Genevieve is a cold-molded, strip-planked Friendship Sloop berthed in Baltimore. Her owners, Stacy Spaulding and Rayned Wiles, are racing to support the Downtown Sailing Center. "In 2022 when we lost our house in a fire, the DSC community showed up in a big way to help us," she said. Sailing center members raised money for items like eyeglasses and dropped off PFDs and sail gloves so the couple could continue participating in this sailing community. "Our goal is to 'pay it forward,'" Stacy said.

They are raising grant-matching funds to support the DSC's Young Mariners Institute, a workforce development program and sailing instructor training program for Baltimore City high school students. During an eight-week summer program, these students are learning to sail while building leadership and job skills. These Young Mariners are also conducting a special project: a student-led exploration of the contributions and participation of African Americans in the maritime industries of the Inner Harbor, Baltimore, and the surrounding community.

Genevieve is a replica of S/V Pemaquid built in 1910 in Bremen, Maine, and built off lines drawn by Howard Chapelle. Once ubiquitous along the coast of Maine, the iconic Friendship Sloop was used for lobstering and coastal trade from about 1880 to 1920. One Maine old-timer has described these boats as the “F-150s of the 1910s.” When lobstermen turned to motors and modern equipment, many of Maine’s seasonal residents acquired these sloops for summer adventures, thus beginning the Friendship Sloop’s long association with “yachting.”

Welcome to the 2023 Virtual Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race!

While normal sailboat racing happens on the water, this race is completely online. Each participating schooner has teamed up with a nonprofit partner, and is racing to raise as much money as possible for their charity. YOU can participate in the race by choosing a schooner, making a contribution, and sharing this webpage with your family and friends! 90% of gifts will go directly to the charity of your choice. The other 10% will help the Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race achieve its mission to promote awareness of the Chesapeake Bay’s heritage; to encourage preservation of the Bay’s resources; to support Chesapeake Bay education and clean-up efforts; to bring historic schooners to the Bay; and to encourage schooner sailing and preservation. 

Please take a moment to learn more about our schooners and the organizations they support. At the start of the race, please come back here to make a donation and support your team!

Donation links will be available from 12:00 noon on Wednesday, August 23 through 3:00 PM on Saturday, August 26. 

Thank you for supporting our schooner community!

Please note: The Chesapeake Bay schooner community could not exist without people like you, and we're eager to keep in touch. GCBSR will share your contact information and notification preferences with the charity you donated to.  If you do not wish to be contacted by GCBSR, please opt out of communcations on the donation form.