March 28, 2024
Annapolis, US 49 F

Party (And Race) Like A Sailor On the Woodwinds

Passengers can experience the thrill of big boat match racing for a third season on the Schooner Woodwind and her twin sister ship Woodwind II on Wednesday nights.

For the third consecutive summer the Woodwinds will be racing in company with the Annapolis Yacht Club’s famous Wednesday night series. The Wednesday night races start off Annapolis, usually at the mouth of the Severn River. 120 boats in ten classes compete over a relatively short course culminating in a spectacular sunset finish off the Yacht club in Spa Creek.

Over the last two summers more than 700 passengers on the Woodwinds experienced the Wednesday night racing scene ‘up close and personal’. Bobby Frey, Race Committee Chairman at Annapolis Yacht Club, the organizers of the series, commented: “Great to see the Woodwinds out there introducing so many people to racing and sailing. You can’t get a better seat in the house to be a part of the racing.”

“After the starting gun, we race out into the Bay and return to finish at the Triton light on the Naval Academy sea wall”, Capt. Jen, one of the Woodwinds’ captains, explains,“This is true match racing, just the two of us competing while the rest of 120 boat fleet races around the buoys and finishes as the sun sets over Annapolis. My dad, Capt. Ken Kaye, captains one boat while I captain the other. We have been racing against one another for many years so the competition is very intense. Last summer I won seven races while my dad took the gun on six. Sailors on board may, at the captain’s direction, help with steering, sail handling and trimming and shifting live ballast -may the best boat win!”

Tickets to sail on race nights include a soft drink and a snack. On race nights the boats’ cash bar will feature a classic Mount Gay Rum punch straight from Barbados. Mount Gay is partnering with the Woodwinds for this match racing series and will be giving away two t-shirts on each boat. Sailors boarding wearing a red Mount Gay Regatta Cap will receive their first rum punch free.

“This will be a true racing experience,” Capt. Kaye continued. “The Boatyard Bar and Grill’s photo boat video tapes our racing and shows the videos at an informal get together at the Boatyard after the race. Participants rub elbows and trade stories with the rest of the Wednesday night racers. We have arranged for a free Mount Gay rum cocktail at the Boatyard only for Woodwind’s “guest crew”. The camaraderie of an after the race gathering is an important part of the whole experience for any racing sailor. We hope to give the experience and thrill of big boat match racing to as many folks as possible. We are calling this whole experience – “Party Like a Sailor”

The Wednesday night series begins April 27 and runs through September 7. Ticket prices for this and all sunset sails are $39 for adults and $25 for children under 12.

For more information and to order tickets, visit www.schoonerwoodwind.com.

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