Oxford Maryland Sailing

Here is wonderful example of some sailing that takes place in the Chesapeake Bay tributaries around Oxford, Maryland. The Tred Avon River and Choptank River next to Oxford, Maryland create a wonderful environment for sailing.

"This is a snapshot of some Summer '08 Chesapeake Bay Log Canoe racing on the Chesapeake tributaries taken with an Oregon Scientific ATC2K camera aboard the "Island Bird" with the exception of one shot from "Jay Dee" (thanks Mariana). These sailboats average about 30 feet in length and have a crew of 5 to 22 depending on size. Most are over 50 years old and some are over 100 years old. Log canoes were originally seafood harvesting workboats used on the Chesapeake. They get their name from the log construction of the original hulls, a feature still visible from within the cockpit, although they are now have a fiberglass outer skin. The canoes are capable of exceeding 12kts and in ideal conditions a log canoe can step up on plane. They are very narrow relative to length and are thus quite unstable. This requires the use of 10 to 15 foot wooden planks ("springboards" or just "boards") with crew weight in order to provide leverage against the rotational pressure of the massive sails. Log canoes do not have fixed keels in part because of the very shallow waters where they race. A total of perhaps 22 exist, of which about 19 can float, and of those 15 or so can race. There are approximately 11 that consistently compete during the summer racing season that occurs mainly in Saint Michaels, Maryland. Other races are held in Oxford and Chestertown, Maryland."
Chesapeake Log Canoe sailing information has been quoted from - http://www.youtube.com/mrjones100