Annapolis Yacht

Last weekend's Annapolis Yacht Club annual regatta was a big one, drawing a fleet of about 60 big boats from the three PHRF A splits, PHRF B, and the J/35 class for a 7.7-mile windward-leeward chase that was accomplished in short order despite only moderate breezes and shifty and lumpy conditions.The next day brought out a 72-boat fleet of smaller cruising one-designs plus PHRF C and MORC racers for a similar contest in slightly heavier air.Winning the always competitive 18-boat PHRF A-2 division by a handy margin of more than a minute over second-placer Neil Murphy and his Bird of Prey crew was Annapolis sailor Chuck Coyer and the team aboard Accomplice.

Naked man charged in Annapolis yacht break-in A naked man was arrested and charged with burglary and theft after he was suspected of breaking into a yacht early Friday and stealing alcohol, Annapolis police said. Employees on a boat docked at the Annapolis Yacht Basin in the first block of Compromise St. were awakened about 2 a.m. by sounds of an intruder, police said. The boat's engineer awoke to see a man clothed in a black V-neck T-shirt and dark jeans in his bedroom and chased him off the yacht.

THERE'S A VIDEO I'd like to make someday of Annapolis Harbor on a Wednesday evening this time of year.I'll set the camera on a tripod at the end of a dock in Eastport and start it going just as the sailboats are heading out for the Annapolis Yacht Club races. I'll leave it running at fullest wide-angle, with no pans or zooms, until all the boats come flashing by for the finish line.If you're among those who think that watching a sailboat race is as exciting as watching paint dry on a barn door, or worse yet, golf on TV, you should stand on the Eastport bridge and see the end of that race every Wednesday evening.

Man's body found floating near Annapolis Yacht Club An autopsy was to be performed today on the body of an unidentified man found floating yesterday in the Annapolis harbor, said an Annapolis police spokeswoman. Shortly before 11 a.m., police received a call that the fully clothed body of a man was floating near the Annapolis Yacht Club, said police spokeswoman Jane Schlegel. An initial report did not indicate any signs of foul play, police said. The body was taken to the state medical examiner's office in Baltimore.

In the end, the power of youth overcame wit, agility and sheer trickery to win the anything-goes second annual Build-a-Boat Challenge in Annapolis yesterday.Removing Eastport Yacht Club (EYC) from its throne of victory, the inexperienced Bay Ridge Nursery crew in the light-green Mulchin Mohicans creation took home the coveted title of "Fastest Boat at Sea Trial."This meant neither of the city's two esteemed yachting establishments -- the Eastport and Annapolis yacht clubs -- could defeat a team sponsored by a decidedly earthbound business.

Every Wednesday evening before the summer sun sets over Annapolis, the Severn River becomes a nautical small town. Old friends gather and raise crisp white sails over boats called Maggie, Trophy Wife and Hard Headed Woman. The sailors exchange pleasantries, then prepare to race. The Annapolis Yacht Club's Wednesday night racing series lets sailors pit their wits against the elements on a zig-zag course beginning at the Severn and stretching into the Chesapeake Bay. The races are a midweek mental-health break -- a place where sailboat enthusiasts can bring their children, their parents or a new romantic interest and not take the competition too seriously.

Some see it as a good way to break up the work week. Others see a great way for experts to mix with the scores of recreational sailors who serve as crew members. And for nearly everyone, it's a terrific social event. Even before spring turns into summer, the Annapolis Yacht Club's Wednesday-night races have begun. It's a competition regulars hate to miss because of the unusual camaraderie. The clear light of sunset plays on the water as a parade of sails goes out to the sound of shotguns across the water.

SUMMERTIME in Annapolis is a happening time for all manner of maritime activities. Of course you have your leisure yachting, fishing trips and boat races, but this weekend, something different will be going down. On Saturday, the Annapolis Yacht Club will hold its 10th annual Build-A-Boat Contest at the AYC annex at 1 Compromise St. Participating teams will build their boats on the shores of Spa Creek by the Eastport drawbridge, then test their seaworthiness before racing one another Sunday.

Ann Dunnington Rich, 91, homemaker, secretary Ann D. Rich, a homemaker and former secretary, died of heart failure Oct. 4 at Sur la Branche, her Annapolis home. She was 91. Born Ann Dunnington Hill in Baltimore and raised on Oakdale Road in Roland Park, she graduated from Bryn Mawr School in 1929 and made her debut at the Bachelors Cotillon. During the 1930s, she worked as a secretary at Gilman School and Allied Aviation in Brooklyn Park. She joined the Red Cross during World War II and served in the Philippines, Okinawa and Brazil, where she arranged dances and variety shows.

In the end, the power of youth overcame wit, agility and sheer trickery to win the anything-goes second Build-a-Boat Challenge in Annapolis yesterday.Removing Eastport Yacht Club from its throne of victory, the inexperienced Bay Ridge Nursery crew in its light-green Mulchin Mohicans creation took home the coveted title of Fastest Boat at Sea Trial.This meant neither of the city's two esteemed yachting establishments -- the Eastport and Annapolis yacht clubs -- could defeat a team sponsored by a decidedly earthbound business.

Louis Nicholas "Buster" Phipps Jr., an Annapolis businessman who was once the state's director of Chesapeake Bay Affairs, died of complications from Alzheimer's disease Sunday at La Casa Assisted Living. He was 78. Born on Prince George Street in Annapolis, the son of a state senator and Anne Arundel County political leader who had been mayor of the state capital, Mr. Phipps served in the Army at the end of World War II. He graduated from the University of Maryland in 1950, where he was an All-American lacrosse player, and played football under coach Paul Bryant.

SUMMERTIME in Annapolis is a happening time for all manner of maritime activities. Of course you have your leisure yachting, fishing trips and boat races, but this weekend, something different will be going down. On Saturday, the Annapolis Yacht Club will hold its 10th annual Build-A-Boat Contest at the AYC annex at 1 Compromise St. Participating teams will build their boats on the shores of Spa Creek by the Eastport drawbridge, then test their seaworthiness before racing one another Sunday.

Some see it as a good way to break up the work week. Others see a great way for experts to mix with the scores of recreational sailors who serve as crew members. And for nearly everyone, it's a terrific social event. Even before spring turns into summer, the Annapolis Yacht Club's Wednesday-night races have begun. It's a competition regulars hate to miss because of the unusual camaraderie. The clear light of sunset plays on the water as a parade of sails goes out to the sound of shotguns across the water.

Every Wednesday evening before the summer sun sets over Annapolis, the Severn River becomes a nautical small town. Old friends gather and raise crisp white sails over boats called Maggie, Trophy Wife and Hard Headed Woman. The sailors exchange pleasantries, then prepare to race. The Annapolis Yacht Club's Wednesday night racing series lets sailors pit their wits against the elements on a zig-zag course beginning at the Severn and stretching into the Chesapeake Bay. The races are a midweek mental-health break -- a place where sailboat enthusiasts can bring their children, their parents or a new romantic interest and not take the competition too seriously.

R. Edwin Disharoon Sr., a retired bank president and former chairman of the old Baltimore & Annapolis Railroad -- as well as an avid yachtsman -- died April 12 of a heart attack at his home at Heron Point in Chestertown. He was 93 and previously had lived in Annapolis for 67 years. Born in Nanticoke, Mr. Disharoon attended the University of Maryland and then went to work for Roberts Construction Co., building Ritchie Highway in the 1930s. By then in his 30s, Mr. Disharoon joined the military at the outset of World War II and served with the Army Corps of Engineers, heading the map room in planning the Normandy invasion, said his son, Robert E. Disharoon Jr. of Annapolis.

Art Libby recalls the wintry day a fellow sailboat racer went overboard into frigid Annapolis harbor. Libby's companion was jibing -- turning away from the wind -- which caused the mainsail to shift sides abruptly, and the man didn't let go of the line attached to the sail. "He held on, and before I knew it, his upper body was over the side," said Libby, a veteran winter sailer. Libby's fellow sailer racer was rescued, cold and wet, but unharmed. It was all in a day's outing for the hardy folks who each year take part in the annual Annapolis frostbite racing series, held by Annapolis Yacht Club and Severn Sailing Association.

Louis Nicholas "Buster" Phipps Jr., an Annapolis businessman who was once the state's director of Chesapeake Bay Affairs, died of complications from Alzheimer's disease Sunday at La Casa Assisted Living. He was 78. Born on Prince George Street in Annapolis, the son of a state senator and Anne Arundel County political leader who had been mayor of the state capital, Mr. Phipps served in the Army at the end of World War II. He graduated from the University of Maryland in 1950, where he was an All-American lacrosse player, and played football under coach Paul Bryant.

The 27th annual Annapolis Race Week will fill the waters off Annapolis with about 200 racing sailboats this weekend, as three separate fleets compete on courses spread from just north of the Bay Bridge to the West River.Racing begins this morning, and runs through Monday, with up to two races daily for each fleet -- depending, of course, on cooperative wind conditions.Fleet 1 includes IMS I and II, and PHRF A-1 and A-2, while Fleet 2's racers include IMS III, PHRF B, MORC, and the J/30s.Fleet 3 racers include PHRF C and Nonspinnaker, along with J/24s, Catalina 27s, and Cal 25s.The 200 entrants make it the largest big-boat multi-race regatta on the Northern Bay.The event is run by the Chesapeake Bay Yacht Racing Association, with race management by Annapolis Yacht Club, the Baltimore City Yacht Association, Eastport Yacht Club, the Gibson Island Yacht Squadron, the Magothy River Sailing Association, the Naval Academy Sailing Squadron, the Sailing Club of the Chesapeake, Shearwater Sailing Club and West River Sailing Club.

Aarsand, Knut Jardar KNUT JARDAR AARSAND of Ruby Hall, Arnold, MD on October 19, 2002. Beloved husband of Elaine Clark Aarsand and father of Kurt Aarsand of Owings Mills, MD and Krista Aarsand Bedford, Glyndon, MD; brother of The Reverend Torben G. Aarsand, Hagerstown, MD and the late Ann Margaret Maxwell. Also survived by two grandchildren. Services will be held at St. Martins Evangelical Lutheran Church, Spa Rd. Annapolis, MD on Tuesday, October 22, 2002 at 1:30 P.M. A Memorial celebration will be given at The Annapolis Yacht Club on November 10, 2002 from 1:00 to 4:00 P.M. In lieu of flowers, his family has requested that donations be made to the Annapolis Yacht Club Foundation and the Anne Arundel County SPCA in memory of Knut J. Aarsand.

Ann Dunnington Rich, 91, homemaker, secretary Ann D. Rich, a homemaker and former secretary, died of heart failure Oct. 4 at Sur la Branche, her Annapolis home. She was 91. Born Ann Dunnington Hill in Baltimore and raised on Oakdale Road in Roland Park, she graduated from Bryn Mawr School in 1929 and made her debut at the Bachelors Cotillon. During the 1930s, she worked as a secretary at Gilman School and Allied Aviation in Brooklyn Park. She joined the Red Cross during World War II and served in the Philippines, Okinawa and Brazil, where she arranged dances and variety shows.