A rising tide floats all boats!
Since its inception in 2020, the Virtual Race has grown in participation, exposure and funds raised for area nonprofits. Everybody wins!
Amount raised in 2025: $72,333.19
Amount raised to date: over $420,000.00
Vessels connected to a parent nonprofit can race for their own organization or team up with area nonprofits that align with GCBSR’s broad mission.
Bay-area nonprofits that align with GCBSR’s mission can also reach out to qualifying vessels to partner with them for the race.
GCBSR provides the platform, tools and tips to help vessel and nonprofit connect with their members and potential donors.
Whichever boat raises the most money at the end of the three-day race is declared the winner, but there are no losers. Everybody benefits!
Benefit to Chesapeake Bay Area Nonprofits
To get a sense of how many worthy organizations have benefitted from this fundraiser, take a look at Virtual Race Results. Here are some examples:
Lady Maryland supporting Living Classrooms Foundation - $8,476.71
The pungy schooner Lady Maryland, educational flagship of the Living Classrooms Foundation, has been sailing the waters of the Chesapeake Bay for the past 40 years and has participated in nearly every Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race. During the Race, students aboard Lady Maryland work side by side with the crew to stand watch, navigate, steer and handle sail. This year we look forward to sailing the race with students from Baltimore City College HS.
During the school year, Lady Maryland can be found on the Patapsco River running day-sail programs with students from a variety of backgrounds and economic means. During our Maritime Environmental STEM Voyages, students work together to trawl for marine life, perform scientific experiments and explore the commerce, history, natural resources, and ecosystems of the Chesapeake Bay. During the summer, Lady Maryland takes students on extended voyages, sometimes venturing as far north as Massachusetts.
This year, Living Classrooms celebrates 40 years of disrupting the cycle of poverty and helping our communities in Baltimore and Washington, DC become safer, stronger, and healthier. Funds raised for the Living Classrooms Foundation will support Maritime Education programs for youth.
Pride of Baltimore II supporting Pride of Baltimore Inc. - $6,482.99
Pride of Baltimore II is an historically-evocative reproduction of the Baltimore Clipper style vessels made famous during the War of 1812. Capturing public imagination through unique worldwide voyages of discovery, Pride II honors Maryland seafarers of all eras and, wherever she sails, shares the innovation, entrepreneurial spirit, and patriotism that forged and continues to define Maryland’s maritime identity. Since her commissioning in 1988, Pride II has sailed over 275,000 nautical miles and visited more than 200 ports in 40 countries. Her mission is to promote historical maritime education, foster economic development and tourism, and represent the people of Maryland in every port she visits.
This year, Pride of Baltimore II raced to raise funds for Spanish–English educational sails to help break down language barriers, share the Chesapeake Bay’s rich maritime history, and inspire underrepresented youth and adults to explore careers on the water.
Jolly Dolphin supporting Magothy River Association - $7,837.96
Jolly Dolphin is a wooden sailing vessel modeled on early Chesapeake Bay oyster dredgers. Referred to as a “three sail bateau,” or “two-masted skipjack,” it is a successor to the bugeye. Jolly Dolphin was built for a Delaware family for recreational use by James B. Richardson on LeCompte Creek, Maryland in 1958. From 1964 until 2007 she passed through the hands of a half dozen owners, and was abandoned ashore in 2004. Restored with the help of the Richardson Maritime Museum from 2007 to 2010, privately owned and maintained Jolly Dolphin has provided traditional sailing experiences for community outreach. Over the years Jolly Dolphin‘s passengers have including middle school and high school STEM students, conservationists and Maryland history enthusiasts. She is currently berthed on the Magothy River.
Jolly Dolphin is proud to be sailing this year on behalf of the Magothy River Association, an organization that supports conservation and education on her home waterway. Magothy River Association works for the preservation and improvement of the water quality, plants, and wildlife of the Magothy River and its watershed. The organization’s efforts include a comprehensive oyster program that includes an oyster nursery, reef restoration, and a dive program to monitor oyster populations.
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