Annapolis Community Boating and Chesapeake Region Accessible Boating will offer free sailboat rides. The National Sailing Hall of Fame will present the Pride of Baltimore II, a replica of an 1812 clipper ship, and the Manitou yacht, known as President John F. Kennedy's sailing White House. The Kent Narrows Racing Association will have several types of high-speed hydroplanes on display and allow children to sit in the cockpit for photos.
"We love to do that - put them in there and give them a thrill," said Warner, who is also a member of the racing association.
The Annapolis Maritime Museum will have a five-foot model of the Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse on display as well as a skipjack and work boat.
The festival also will feature a newly expanded "Eco Alley" that will focus on preserving the health of the bay and the environment.
The grass roots Annapolis Green Organization, Chesapeake Bay Foundation and other groups will have informational booths.
Kids can study the health of the bay and its creatures, too, at the Wetlands on Wheels exhibit at City Dock. Children also can race through an obstacle course in the Boating Olympics, go on a scavenger hunt, get fake tattoos and play in an inflatable Buccaneer moon bounce. Artworks Studio will teach kids how to make boating arts and crafts.
The festival will close with the opening ceremonies for the J/24 World Championship Regatta, which begins Monday at the Annapolis Yacht Club. Representatives from more than a dozen countries will parade through town with their countries' flags to City Dock.
if you go
Maryland Maritime Heritage Festival runs from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday in Annapolis. Visitors are encouraged to park at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium and take the shuttle.
