Yacht Club

March Annual Burning of the Socks. Held in March at the Eastport Yacht Club. Sailors cast off their socks and burn them to bring in the warmer weather, when sailors are known for their bare feet on the deck. Safety at Sea Seminars. The seminar at the Naval Academy is part of many nationwide that address architecture, sailing safety, first aid, medical emergencies and boat maintenance. The seminar has both indoor and outdoor lessons. Information: Marine Trades Association of Maryland, 410-269-0741 or 301-261-1021.

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.

Forgive the local sailors who just made the U.S. Olympic team for not standing in the spotlight. After three years of hard work and with a full schedule of European competition ahead of them, Liz Filter of Stevensville and Nancy Haberland of Annapolis, along with Rhode Island skipper Carol Cronin, hung up a "Do Not Disturb" sign this month. "We're introducing ourselves to our families once again," said Filter, who is spending time with her husband and two young children. "We're trying to protect our March."

Lillian D. Blakeslee, a homemaker and longtime Towson resident, died of respiratory failure Jan. 15 at the Oak Crest Village retirement community in Parkville. She was 94. Born Lillian Davis in Baltimore, she graduated in 1927 from Eastern High School. She briefly worked as a legal secretary before her 1933 marriage to George Walton Blakeslee Sr., a co-founder of Blakeslee-Lane, the Baltimore commercial photography firm. He died in 1999. Mrs. Blakeslee was a member of the Women's Civic League and Three Arts Club of Homeland.

Holiday sleigh ride, photos with Santa at Horizon farm Horizon Organic Farm has scheduled several events each weekend this month for the holiday season, including a hay/sleigh ride with hot cocoa and cider around the farm each Saturday through Christmas. Cost is $5 per person. Pictures with Santa will be available for $5 per person. Joyous Voices will perform at 5 p.m. Saturday. On Sunday, the third annual Santa Send-off Parade begins. Help send Santa back to North Pole to collect his gifts and prepare for his journey around the world.

In Baltimore County Police identify two people killed in separate crashes TOWSON - The victims of two fatal accidents over the weekend were identified yesterday by county police as a 17-year-old Catonsville girl and a 44-year-old White Marsh man. The teen-ager, Julia Elisabeth Milesky of the 1100 block of Elm Road, was fatally injured when she attempted to turn left onto Butler Road from Belmont Avenue near Glyndon, and her 1996 Oldsmobile Cutlass was...

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.

St. Mary's College of Maryland, defending its reputation as one of the nation's best sailing programs, finished second behind Harvard yesterday in the abbreviated spring Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association team race competition on Detroit's Lake St. Clair. Top-ranked St. Mary's, Harvard, Hobart and Southern California advanced to the final four yesterday, but lack of wind prevented the completion of the event at Crescent Sail Yacht Club. Harvard was declared the winner of the three-day event and the Walter C. Wood Trophy based on the results through the round of eight.

Lester Jay Stone, 92, a regional seascape and nautical painter, will exhibit a collection of 16 oil and watercolor paintings at Antrim 1844 Country House Hotel in Taneytown. A free, public opening reception will be held from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. June 13. Guests are invited to stay for a private dinner with the artist afterward. The six-course dinner costs $62.50 by reservation only. A member of the American Society of Marine Artists, Stone has shown his work from Florida to Maine over four decades.