Yacht Club

It's midday at what's left of the foot of Otter Point Road in southern Harford County and the members of Otter Point Yacht Club are taking a load off after a hectic morning of rescuing the 58 boats docked there. The street is blocked with picnic tables and beer is iced down in a large metal cooler by the street entrance. Water laps about 6 feet above normal, still making waves at the bottom of the tiny street. It wasn't exactly a party atmosphere, except for the young girl in a tiara and sash.

Annapolis has long had what it takes to be a great sailing capital -- with one glaring exception.Its harbor is beautiful. Its residents are welcoming. Services and amenities for boaters are first-rate.But the home of the city's oldest and best-known sailing organization, the Annapolis Yacht Club, has never seemed right for its setting or its sponsors.A boxy modern building on the edge of a quaint historic district, it combined the heaviness of an office building with the %o blandness of a retail center.

Rachel Holmes Cruzan's ascension to Queen of the Chesapeake in 1948 was anything but smooth sailing. Because her entry was flubbed in the Maryland Yacht Club's pageant, the 17-year-old had no place to stay and spent the night before the contest sleeping on the floor of a sailboat. After a night enduring mosquitoes and noisy partyers, she awoke with little enthusiasm for the contest. "I was ready to go home," said Cruzan, who lived in Bel Air at the time. But to her surprise, Cruzan was picked as queen over five other contestants.

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.

In the second Build-A-Boat Challenge in Annapolis yesterday, contestants came bearing handsaws to cut wood, extension cords to power the saws, clamps to hold the wood together, tape measures to make sure all the pieces fit and brownies to bribe the judges.Their task: To construct in four hours a seaworthy vessel -- no nails or screws allowed -- that will, after launching in Spa Creek, win an hourlong race that will determine which of Annapolis' two yacht clubs can build a better boat.Sweating profusely, 18 teams struggled to make seaworthy vessels out of three sheets of 1/4 -inch Luan plywood, four pieces of 10-foot-long pine boards and two pieces of 8-foot-long pine boards.

The Commodore: An impressive title that means, well, nothing to the outside world.But it is the ultimate quasi-military rank for anyone who wants to dress up like a three-star admiral -- or an extra in Gilbert and Sullivan's "HMS Pinafore."In uniforms covered with stripes, anchors and trefoils, commodores aren't just the heads of their yacht clubs, but the top officers in a play navy.It is up to them to bless the fleet, stir loyalty in the ranks and do other important things, like salute a lot. Plus, it's not bad getting called "Commodore" all day."

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.

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.

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.

Two years ago, when storm surge from Tropical Storm Isabel sent the waters here rising, the boats docked in Otter Point Creek floated up along with them. The Otter Point Yacht Club, however, did not. Nearly eight feet of water rushed inside the tiny clubhouse after a part of the front wall gave in. The drenched interior was destroyed - an overturned jukebox, chairs bobbing in the murky waters, boxes of food submerged. But true to its motto as a "working man's yacht club," a point of pride among members, the club rallied, rebuilding the nearly 60-year-old watering hole by themselves into a sleek new retreat with a stunning view.