Sailing for sissies? Think again Whitbread race: World-class boats and sailors will cast a bright light on Maryland and the Chesapeake Bay.

FOLKS attuned to the so-called major sports -- football, basketball, baseball -- might think that sailing is for sissies.

They might gain a new view this week when the Whitbread Round the World Race arrives in Baltimore and then Annapolis.

They'll hear about sailing in oceans bellowing with 30-foot swells and gale-force winds.

Contemplate running short of food and potable water hundreds of miles from port.

Or consider having to stitch up a nasty wound thousands of miles from professional medical help.

The Whitbread's arrival should capture the imaginations of weekend sailors and landlubbers alike. The nine competing boats should start arriving in Baltimore on Wednesday to conclude the seventh of nine legs in the race.

It began in Southampton, England, last September and will cover 31,600 nautical miles before returning there next month.

Winning the Whitbread trophy is the equivalent of capturing the World Cup in soccer. The sailors are among the world's best. The boats are technological marvels, designed with the aid of computers, made of high-strength, lightweight composite materials. The crews navigate with global positioning computers and post daily notices on the Internet.

Marylanders should take note of Chessie Racing, the vessel sponsored by Gibson Island resident and former T. Rowe Price chief executive George Collins. The crew members hope their home-water familiarity will help them improve their fourth-place position.

The fleet left Fort Lauderdale, Fla., yesterday and is expected to cross the finish line at Fort McHenry midweek. Crowds will fill the Inner Harbor for concerts and displays.

The competitors will continue to Annapolis on April 30. The U.S. Coast Guard expects more than 6,000 boats to converge near Sandy Point that weekend for the start of the eighth leg May 3.

Maryland will benefit as backdrop for this 25-year-old international event. Playing host to the Whitbread may spur $20 million in economic activity for Baltimore and Annapolis. More important, it provides the state a prime opportunity to showcase itself as a good place to live -- and to sail.

Pub Date: 4/20/98