ALL-STAR RACE:  On Friday afternoon of June 27th, we held our All-Star Race with many renowned sailboat racers and teams from Annapolis Yacht Club, North and Quantum Sails, Navy Sailing Association, Annapolis Maritime Museum and Eastport Yacht Club.  The sea breeze filled in nicely from the south. The racing began at about 1PM.  At the first start, there was a general recall as nearly all of the boats crowded the line near the committee boat.  Most of the fleet was over, not by inches, but by entire boats.  At the next start, five boats were over and none came back.  Many of the racers just did not appreciate how fast a Chesapeake 20 accelerates.  They were fighting for the right side of the line in order to tack to shore where there are often lifts.  Will Keyworth in Stormy capsized at the start when he lost the tiller on the first tack.  Racing was tight with Jonathan Bartlett and Randy Watson in Starlight taking an early lead.  Joe Gibson with Jason Currie and Bob Blomquist in Gracie finished second.  Stuart Walker with Roger Link in Osprey finished third.  With a thunderstorm brewing, the Race Committee - Rick Jackson as PRO - sent the boats to shelter.  As thunderheads continued overhead, the remainder of the races were canceled.  Laurence Hartge, our venerable class historian, gave out wonderful awards - pillows with Chesapeake 20 profiles handmade by Glenda Blomquist - to the top three places.

Based on comments, the All-Star racers enjoyed sailing Chesapeake 20s - many for the first time.  For Will Keyworth, who raced Gay Lady in the 1960s, it was a chance to test the righting ability of a 20; and for Jack Lynch, a reunion with 20s from when he raced them in the 50s.  The All-Star Race gave our class wonderful exposure to the sailing elite in Annapolis, and many of us learned some excellent tips on how to go really fast.  Following the All-Star Race, we had a traditional fish fry by the Mount Zion Church which was interrupted by a torrential downpour.  We took shelter in the Barge House and under one of the boat sheds.  The wind gods did not cooperate with our lectures and informal talks.  But, many Chesapeake 20 pioneers showed up for the event including Jane Hartge - the widow of Captain Dick Hartge who built most of the classic 20s and her son and daughter, Totch and Susanna Hartge as well as Laurence Hartge, Bob and Jean Hartge, and Neal and Eleanor Kramer.

NATIONALS:  On Saturday and Sunday June 28-29, we held our Nationals.  It was perfect Chesapeake 20 weather on Saturday with a mostly solid southerly.  Racing up the center tended to pay off though the right side tended to be more often favored.  After the final race on Saturday, we all got hit with a thunderstorm whiteout on the way back to harbor.  On Sunday, winds were light and fluky with the last race shortened.  We held five back-to-back races on Saturday that tested the endurance of many of us, and two on Sunday.  Roger Link - our perennial champion (this makes eight in a row) - dominated on both days with five firsts and two thirds in Osprey.  In Kit, Peter Bell - racing with his wife, Mary Bell (and daughter Molly on Saturday) - were steady throughout the series with mostly seconds and thirds.  The tight race was for third between Bob Blomquist in Gracie and Alex Shafer in Stormy. Nick Schlegel had two fours in Ranger on Sunday and ended up tied on points with Stormy.  Thus, Alex Shafer finished third and Nick Schlegel lost the tie breaker for fifth.  Other 20s had some highlights - Ted Weihe with Andrew Resnick in Contrary got a second in the third race.  Sterling Schlegel in Resolute got a third in the first race.  Bill Carleton with Heather Ersts and Chris Johnson in Picardy captured two seconds, and gained valuable experience in righting a 20.

Fifteen Chesapeake 20s on Friday tops the all time high for Annapolis when we had 14 boats in 1942.  Fourteen 20s exceeds our total from last year when we had 13, and is close to an all time high of 16.  It was a beautiful sight to see so many 20s on the race course and half of them are over 60 years old and beautifully restored in nearly all colors of the rainbow.  Donna and Alex Schlegel along with other spectators followed the racing in Blue Mist, their 1911 vintage 52' Consolidated; and Totch Hartge in Mother Goose watched the racing with his mother, Jane Hartge aboard.

At the awards ceremony, Roger Link - our Regatta Chairman - presided, first thanking the Eastport Yacht Club Race Committee - Rick Jackson and his full team - for very well run races with square lines, proper adjustments to weather marks and making tough calls on weather and OCS.   Everyone clapped for each boat as he read off the full race results.  Roger also thanked our sponsors: Annapolis Maritime Museum, Four Rivers Heritage Area, Hartge Nautical Museum, Eastport Y.C., North Sails and Comrent International for their financial and in-kind support.  He thanked Glenda Blomquist for making the All-Star award pillows, and Clay Taylor for arranging the great looking and hot selling class tee shirts (designed by his wife, Pam) and the award caps with the AMM logo on front and C-20 logo on back.  Laurence Hartge handed out the embroidered caps to the top three finishers and first finisher in a classic 20.  Winners of the permanent trophy for the Nationals went to Roger Link and in Osprey; and the Margaret Hoffman trophy (Margaret lived in Eastport) to Alex Schafer in Stormy as top finishing wooden classic boat.  Just back from the Melges 24 Worlds in Italy, Alex is the grandson of Captain Dick Hartge.   We announced plans to again team with the Annapolis Maritime Museum for next year to gain better exposure of our class to the larger Annapolis racing scene, and continue promoting historical Bay racing sailboats.  See the write-up of the regatta on the Annapolis Martime Museum's Website (www:annapolismaritimemuseum.org) with pictures of 20s under a rainbow.

Chesapeake 20 Nationals - June 28-29, 2008 (14 boats) 

Pos	Sail	Boat	Skipper	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Total  Points	Pos
1	203	Osprey	Link, Roger	1	1	[3]	1	1	1	3	8.00	1
2	205	Kit	Bell Jr., Peter	2	2	[5]	3	3	2	5	17.00	2
3	302	Gracie	Blomquist, Bob	6	[8]	1	5	8	3	1	24.00	3
4	26	Stormy	Shafer, Alex	[9]	3	6	2	4	5	8	28.00	4
5	209	Ranger	Schlegel, Nick	[7]	5	4	6	5	4	4	28.00	5
6	210	Picardy	Carleton, Bill	[11]	4	7	8	2	9	2	32.00	6
7	49	Endeavor	Taylor, Clay	4	6	[9]	4	7	7	7	35.00	7
8	202	Resolute	Schlegel, Sterling	3	[15/DNC]	8	7	12	6	11	47.00	8
9	31	Contrary	Weihe, Ted	8	9	2	10	[11]	10	9	48.00	9
10	201	Aurora	Addison, Jay	5	7	12	12	6	[14]	10	52.00	10
11	32	America	McCullough, Carole	10	11	[13]	11	13	8	6	59.00	11
12	88	Mischief	West, Bill	[13]	10	11	9	10	12	13	65.00	12
13	0	Spirit	Hartge, Robin	12	12	10	[13]	9	13	12	68.00	13
14	29	Serenade	Schragger, Ari	[14]	13	14	14	14	11	14	80.00	14

Chesapeake 20 All-Stars Race - June 27, 2008 (15 boats)

Pos Sail    Boat              Guest Skipper                   Crew

1   301       Starlight       Jonathan Barlett (North)    Randy Watson

2   302       Gracie          Joe Gibson (Quantum)       Jason Currie/Bob Blomquist

3   203       Osprey          Stuart Walker (Sailing World) Roger Link

4   202       Resolute       Alex Shafer (Capt. Dick's grandson) Nigel Pitt

5    29       Serenade     Brian Jones  (NASS)           Ron Katz/Sally Sachse

6    49       Endeavor      Jack Lynch (AYC)             Clay Taylor 

7    88       Mischief        Mark Talbott (Spinsheet)   Bill  West

8    22       Mermaid       Ari Schragger (AYC)           Jamila Schragger

OCS

    201       Aurora            Alan Drew (North)             Jay Addison

      31      Contrary          Regan Weaver (EYC)        Brian DeGraw/Gwen Gibson

    205       Kit                 Chuck Coyer (AYC)            Mark Jefferies/Peter Bell

    209       Ranger           Jim Capron (US Sailing)    Robin Hartge

    210       Picardy          Bill Carleton (AMM)            Heather Ersts/Chris Johnson

DNF

    32         America         Eric Fischer (AMM)               Carole McCullough/Elvia Thompson

    26         Stormy           Will Keyworth (North)        Ted Weihe/Jamie Leclerc                  

Notes

(1)	Scoring System is ISAF Low Point 2005-2008
(2)	Finishes in [brackets] denote throwouts

Principal Race Officer: Rick Jackson