OpSail to Commemorate 200^th 

Anniversary of War of 1812

Mariners will have an opportunity to share the waters with a variety of international tall ships and U.S. Navy craft beginning June 1^st in the Chesapeake Bay region.

Vessels participating in OpSail 2012 are scheduled to visit ports in Norfolk and Cape Charles, Virginia the first 10 days in June before heading up the Bay to Baltimore to commemorate the 200^th anniversary of the War of 1812 and the writing of The Star Spangled Banner.

Tall ships from Russia, Spain, Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, Mexico, and the U.S. are confirmed participants in the multi-port commemoration, which began last month in New Orleans before scheduled visits to San Juan, New York, Norfolk, Baltimore, Boston, and New London.

The long list of ships participating includes the USCG Cutter Eagle, home-ported in New London, Connecticut, a 290-foot-long globetrotting ambassador and sail training ship of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, and the Russian ship Sedov, at 386 feet long, the largest sailing ship in the world. The Sedov is a four-masted barque that trains cadets from the universities of Murmansk, Saint Petersburg and Arkhangelsk.

Multi-day events in each main port will include parades of sail, public visitation, international athletic competitions, community relations activities and air shows featuring the Navy’s Blue Angels. OpSail organizers say the ships will be open for public visiting free of charge.

Cape Charles, an affiliate port of OpSail, will host the tall ships Lynx, Sultana and Appledore V and two Navy patrol craft at its June 8-12 tall ships festival.

Operation Sail, Inc. is a non-profit organization established in 1961 with the endorsement of President John F. Kennedy. Backed by a Joint Congressional Resolution, its mission is to advance sail training and promote goodwill among nations. OpSail has produced five international sailing events in 1964, 1976, 1986, 1992, and 2000, each tied to a patriotic or historical event. For more information, visit opsail.org.

USCG Cutter Eagle. USCG photo

18^th Biennial Bermuda Ocean Race

Sailors competing in the Biennial Bermuda Ocean Race (BOR) will pass the OpSail tall ship fleet as they race out of Chesapeake Bay next month.

The race will begin in Annapolis on Friday, June 8^th, and will end 750 miles later in Bermuda. The race challenges sailors with a unique combination of conditions including unpredictable Bay winds, shipping traffic along busy coastal waters, a Gulf Stream crossing and hazardous reefs encircling Bermuda. The competition welcomes racing veterans, first-timers and cruisers. It’s open to any single- or multi-hulled sailing yacht 28 feet in length overall or greater. There will be spinnaker, non-spinnaker, double-handed and one-design classes. Crews ranging in size from 2 to 28—from professional sailors to Sea Scouts—participated in the 2010 race. More information is available at bermudaoceanrace.com.