Lee di Paula likes showing off his 1930, 50-foot mahogany motor yacht, The Duchess. Not only is the classic considered a sweet ride by fellow boaters, he is proud of the restoration work he did since buying it nearly three years ago. Although the yacht was structurally sound, he had to replace its interior.
"This yacht was getting ready to be taken away to the graveyard," Di Paula said.
This weekend's 10th annual Maryland Maritime Heritage Festival, at City Dock in Annapolis, will mark the first time that he and many others will show off their boats.
The Antique and Classic Boat Society's Chesapeake chapter will have its largest display this year with more than 30 boats, member Chuck Warner said. The show's highlight will be the Elf, a 30-foot sailboat that was built in 1888 and pioneered offshore yacht cruising five years later, according to the National Sailing Hall of Fame.
Another highlight is a 1927 Chris-Craft that has a triple cockpit - one up front, one in the middle and one on the end.
"It's a very unusual design, and you don't see many of them very often," said Rick Franke, who works for the Annapolis Sailing School and is the festival's leader of waterside activities.
The expanded relationship with the boat society is the result of a growing friendship between Warner and Dave Hanson, who is team leader for the festival and a member of the board running the event.
Tom Stalder, volunteer coordinator, said the festival is important because it teaches people about Annapolis' history of oyster and crab houses as well as its continuing prominence as a sailing center.
"If somebody doesn't do it, people forget," said Stalder, who owns a powerboat that he and his wife, Trudy, take around the bay. "It means maintaining our heritage."
The festival evolved from events held when the 1998 Whitbread sailing race - later renamed the Volvo Ocean Race - made a stop in Annapolis.
The festival is a celebration of the Chesapeake Bay, focusing on education, entertainment and stewardship of the area's maritime heritage, according to the festival Web site. It is run by a subsidiary of the Annapolis and Anne Arundel County Chamber of Commerce.
There will be a variety of public events.
