#chester river

[iamtilly]

Here are a few more photos of the Chesapeake Bay/Chester River mural project.

[crabsandbeer]

Downrigging - Chestertown, Maryland by Kevin B. Moore

[swordwhale]

downrigging weekend: you're welcome...

downrigging weekend: you’re welcome…

Each year on Halloween Weekend, Chestertown Maryland hosts a floating timeline (also music, art, food, more food and cool stuff crafted by locals). The waterfront becomes a forest of masts as tall ships from around the bays and east coast flock to this colonial seaport for One Last Big Party before the end of sailing season. Pride and Lynx at night This year we had not one, but TWO War of 1812…

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[swordwhale]

Downrigging began as a friendly sail down the Chester River in Maryland with two local tall ships…

…today parking was a little harder to find, though that lets you walk a few blocks through Chestertown’s historical district with its fabulous architecture. One of my Longship Company friends, Fred, educated us on the variations in colonial brickwork. I tripped everyone up every few strides as I stopped to take pictures. I have a digital camera (the good thing is you can take lots of pictures… the bad thing is… you can take lots of pictures), and a good old Canon with a mighty lens of epic zoom. I loaded it with one precious roll of 200 speed film and carefully guarded each shot.

Today music rang out from the steam calliope boat, from the hurdy gurdy guy. Masts lined the waterfront. We got fish and chips on the dock and climbed aboard a riverboat, rocking in the chop, to eat and look out across the sunlit river and sleek sailing vessels of all sizes.

I boarded the doughty skipjack Elsworth, built in 1901. She used to ply the Bay for oysters; skipjacks are simple, the kind of boat kids draw when they draw a “sailboat”. They’re also easy to sail (crew of three), you needed a boat that took care of itself because you were busy pulling up the oyster dredge.

We set out in the midst of a floating timeline, a TARDIS of epic proportions.

Here’s a taste;

the mainsail goes up like ocean water on Elsworth

Elsworth’s main in full sail

skipjack Sigsbee

some tough kayakers keep pace with Elsworth

Kalmar Nyckel

light fills Kalmar’s square rigged sails

Pride of Baltimore II seen past Elsworth’s boom

Pride fires her cannon

schooner Sultana

Elsworth at dock

furling sail on Kalmar

aloft on Kalmar

Downrigging Weekend Downrigging began as a friendly sail down the Chester River in Maryland with two local tall ships...

[creekcollie]

Warm December days mean dips in the river, fetching sticks and making big splashes.

[swordwhale]

ARRRRRRRRRRR!!!!

Climb aboard mateys…. As sailing season winds to a close in the Chesapeake Bay, tall ships meet at Chestertown, Maryland for a special celebration. Downrigging Weekend started in 2001, when the Sultana, a brand-new replica of a 1760’s topsail schooner, and the Pride of Baltimore II, a replica of the 1800’s sharp-bowed topsail…

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[swordwhale]

never grow up

… who needs a boring yacht when you can have your own pirate ship… Swell modification of a small sailboat, flying a War of 1812 era flag, as well as one that says “don’t give up the ship”.

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[swordwhale]

take the helm Mr. Sulu

take the helm Mr. Sulu

Most ships you’re thinking of steer with wheels… (me, with real sailor Megan, trying not to do something stoopid to the Pride of Baltimore II) before the wheel there was The Tiller; guy in white is handling Sae Hrafn’s tiller, you can see the steerboard (whence came “starboard”) that the tiller is attached to…   I am chasing the longship in my kayak, my friend’s kid is curious, not barfing over…

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