Click here for awards and order of finish.

A sloop named FLYER lived up to its name as it seemed to fly to the finish of the 8th annual ELF Classic Yacht Race at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum (CBMM) September 29, 2018. Captain Doug Abbott and his 40’ Cal 40 sloop led from start to finish of the annual race, which raises money for the educational programs of CBMM and the Classic Yacht Restoration Guild (CYRG).

The seven previous races were held in early May, with a start in Annapolis, a race across the Bay and finish at CBMM. This year introduced a new month and a new race course on the Miles River designed to showcase the participants. Eleven classic sailboats raced under near perfect conditions, sunny skies and 15 knots!

FLYER not only was top finisher in the Cruising Class, she also took the prize for First Underway. FLYER sails out of the Tred Avon Yacht Club in Oxford and placed high in this year’s Newport-Bermuda race. Second to finish in the Cruising Class was SOMEDAY, a 1980 40’9” Hinckley/Bill Tripp sloop, with Capt. Richard Rosenthal at the helm. Another 40’9” Hinckley/Bill Tripp boat, the yawl ANYTIME, was third to finish. Captain/owner Walt Shoemaker sails out of Washington, DC.

In the Day Boat class, newcomer PERIWINKLE with Capt. Todd Taylor at the helm was First to Finish, and also was the winner of the Best Dressed Ship award. The 1976 20’ catboat MYSTIC WIND was Second to Finish in the class, and captain/owner Craig Ligibel of Annapolis was honored by the other participants as winner of the Captains Choice Award.

The informal no-ratings race recreates the tradition of centuries-old yacht regattas, to foster interest in restoring and preserving vintage boats that reflect true maritime heritage. ELF, with its summer home at CBMM, is the nation’s oldest sailing yacht still racing. This year’s Classic celebrated the 130th anniversary of ELF’s construction. The new racing format, with a shortened course and anchored exclusively at CBMM, appeared to be a big hit with the participating sailors, who enthusiastically endorsed participating in next year's event.

Save the date for the 9th annual ELF Classic!
Saturday, September 28, 2019 at CBMM.