The Annapolis Yacht Club overlooks Spa Creek in Annapolis and has a long history of supporting aspiring sailors in the community and encouraging youth participation in the sport. The yacht club’s Foundation (AYCF) announced its latest quarterly grants and scholarships to area sailors and 501(c)(3) organizations totaling $26K, bringing the AYCF contributions to more than $130K for the year.
Chesapeake Bay region yacht clubs work together to improve our communities
Sailors in Annapolis like to refer to our town as “America’s Sailing Capital,” which is a nice play on words since the city is the capital of the State of Maryland. From early spring until late in the fall the bay is filled with boats. To my eye it is a heartwarming sight to see so many people enjoy the freedom of being out on the bay.
Several yacht clubs, sailing schools, and a variety of sailing associations work hard to help people of all ages to get on and enjoy the water. A high percentage of our population has difficulty gaining water access. The mission of every yacht club is to promote sailing as a life-long activity. These organizations support separate foundations to help aspiring sailors learn the sport and encourage more people to spend time boating safely. Adding to this narrative, many programs support projects outside of the sport.
The Eastport Yacht Club Foundation (eycfoundation.org), for example, hosts an annual Marine & Maritime Career Expo for high school students considering a career in the marine industry. The Expo is scheduled each spring and usually takes place at Bert Jabin’s Yacht Yard. Students learn from industry professionals about career opportunities, maritime scholarships, on-the-job training programs, and college courses.
The Eastport Yacht Club also has long hosted a charity regatta to raise funds for cancer research. The first Leukemia Cup was organized in 1993. The Annapolis Yacht Club joined one year later. Between 1993 and 2020 the sailing event raised $4 million dollars, presented to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. In 2022, the name of the regatta was changed to the Maryland Cures Cancer Regatta with the funds being donated to a new cancer center at the University of Maryland Medical Center. Two other prominent charity regattas are held during the year, The Hospice Cup, and the CRAB Cup. Of the latter, the clever anacronym stands for Chesapeake Regional Accessible Boating—the premier organization in the region dedicated to providing recreational sailing opportunities for people with disabilities.
Together, the three race events have been combined into an annual Triple Crown of Charity Sailing. Winners of the contest are determined by a combination of results on the water and the amount of money individual sailors raise. Another fundraising regatta that was formed recently honors the memory of sailing great Jeff Ewenson in support of the EWE Foundation.
This year’s Hospice Cup will be held on September 14th, with the shore party held at Horn Point Marina in Annapolis. Now in it’s 43rd year, the annual regatta raises funds and awareness for hospice care. Participating hospices use funds raised through Hospice Cup to continue to offer quality end-of-life care to patients, their families, and friends.
Eastport Yacht Club commodore Mark Jones says, “EYC has and continues to pride itself on being an organization that is engaged with the community. We support Valhalla Sailing and their Veteran Sailing Program to prevent Veteran Suicide. EYC is proud to support the Seafarers Yacht Club. We work with the team at Seafarers to organize and execute their event that benefits their foundation.”
Jones adds, “We are also the home yacht club for Maryland’s Tall Ship, the Pride of Baltimore II.”
The Seafarers Yacht Club of Annapolis (seafarersyc.com) was formed in 1959 by African American sailors and power boaters. In 1967, the group acquired an abandoned schoolhouse in Eastport and completely renovated the building, along with adding a swimming pool and a deck overlooking Back Creek. The club’s Seafarers Foundation provides swimming lessons for neighborhood children. In 2003, a one-week summer program was formed for at-risk children between the ages of eight and 12 years old from Anne Arundel and Prince George’s counties. In 2018, the program was expanded to two weeks and includes STEM and maritime education. Interestingly, a day of chess instruction is included by the U.S. Chess Center. The Seafarers Foundation supports a Sea Scout Ship 1959 named Commitment in honor of the late Bill Pinkney’s vessel. Pinkney was the first African American to sail solo around the world. The vessel is chartered by the Boys Scouts of America’s National Capital and Baltimore Districts.
This year’s Hospice Cup will be held on September 14th, with the shore party held at Horn Point Marina in Annapolis. Now in it’s 43rd year, the annual regatta raises funds and awareness for hospice care. Participating hospices use funds raised through Hospice Cup to continue to offer quality end-of-life care to patients, their families, and friends.
The Annapolis Yacht Club Foundation (AYCF; aycfoundation.org) works to foster excellence in national and international amateur sailing competition and provides grants to charitable and educational organizations in the Mid-Chesapeake Bay Region. An advisory committee analyzes requests for support.
Commodore Timothy Cusack says, “We support the Annapolis Maritime Museum and Box-of-Rain which connects under-resourced youth to the Chesapeake Bay. The Foundation has provided scholarships for the Annapolis Junior Summer Program.”
Last spring, AYCF hosted a dinner and lecture to support three college sailors who are working to gain a berth in the 2024 and 2028 Olympic Games. Olympian Paul Cayard gave the keynote address to 200 junior sailors prior to a sold-out dinner. The event netted over $100,000. Cusack adds about the Olympic night, “Truly one of the best fundraisers in quite a long time. We hope to build on this year’s success.”
Past Commodores of the Seafarers Yacht Club were recently honored. From left to right: PC Melville Wyche, PC William Woodard, PC George Smith (represented by his wife Vivian), PC David Turner, IPC Benjamin McCottry, and current Commodore Derrick Cogburn.
A few notable sailors the AYCF has supported includes Leo Boucher who is an All-American sailor at St. Mary’s College of Maryland, Joe Morris who made the Olympics in the International 49er Class in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, and Tommy Sitzmann who was a standout in the International Optimist Dinghy Class. He finished 5th in the World Championship out of a 258-boat fleet in 2018.
Currently, the AYCF is supporting Chesapeake Bay sailor, Peter Gibbons-Neff, one of 90 entrants in the Mini Transat. He is the only American in the race. The race stretches 4,050 miles on two legs that start in France to the Canary Islands and a second leg to Guadeloupe in the Caribbean. The race boats are only 21 feet in length. Gibbons-Neff is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and serves active duty in the Marine Corps for 10 years. He was a member of the Academy’s Offshore Sailing Team as a midshipman.
The Severn Sailing Association (SSA; severnsailing.org) was founded in 1954. The mission of the organization is to promote one design racing and education through a vibrant junior sailing program for children between the ages of 5 and 18. The annual dues for a junior member is a modest $47 per year.
The Seafarers Summer Youth Program was established for at-risk children between the ages of 8 and 12 years from Anne Arundel and Prince George’s Counties, providing instruction and practical experiences in first aid and life saving measures, water safety, swimming, fishing, boating, the science of navigation, math and reading skills, etiquette, information on career opportunities in the marine environment.
About 170 youngsters participate each summer. The club makes a point to enroll several children from Eastport that might not be able to afford any fees. In addition, the club sponsors three high school sailing teams during the spring and fall seasons. The club has hosted numerous major national and international championships over the years. Commodore Bruce Empey says SSA does not have a separate foundation like the other clubs in town but does host a regatta that raises funds for the Olivia Constants Foundation through a team race regatta. In 2011, Olivia tragically drowned when her small dinghy sailboat capsized. The regatta pairs sailors of all ages together in different boats. The event is well run and in 2014 was recognized by the U.S. Sailing Association for exceptional race management, awarding SSA with the prestigious St. Petersburg Trophy.
Severn Sailing Association works with local Scout troops to assist in maritime-oriented merit badges. Empey says, “Most of these young people are non-members nor children of members. We supply 60 oyster cages each year in conjunction with the Oyster Recovery Partnership and a local Scout troop. The oysters are recovered and are taken upriver for planting near the Route 50 bridge.”
The Eastport Yacht Club is also heavily involved in the Oyster Recovery Partnership. Additionally, EYC has an Environmental Committee that works closely with Sailor’s for the Sea Clean Regatta’s Program. And one of the most popular events in Annapolis during the Christmas and holiday season is the annual Lights Parade. A portion of the sponsorship revenue goes into the Eastport Yacht Club Foundation.
Junior (youth) sailing programs are the hallmark of many yacht clubs, including Severn Sailing Association in Annapolis, Rock Hall Yacht Club, and Cambridge Yacht Club on the Eastern Shore, among many others.
On the Eastern Shore, the Rock Hall Yacht Club (rockhallyachtclub.org), established in 1937, has a long history of engaging the local community and philanthropic work. The Club’s sailing school offers camp partnerships and scholarships to the community to promote sailing and the enjoyment of the Chesapeake Bay. RHYC welcomes visitors for a day of learning basic sailing instruction and introducing water to children that may not otherwise have the opportunity.
A bit south, the Cambridge Yacht Club (cambridgeyachtclub.com), formed in 1911, hosts an annual fundraiser for the Choptank River Lighthouse and supports an awareness walk for suicide and mental health. Junior sailing is a high priority for the club along with neighboring Tred Avon Yacht Club (tayc.com) in Oxford, Maryland. Both clubs host Log Canoe racing that draws large crowds to watch the racing.
The list of charitable programs supported by passionate sailors and local yacht clubs is long. Improving life for the whole community sets an important example for all.
Gary Jobson is a world-class sailor, television commentator, author, longtime resident of Annapolis, and pre-eminent ambassador for sailing of the United States. He either serves on or has served on the boards of Operation Sail, US Sailing, Olympic Sailing Committee, Leukemia Cup Regatta Series, Annapolis Yacht Club, National Sailing Hall of Fame, Chesapeake Bay Trust Board of Directors, and Visit Annapolis, among many others.
