Lady Maryland

Renovations for a pair of Morgan State University dormitories were given the go-ahead today with approval by the state Board of Public Works to spend $500,000 for architectural and design services.The board action in Annapolis is the latest in a series of construction and renovation efforts under way by the Schaefer administration in response to charges made earlier this year by Morgan students that the university's physical needs have been overlooked by the state.Renovations to Harper and Tubman houses, two dorms built in 1952 and 1940 respectively, are scheduled to be completed by the fall of 1992, said Earl Seboda, secretary of the Department of General Services.

In an article yesterday on the Living Classrooms Foundation, the name of its port captain, Christopher Rowsom, was misspelled.The Sun regrets the error.When the 25 fourth-graders sailed aboard the Lady Maryland this week, they began in calm Inner Harbor waters. By the time they reached the Key Bridge, they met winds of up to 30 knots, some cold water in the face and a seriously leaning deck."Wow," someone shouted."All riiiiiight," another yelled.The captain, 28-year-old Pamela Tenner, was calm and purposeful, well-aware that she was responsible for the youngsters on the tilting deck.

Baltimore's Inner Harbor was the scene of a 19th-century-style traffic jam yesterday, with more than 30 schooners sailing back and forth, their sails billowing, crews hauling on lines, the coppery evening sun reflecting off their crisscrossing wakes. The rally of wooden ships served as the opening ceremonies for the Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race. The two-masted ships will race from Annapolis to Norfolk, Va., starting at 1:30 p.m. today, sailing through the night to raise money for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.

CURRENT volunteers' news and needs:Golden Rule Awards, sponsored by J.C. Penney to honor volunteers in Central Maryland who best exemplify the spirit of volunteerism, have a March 16 deadline for nominations. Forms are available at J.C. Penney catalog desks or by calling (301) 298-8100. Awards will be presented April 16 at Martin's West.Chimes Inc. has initiated an official volunteer program for assisting instructors, friendly visiting, help with leisure activities, entertaining, clerical assistance and computer data entry.

CURRENT volunteers' news and needs:Baltimore City Foster Care Review Board wants volunteers to review the cases of children who have been in foster care for six months or more. There is a great need for concerned men and women. Call 554-5797.Charity Golf Tournament sponsored by Associated Roofing Contractors of Maryland to benefit United Way wants participants and volunteers for its June 3 tournament at Wakefield Valley Golf Club in Westminster. Details: 931-8105.Baltimore County Department of Aging Home Team asks volunteers for one hour a week for the elderly to visit in person orby telephone or offer to escort forshopping and doctor's appointments.

WASHINGTON -- They did not sail into a glittering sunset.It was blustery, chilly and wet as the four-day voyage from Baltimore's Inner Harbor by way of the Eastern Shore and Southern Maryland ended yesterday evening at a marina in Southwest Washington.Forty teen-age apprentice sailors, half from inner-city Baltimore and half from inner-city Washington, got a glittering welcome all the same.They were met by balloons, flags, music, refreshments, presentations of awards and gifts, cheering parents, friends and sponsors, and a parade of government officials at the microphone, led by Mayors Kurt L. Schmoke of Baltimore and Sharon Pratt Kelly of Washington.

ABOARD THE PRIDE II -- Climbing up the topmast, Dianne Klair pauses to look around in the setting sun, surveying the lush green of Naushon Island near Martha's Vineyard, Mass., far below."Isn't this great?" she asks, leaning back slightly to get a better view. "It's such a thrill. Sometimes I climb up here when I get up in the morning, just to get the adrenalin flowing."The 24-year-old, a native of Churchville, is one of three Harford County natives working their first summer aboard the Pride of Baltimore II.Ms.

SEMI-FORMAL and nautical attire on the S.O.S. Gala invitation brought out an array of blue blazers, Bermuda shorts, tuxedos, and glittery sequins. The party Saturday night was a hit and raised lots of money ($200,000) for the Lady Maryland Maritime Institute, a group that will oversee the restoration of the last 25 Maryland skipjacks. Stouffer Harborplace Hotel kept the theme nautical and served a popular buffet with an array of tasty seafood dishes.Dennis O'Brien, Lady Maryland president, and his wife, Linda, held forth greeting two tables of Maryland waterman who were happy about the interest in the skipjacks.

A 65-foot-tall observation tower overlooking Baltimore's Inner Harbor is a key component of a $1.5 million expansion proposed for the Maritime Institute, a waterfront teaching center created two years ago to expose young people to the Chesapeake Bay.Rapidly outgrowing their current facilities on Center Dock, a city-owned pier just off Lancaster and Caroline streets, the institute's operators are seeking funding and city approval to build the tower and...

Easton. - In these days of uncertainty and hardship, it's hard to believe that there's anyone out there who isn't looking for an airtight alibi and a foolproof plan, and I have some sympathy for the watermen who are suspicious of Dennis O'Brien of the Lady Maryland Foundation and his Save the Skipjacks agenda.On the other hand, I've got some sympathy for Dennis O'Brien, too. Since the skipjack Sigsbee went down last year (with fine irony, on Chesapeake Appreciation Day) a lot of people have been wringing their hands over the extinction of the last working sail on the Chesapeake, but if anyone else has been trying to do anything about preserving a living, working way of life, I must have been at the movies that night.