The Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race

The Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, founded to promote education and public awareness of the Chesapeake Bay’s maritime heritage and encourage the preservation and improvement of the Chesapeake’s natural resources. Proceeds from the Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race support local non-profits in the two areas where we celebrate the race, Baltimore/Annapolis and Portsmouth/Norfolk. Local organizations are sought out whose mission aligns with ours. To date, $172,628 has been donated to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Oyster Recovery Project and Portsmouth Riverkeepers. If you have a needy organization in mind, we’d love to hear your suggestion! The race begins in Baltimore, Maryland, and ends 118 nautical miles down the Chesapeake Bay in Portsmouth, Virginia. Entry is open to all schooner-rigged vessels. Thirty-one schooners participated in the 28th annual race. The race and all race week activities are run by volunteers and donations keep the race