With heartfelt thanks to all who have supported the mission of the Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race
The 2026 GCBSR Virtual Race Raised $66,244.76
Over $369,400 raised to date
Final totals coming soon
Norfolk Rebel supporting GCBSR Race Events - $14,085.07
The “Tugantine” Norfolk Rebel is the first designed and built Sail Assisted Tugboat. Capt. Lane Briggs had her designed and built to be a multipurpose tug for his Marine Towing/Salvage/Construction business. Launched May of 1980. Being sail assisted, she would be able to achieve upwards of 30% fuel savings. In addition to towing barges and salvaging, she also towed several schooners and Tall Ships up and down the east coast. Also, she would participate in Tall Ship Festivals. Capt. Lane was also the founder of The Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race. His dream of schooners racing down the bay started with the first race in 1990. Bringing Schooners and their crews together to share stories of their season. The race evolved into a fundraising event every year to bring awareness to the Chesapeake Bay. Capt. Lane passed away in September 2005, but the Norfolk Rebel is still Racing to Save the Bay by racing for The Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race. Please help by making a donation to The Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race.
Jolly Dolphin supporting Magothy River Association - $11,089.77
Jolly Dolphin is a wooden sailing vessel modeled on early Chesapeake Bay oyster dredgers. A workboat yacht, with a Bugeye rig, Jib, Foresail and Mainsail, these boats are referred to as “three sail bateaux” or “two-masted skipjacks”. Jolly Dolphin was built for recreational use by James B. Richardson on LeCompte Creek, Maryland in 1958. After half a dozen owners, and being neglected ashore, owner Captain Jack Zuraw restored her 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, education and conservation efforts on the Magothy River. Over the years 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’s Oyster Restoration Program. MRA 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.
Schooner Virginia supporting Nauticus Foundation - $9,477.21
Schooner Virginia is racing—virtually—and we need your support! Help us cross the finish line as only Virginia can, with all eight sails filled, to meet or exceed $5,000 in support of the Schooner Virginia’s preservation, educational programs, and participation in community events.
The last year has been busy! Virginia completed critical maintenance in Mystic, CT and returned to compete in, and win, the Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race in October. A growing group of dedicated volunteers helped the professional crew complete maintenance and upgrades over the winter, then uprigging and training sails were completed in May. In June, Schooner Virginia was the third vessel in an amazing parade of international tall ships in Norfolk at the start of Sail250 celebrations. Thousands of visitors toured the decks of Virginia and learned about our history and mission. Currently Schooner Virginia is focused on education sails and other Nauticus programming and will again compete in the Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race from Baltimore to Norfolk this October.
The Schooner Virginia serves as a vital education platform for the Nauticus Foundation, engaging the Hampton Roads community through transformative maritime and hands-on learning experiences for students of all backgrounds and ages, museum visitors, and the general public. Your financial support helps ensure she will have a new awning, so vital on hot summer days, and maintenance she requires in the Mystic, CT boat yard again next year. Our goal is for her to be stronger than ever and ready to serve the community through hands-on sailing experiences for students, public outreach programs, and more.
Every gift helps keep Virginia sailing—thank you for being part of the crew!
Adventurer supporting GCBSR Education Grants - $4,835.30
Adventurer has been a fixture in the GCBSR for over 20 years. Fostering a spirit of fun and a bit of mischievousness, Adventurer conducts charters and instructional cruises in the northern Chesapeake Bay. Her maroon suit of sails make her easy to spot as she plies our waters.
Adventurer is racing to support the mission and work of the GCBSR, with a focus on the Educational Grants.
Pride of Baltimore II supporting Pride of Baltimore Inc. - $4,388.08
Through visits to ports across the United States and around the world, Pride of Baltimore II serves as Maryland’s sailing ambassador, carrying a message of friendship, goodwill, and respect from Baltimore and the State of Maryland. She also shares the story of Maryland’s rich maritime heritage, including the events of the War of 1812 that inspired the writing of our National Anthem in Baltimore.
Thanks to a generous grant from the Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race, we are launching a new initiative to provide young adults with the opportunity to sail aboard Pride of Baltimore II during the Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race. Beginning with apprentices from the Alexandria Seaport Foundation, our goal is to grow this program in the years ahead by partnering with additional organizations and creating access for even more deserving young adults. Your support will help underwrite participant berths, covering the professional instruction, safety oversight, provisions, and operational support required for this multi-day sailing experience. By removing financial barriers, you make these opportunities possible for those who might never otherwise step aboard. Participants gain far more than sailing experience. They develop confidence, leadership, and teamwork while serving as part of a professional crew aboard Maryland’s sailing ambassador. Along the way, they build practical seamanship skills, discover potential maritime career paths, and forge a lasting connection to the Chesapeake Bay and its maritime heritage. This program is about investing in people. It is about opening doors, broadening horizons, and inspiring the next generation of mariners, maritime professionals, and Chesapeake Bay stewards. The Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race has helped us launch this vision. With your support, we can sustain it, expand it, and ensure that these transformative experiences are available to young adults for years to come.
Lady Maryland supporting Living Classrooms Foundation - $4,253.22
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.
Denis Sullivan for World Ocean School / Alexandria Seaport Foundation - $3,627.81
This is a unique and collaborative fundraiser by World Ocean School (WOS) and Alexandria Seaport Foundation (Seaport) to cover the costs for up to 10 current and graduate Apprentices to sail in the 2026 Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race aboard the Schooner Denis Sullivan and Pride of Baltimore II for an educational trip of a lifetime.
Schooner Denis Sullivan: is a three-masted wooden gaff rigged schooner originally from Milwaukee. The only existing replica of a 19th century Great Lakes schooner, she was envisioned and built by a Milwaukee-based team of professionals and volunteers.
World Ocean School: We empower students from all backgrounds to be courageous and compassionate changemakers for themselves, their communities, and our planet through transformative education aboard our iconic tall ships. World Ocean School provides immersive, hands-on education to more than 600 students from diverse backgrounds each year. Since its founding in 2002, more than 23,000 students have participated.
Alexandria Seaport Foundation: The Apprentice Program is designed for young adults aged 18-23 who are eager to find a new path. Seaport uses the crafts of woodworking and traditional boatbuilding to teach job skills and positive habits that apprentices need for success in their work and personal life. Apprentices work alongside carpenters, boat builders, and volunteer mentors who teach and challenge them each day.
The young people Seaport serves need support to create a good life. Many have had issues with law enforcement, some have not succeeded in school, and many may suffer from anxiety or depression. The Apprentices need a nurturing environment to learn, grow, gain confidence, and build a path toward self-sufficiency and success. Seaport’s curriculum, adult mentoring, community support, and career exploration give our Apprentices the positive environment they need.
Bonny Rover supporting Elizabeth River Project - $3,007.22
Bonny Rover is a 64-foot topsail schooner modeled after 1800-era Chesapeake Bay privateers. Designed by Merritt Walter, she was built of ferrocement in 1971 in Norfolk, and served as his home for several years. Fully dressed, Bonny sports seven sails and took first place in the first two editions of the Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race.
In this year’s virtual race, Bonny Rover is partnering with the Elizabeth River Project, a Norfolk-based nonprofit that works to restore this storied tributary to the highest practical level of environmental quality through government, business and community partnerships. Their tireless restoration work, coupled with comprehensive and exciting education programs, has helped to transform and renew the Elizabeth River and its watershed. Since moving to Norfolk in 2003, the Elizabeth River has been a home, partner, livelihood, playground and pure comfort to me. I whole-heartedly support the mission, and substantial progress, of The Elizabeth River Project, and look forward to playing a part in its continuing work.
Farewell supporting Maryland Science Center - $2,778.09
Andy Merrill built Farewell in his backyard and launched her in 1972. Her second owner started racing the schooner in the Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race in 1994, and often won her class. Captain Linda Gunn purchased the schooner in 1998 after surviving cancer, and she has continued the tradition. A lover of schooners, Linda has served as Captain, Mate, and Educator aboard several different vessels. She now lives aboard Farewell and is proud to be racing on behalf of the Maryland Science Center.
For over 50 years and as Maryland’s largest institution dedicated to informal STEM learning, the Maryland Science Center provides valuable educational experiences both at their location in Baltimore and through outreach programming across the mid-Atlantic region. Whether they’re providing free field trip admission for every student in Maryland, offering teacher’s professional development opportunities, or expanding their outreach programs in every county, the Maryland Science Center relies on generous donors to help further their mission to inspire, empower, and engage through science education. With your help, the Maryland Science Center will be able to continue to spark excitement for STEM in the next generation, especially with underserved students. All donations help, no matter the size!
Luna supporting Colonial Seaport Foundation - $2,605.55
Luna is a reproduction 18th century coastal trading sloop. Operating up and down the Chesapeake Bay, Luna has spent this season celebrating the rich maritime history associated with America250. Her mission is to provide an educational and historic platform to teach visitors about the regions rich maritime history leading up to the American Revolution and serve as an environmental ambassador to help promote clean boating practices and stewardship of our natural resources.
Luna races to support the Colonial Seaport Foundation (CSF), an educational organization focused on preserving facets of America’s colonial (17th-18th century) maritime heritage by providing historically accurate information and education to the public. CSF displays and demonstrates the operation of vessel(s), equipment, tools, procedures, skills and lifestyles within the maritime community.
North Wind suppporting Gloucster City Sail - $2,341.72
The schooner North Wind, operated by Gloucester City Sail, is dedicated to enriching the lives of local youth through hands-on learning and meaningful experiences on the Delaware River. Through hands-on science, maritime history, and practical skills aboard the schooner, these experiences foster curiosity, personal growth, teamwork, responsibility, and help to build a stronger connection to the Delaware River and its environment. Over the past four years, 1,700 young people have sailed with us.
A.J. Meerwald supporting Bayshore Center at Bivalve - $1,961.10
For nearly 100 years, the A.J. Meerwald has connected people to the Delaware Bay. She began her life as a working oyster schooner, later served our country during World War II, and today continues sailing as New Jersey’s Official Tall Ship and a hands-on classroom for thousands of students, families, and visitors each year. Through the state’s official tall ship, the oyster schooner AJ Meerwald and an historic waterfront museum, the Bayshore Center at Bivalve will advance the understanding of the human impact on New Jersey’s aquatic environment through education, advocacy, and programming.
Woodwind supporting GCBSR Education Program - $1,794.62
Schooner Woodwind was built to make sailing dreams come true back in 1993 by the Kaye family. For the past 30+ years, guests from all over the world have sailed on her and her sistership, Woodwind II, for public cruises, private events, multi-day cruises and educational cruises. Woodwind II is the “movie star” of the family – she played an important role in the movie Wedding Crashers. But it’s the classic Woodwind that sails every year in the Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race – and she’s known to be a fast competitor!
This year Woodwind is sailing on behalf of GCBSR’s Education Fund. Contributions to the Woodwind team will be used to facilitate shipboard educational programming. Over the past years, Woodwind has used funds raised in the Virtual Race to take kids and families from the Annapolis community out sailing. Many of these kids and families would not typically have easy access to this experience. The sails are a partnership between The Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race, the Schooner Woodwind, and the Seafarer’s Youth Program. These programs give young people an opportunity to experience the fun of sailing and the excitement that comes with it, along with learning the science and camaraderie that sailing brings.