The Sultana Education Foundation has announced the schedule for its annual Downrigging Weekend Tall Ship and Wooden Boat Festival, October 29 – November 1, in Chestertown, Maryland. Now in its 15th year, Downrigging Weekend is one of the largest annual Tall Ship gatherings in North America and features four days of Tall Ship sails, deck tours, concerts, lectures, films and exhibits.
Unique among Tall Ship Festivals on the East Coast, Downrigging Weekend offers visitors the opportunity sail as part of a fleet of Tall Ships. Participating Ships for Downrigging Weekend 2015 include the State Ships of Delaware and New Jersey: KALMAR NYCKEL and A.J. MEERWALD, the schooners PRIDE OF BALTIMORE II, LADY MARYLAND, and SULTANA, as well as the oyster dredging skipjacks ELSWORTH and SIGSBEE. This fleet will be joined by a flotilla of privately owned wooden vessels also in port for the Festival. All told, the Downrigging Fleet will take more than 1,200 people sailing on the Chester River during four scheduled public sails.
If all the activity on the water isn’t enough, Downrigging Weekend also has plenty to offer shoreside, including lectures by New York Times reporter Ian Urbina, Pulitzer Prize winning Washington Post Book Critic Michael Dirda, and authors John Nagy and Kate Livie, as well as an exhibit of classic cars and speedboats by the Antique and Classic Boat Society. There will also be concerts by Parsonsfield, Chester River Runoff, Phil Dutton and the Alligators, the High and Wides, the Pam Ortiz Band, the Mike Buccino Trio, the Banjo Man Bill and Tom Anthony, and the Guthrie Matthews Method; tastings of regional wines and seafood; a waterside 5K and half marathon, an observance of Maryland’s Emancipation Day; a new exhibit by renowned maritime artist Marc Castelli; the annual Chestertown RiverArts Studio Tour; and finally the enormously popular night-time illumination of the Tall Ships and fireworks display over Chestertown’s historic harbor.
For more information, a complete festival schedule, and online reservations visit here or call 410-778-5954.
Downrigging Weekend Event Schedule
Thursday, October 29, 2015
Book Talk with Kate Livie: Chesapeake Oyster – The Bay’s Foundation and Future 6:00pm / Hynson Lounge, Washington College
Movie: The Bounty 7:00pm / Charles Sumner Post / 206 South Queen Street Friday,
October 30, 2015
Open-House on the Tall Ships (select ships only) 12:00-2:00pm / The Chestertown waterfront – free
Public Sail on the Tall Ships (select ships only) 3:00-5:00pm / Departing from the waterfront
Food, Drink & Music on the Waterfront 4:00-10:00pm / Festival Tent behind the Fish Whistle Restaurant
Pub Fare and Bar on the River Packet 4:00-6:00pm / Onboard the River Packet at the foot of High Street
Marc Castelli Downrigging Show 5:00-7:30pm / Massoni Gallery Music:
Guthrie Matthews Method 6:00-8:00pm / Festival Tent behind the Fish Whistle Restaurant
Tall Ships Illuminated Dusk-9:00pm / The Chestertown waterfront
River Packet Fireworks Cruise 7:00-9:00pm / Departing from the Foot of High Street
Lecture: New York Times Reporter Ian Urbina and “The Outlaw Ocean” 8:00pm / The Garfield Center for the Performing Arts
Fireworks 8:30pm / Visible from the Chestertown waterfront
Music: Chester River Runoff 9:30pm-1:00am / Fish Whistle Restaurant
Open-House on the Tall Ships 9:00am-10:00am / Chestertown waterfront – free
Food, Drink & Music on the Waterfront 9:00am-6:00pm / Festival Tent behind the Fish Whistle Restaurant
Keels & Wheels 9:00am-5:00pm / Foot of High Street
River Arts Studio Tour 10:00-5:00pm / Various locations
Talk: Wild Bird Diversity 10:00am /Kingstown Farm, Home and Garden / 7121 Church Hill Road, Chestertown
Marc Castelli Downrigging Show 10:00am-7:00pm / Massoni Gallery
Public Sail on the Tall Ships 10:30am-1:00pm / Departing from the waterfront
Book Talk: Michael Dirda – Critiquing the World of Nautical Literature 11:00am / The Book Plate / 112 S. Cross St.
Chesapeake Wine Trail – Wine Tasting 11:00am-5:00pm / Chestertown Marina Office
Fish Fry and Bar on the River Packet 11:00am – 6:00pm / Onboard the River Packet at the foot of High Street
Music: Phil Dutton and the Alligators 11:00am / Festival Tent Behind the Fish Whistle Restaurant
Bagpipes on the Waterfront 1:00pm / The foot of High Street Book
Talk: John Nagy – Espionage and the American Revolution 2:00pm / The Book Plate / 112 S. Cross St.
Music: The High and Wides 2:00pm / Festival Tent Behind the Fish Whistle Restaurant
Public Sail on the Tall Ships 2:30-5:00pm /Departing from the waterfront
Observance of Maryland Emancipation Day, 1864 3:00pm / Charles Sumner Post #25 / 206 South Cross Street
Concert: Pam Ortiz Band – Songs of the Sea 6:00pm / Robert Ortiz Studios
Dinner for Captains, Crews, & Exhibitors (Invitation Only) 6:30pm / Festival Tent behind the Fish Whistle Restaurant
River Packet Evening Cruise & Dinner 7:00-9:00pm / Departing from the foot of High Street
Tall Ships Illuminated Dusk-9:00pm / The Chestertown waterfront
Concert: Parsonsfield 8:00pm / The Garfield Center for the Performing Arts Sunday, November 1, 2015
Chester River Challenge 5k & Half Marathon 8:00am registration / 9:00am start/ Wilmer Park
Food, Drink & Music on the Waterfront 9:00am-4:00pm / Festival Tent behind the Fish Whistle Restaurant
Keels & Wheels 10:00am-4:30pm / Foot of High Street
River Arts Studio Tour 10:00am-5:00pm / Various locations
Public Sail on the Tall Ships 11:00am-1:30pm / Departing from the waterfront
Marc Castelli Downrigging Show 11:00am-3:00pm / Massoni Gallery
Chesapeake Wine Trail – Wine Tasting 11:00am-5:00pm / Chestertown Marina Office
Music: Mike Buccino Trio 11:30am / Festival Tent behind the Fish Whistle Restaurant
Bagpipes on the Waterfront 1:00pm / The foot of High Street
Open-House on the Tall Ships 2:30pm-4:30pm / The Chestertown waterfront – free
River Packet River Cruise 2:30-4:30pm / Departing from the foot of High Street
Concert: Banjo Man and Bill with Tom Anthony 7:00pm / Music Life – 241 High Street
Jessyca Stansbury-McCargo says
Hello;
Am I correct in reading that the Tall Ships are illuminated only on Friday evenings? Is there a possibility of them being illuminated Saturday evening?
Thanks
Chris Cerino says
The Tall Ships will be illuminated on both Friday and Saturday nights. Come on down to the waterfront and check it out!
Chris Cerino
Sultana Education Foundation