Sailboat

INSIDE TODAY WHAT THEY'RE SAYING TODAY'S SUN COLUMNISTS Dixon opted for stability When Mayor Sheila Dixon picked Frederick H. Bealefeld III as Baltimore's top cop, she decided to go with stability over change. A local over an outsider, a generational history instead of a clean break. Maryland baltimoresun.com/marbella Colts memories linger on Though he's retired after a long career in the NFL, Ernie Accorsi can't help but look back at the Colts' exit from Baltimore with regrets - and thoughts of how it didn't have to happen.

At the helm of the Seasaw, a 34-foot sailboat, skipper Todd Lochner clutched the giant steering wheel and barked orders to his novice crew over the crackling of his hand-held radio. "Can you undo the knot in the blue line?" Billed as the nation's largest charity regatta, about 80 boats set sail in the Chesapeake Bay near Annapolis yesterday to compete in the 26th annual Hospice Cup. The event drew sailboat enthusiasts and hospice workers, who raised about $400,000 for not-for-profit hospices in Maryland, Virginia and Washington.

If you go WHAT: The U.S. Sailboat Show and Powerboat Shows WHEN: Sailboats will be on display from Thursday to Oct. 9, followed by powerboats from Oct. 12-15. WHERE : Annapolis harbor. Park daily (except Oct. 14) at the Navy Marine Corps Memorial Stadium on Rowe Boulevard for $10 and ride the shuttle buses from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. On Oct. 14, parking is available along Riva Road. Take Route 50 to Exit 22 and follow the signs. The shuttle bus will run from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. COST: VIP tickets for Thursdays are $30. Tickets for Fridays through Mondays are $16 for adults and $8 for children 12 and younger.

At a show known nationally for exhibiting the latest, fastest and most luxurious sailboats hitting the market, a vessel that can skim the surface on two toothpick-like, fiberglass extensions may sound more fitting for a sci-fi movie. The International Moth, a modified version of the popular Australian boat, will make its American debut at the 37th annual U.S. Sailboat Show in Annapolis. The show will run from Thursday to Oct. 9 in Annapolis Harbor, and the 35th annual U.S. Powerboat Show follows: Oct. 12 to 15. Australian Rohan Veal, a champion Moth sailor, will promote the boat.

Deale woman reports sex assault on sailboat A Deale woman reported being sexually assaulted on her live-aboard sailboat early yesterday morning at Shipwright Harbour Marina, Anne Arundel County police said. The woman, 45, told police she was sleeping when the man boarded the sailboat about 2 a.m. and began attacking her. She briefly struggled with the intruder, then escaped via a hatch in the bow of the boat, police said. She used her cell phone to call authorities. The woman was taken to Anne Arundel Medical Center for evaluation, but police said she did not suffer serious injuries.

Coast Guard group tainted by attitude Your Anne Arundel Section article about the Coast Guard Auxiliary ["Ready to jump on board," June 18, 2006] paints it in glowing terms, sadly outweighed by the lead photograph and its caption. It is indeed a shame that the fine educational work and search-and-rescue operations of the Coast Guard Auxiliary are so often overshadowed by the officiousness so clear in that picture. Despite the fact that the auxiliary has no law enforcement function, the auxiliary man presumes to lecture the occupants of the sailboat on the law. And his self-important pronouncement is questionable at best.

On a visit in January to St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, I was standing on the beach watching a spectacular sunset when this beautiful sailboat came across the horizon. I grabbed my camera and captured the moment. Ralph Mirarchi Fallston

During the long days of searching since Philip Merrill's sailboat turned up in the Chesapeake Bay on Saturday without him, family and friends have had difficulty accepting his likely demise. The wind and rough seas seemed no match for the brilliant and blustery Annapolis publisher. Variously described in tributes as a force of nature and larger than life, Mr. Merrill, 72, cut a broad and bold swath through this region and capitals around the world. Through shrewd business acumen, he made himself a millionaire many times over at the same time he was honing his skills as a professional diplomat.

Publisher Philip Merrill, a philanthropist and former diplomat, was missing and feared dead yesterday, a day after disappearing from his yacht during a windy solo sailing excursion on the Chesapeake Bay. Merrill, chairman of Capital-Gazette Newspapers and donor of millions of dollars for causes including the Chesapeake Bay and the University of Maryland's journalism school, left the dock of his Arnold home on the Severn River about 2 p.m. Saturday, and...

A day on the sailboat - knickers, a sun visor, a picnic basket. Maybe a cigar. My kind of afternoon. Women named Buffy and guys who are named Jim, but affectionately called Jimbo by their pals. A day on the sailboat. Hardly fodder for the sports-talk shows. I mean, is sailing even a sport? (Maybe if you're willing to give a trophy to the wind?) I kept thinking about these preconceived notions as the world splashed around me. I sat nervously still on a boat that was flying through the Inner Harbor.