design Cup couldn’t find two more disparate sailing ideas. Th e E l f C l a s s i c i s p at t e rne d after leisurely weekend pointto-point races by gentlemen yachters of the late 1800s. The racers will row to their boats anchored off the Eastport Yacht Club in Annapolis and set sail

f or S t . M i chaels . On c e i n t h e Eastern Shore harbor, they must anchor, row to the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum and sign in at the Tolchester Bandstand in the heart of the Museum campus. By contrast, the American Red Cross One Design Cup is a two-day flurry of intense racing on small boats manned by one or two sailors who jockey for the finish line in tight formations, often winning

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