Bobby and Helen Orme

The Chesapeake 20 fleet lost two of our pioneers in 2007 and 2008 with the passing of Bobby and Helen Orme.  They were a racing team that began racing a series of Blue Water C-20s from 1940.

This summer prior to her death, Helen Orme gave the association their racing scrap book and several half model Chesapeake 20 awards.  The models will be part of the Chesapeake 20 display at the Annapolis Maritime Museum when it is completed.  In our interview, she told me that Bobby was raised in the Washington D.C. and was an outstanding football player.  They were part of the C-20 fleet as pre-World War II members of the Potomac River Sailing Association and Corinthian Yacht Club.   They owned four Chesapeake 20s, all named Blue Water (including Spirit and America now owned by Robin Hartge and Carole McCullough, respectively).  The scrap book added racing records from the early 1940s, to our archives which are currently being put online.

Bobby and Helen moved to Rhode River to own and manage the Blue Water Marina.  She said that the move to Rhode River made them "outsiders" and they had to prove their racing prowess against Buddy Hartge, Billy Heintz and others at West River.  They frequently towed Chesapeake 20s behind their wooden buy boat.  Once they sailed Blue Water from Rhode River to Washington D.C. for the President's Cup.  The trip took five days.  Bobby was known to take young men under his wing including launching Willie Keyworth's career, now the director of the Annapolis North Sails loft.  They also restored several 20s over the years, including Gay Lady, now owned by Billy Crandall's daughter, Shannon. Attached are early pictures (1941) of Helen and Bobby with Blue Water and towing behind their buy boat.