WYPR News in Maryland
(2009-10-19)
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The folks at the Eastport Yacht Club had planned to set up a regatta center for the Melges 24 World Championships at the Annapolis Sailing School, far from the main part of town. That's a good spot for sailors, but a lousy place for public relations. No visibility.
So in barely a month they negotiated a lease to use City Dock and Ego Alley, that narrow finger of water jutting into town where boaters tie up to see and be seen.
Sharon Hadsell is commodore of the Eastport Yacht Club and was instrumental in negotiating the lease. She said the location creates an opportunity to show case Annapolis.
"This is a unique opportunity where we're actually going to have the boats berthed here in Ego alley, right here in downtown Annapolis. So, really all of Annapolis is going to get to benefit from this event."
For one thing, city officials estimate it will pump at least half a million dollars into the city's economy. Mayor Ellen Moyers said that's probably a conservative estimate given there will be several hundred competitors.
"And they will be staying here, not only in hotels but in bed and breakfasts but also with people who share their homes and then spend their money in the city for food and drink."
Moyer said she and the city council have been trying for some time to attract an event like this to City Dock, so it was easy to put the lease together; just a matter of getting a couple things worked out.
"And, you know, it just happened. When you want things to happen, you can always, you can always make them, you know, you can always facilitate. And that's basically what we do is we facilitate, open the doors for good things to happen. And this is a good thing."
The regatta is the first major international sailing event to come to city dock since the Volvo Ocean Racers stopped over in 2006. Its presence will improve the city's position in its never ending quest to be known as the Sailing Capitol of America. Move over Newport, Rhode Island.
Melges 24s 24 feet long--are among the latest of high performance yachts. They're named for their designer, Buddy Melges, an Olympic and America's Cup champion.
Hadsell, the Eastport Yacht Club commodore, said they're very fast and very athletic.
"It's really exciting racing. It's fun to watch, we'll have a lot of spectators out there, I'm sure, because these boats really move in any kind of air at all. They are absolutely exciting, speed is what they do. They're incredible."
Liz Filter, the event organizer, said the race has attracted sailing teams from Italy, France, Germany, Great Britain, Ukraine, Norway, the Netherlands and Canada as well as the U.S. And it will include a good number of "rock star" sailors who have raced for the America's Cup and in the Volvo Ocean Race.
"In fact, we've got Chris Larson right here, who's one of those international rock stars. But we've got the defending world champion who's going to be coming, Terry Hutchinson, who we all know, our local favorite. And then we've also got a nice Corinthian fleet, too, those amateurs that want to be out there duking it out with these rock stars"
Hutchinson is a sail maker from Annapolis with a long string of championships to his credit. Larson, the 1997 Rolex Yachtsman of the Year, also lives in Annapolis and was at the lease signing ceremony.
He said he bought a Melges 24 last year and put his team together to prepare for these races.
"We did the North Americans as a prelude to this and got the team back and we sailed well last weekend in a pre-regatta here where we won and several of the good European teams and U.S. teams were here, so everything's going well and we'll start practicing again tomorrow. We'll have five days of good training before the event starts."
The racing, two races a day over six days, begins Sunday and continues through Saturday.
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