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The Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race gives landlubbers lots of opportunities to view the boats at the Baltimore Marine Center at Lighthouse Point from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Wednesday. Some will even be open for tours.
There will also be a Parade of Sail at 5 p.m., when the schooners can be viewed from the shorelines of Canton, Fells Point, Harbor East, and the Inner Harbor.
Then, on Thursday, the 23rd annual race—from the Chesapeake Bay Bridge to near Norfolk, VA—kicks off, benefiting the Chesapeake Bay Foundation's children's education programs.
But before the schooners set sail, an All Hands Party will be held on Wednesday night to celebrate the event. It's a private affair for captains, crew, sponsors, and volunteers, who will enjoy a selection of goodies, including this amazing cake, pictured.
The work of edible art was crafted by local home baker Eva Dittrich of Brooklyn. She turns out an array of colorful cakes for friends and family when she's not working in an accounting department. "Creating these cakes is my creative hobby," she says.
The hand-sculpted (gum paste) schooner with Chessie, the legendary sea monster, is 18 inches long and just as tall with gum-paste sails. Eva added crabs, cattails, and other Chesapeake wildlife around the luscious carrot sheet cake, topped with fondant and blue piping gel, to suit the spirit of the party.
If you'd like to be part of the festivities next year without actually sailing, you can volunteer for the Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race by sending an email to Maryland race chairs Paul or Pat Brabazon.
Land-based volunteers assist with docking as the schooners arrive, serve as schooner liaisons, help with the education program, and staff the All Hands Party. And it's all for a good cause—our bay.
Photo by me
