This past Friday through Sunday, Nov. 1-3, was Downrigging Weekend in Chestertown. The weather couldn’t have been better. And this year, two new elements– a renovated marina and a dozen bluegrass bands–were added to the festival.

The combination of tall ships and bluegrass music might not seem obvious, but it certainly worked for Downrigging! People came from far and wide to enjoy watching – or better yet, sailing on – an array of tall ships including Kalmar Nyckel, Lady Maryland, Virginia, Pride of Baltimore II, Lynx, and the host vessel, Chestertown’s own Sultana. The bluegrass side of the festival brought a dozen bands to the stage, including local favorites the High and Wides, who shared a bill Saturday night at the Garfield Center with the Dirty Grass Players from Baltimore. The musical highlight on Friday evening was the Pam Ortiz Band in a program of nautically-inspired songs.

This year for the first time, the Chestertown Marina’s upgraded facilities were able to host the entire festival. Tents on the marina property offered food and drink, and two other tents became concert halls for the bands. Attendees were also free to stroll along the docks and view the tall ships up close and personal, and to check out a fine array of wooden boats on the plaza next to the restaurant. Many people found their way to nearby Wilmer Park for an unimpeded view of the ships as they made their way downriver and back. Local businesses appealed to the festival-goers, as well – for example, the exhibit of Mark Castelli’s paintings of watermen and boats at the Massoni Gallery, or the nautical theme of the singalong at Music Life.

At the town council meeting Monday, Mayor Chris Cerino said the success of the festival can be measured by the number of attendees who patronized businesses and restaurants in town. He estimated that local businesses took in close to $100,000 over the three days of the festival. Restaurant reservations were hard to come by all weekend, and downtown parking was at a premium. But it was all worth it.

The schooner Sultana is a full-scale reproduction of an earlier Sultana. Built in Boston in 1768 for the British Royal Navy, the original Sultana sailed the coastline of Colonial America from 1768 until 1772, helping to keep the King’s law, especially the various trading agreements and tariffs. Yes, the Sultana was used to enforce the hated British “tax on tea” that helped spark the American Revolution! Now the modern Sultana sails the Chesapeake Bay, helping to educate today’s citizens about the Bay, its history and ecology, and the issues it faces.

Work on Sultana began in 1997, under the leadership of master boat builder John Swain. It was launched four years later in 2001. And since then has hosted thousands of students, teachers, as well as ordinary folk on day trips as well as week-long trips on the Chester River, the Chesapeake Bay, and the Bay’s many tributaries. The Sultana Education Foundation that operates the ship runs year-round programs that include classes, lectures, workshops, field trips, movies, and more.

Dan Menefee contributed to this story

Jarrod Ramos was found guilty of charges in connection with the June 28, 2018, fatal shooting of five employees in the Capital Gazette newsroom in Annapolis, Maryland. Sketch by Hannah Gaskill, Capital News Service, University of Maryland.

Anne Arundel County Circuit Court Judge Michael Wachs postponed the Capital Gazette shooting trial Wednesday, after the defense asked for more time to review information provided by the prosecution’s mental health expert witnesses.

Attorneys for the gunman responsible for the murders of journalists Wendi Winters, Rob Hiaasen, John McNamara and Gerald Fischman, and advertising assistant Rebecca Smith, said that the state’s attorney’s decision to file five new state psychiatric and psychological opinions at 10:45 p.m. Tuesday was in violation of the rule that determines what the state is required to disclose to the defense.

The state argued that it has a right to rebut the defense expert opinions, which they received Oct. 4, the last day guidelines indicate the defense should have provided them.

Anne Arundel County Circuit Court Judge Laura Ripken ruled earlier in the day that, despite defense counsel arguments, the state’s attorney’s office was not in violation of discovery evidence rules.

After Public Defender Katy O’Donnell responded to Ripken’s denial of the motion, the judge admonished her: “Please don’t roll your eyes at me.”

Assistant State’s Attorney James Tuomey had countered that the defense’s argument was the “most offensive allegation” he has heard, and noted that because the defense did not disclose its own experts until Oct. 4, the prosecution’s timeline to rebut those experts’ findings fell within the rules of discovery.

The rulings came on the morning of the scheduled start of the jury selection process to determine the criminal responsibility of Jarrod Ramos, who pleaded guilty Monday to all 23 charges against him.

Marci Mustachio, jury commissioner for the Anne Arundel County Circuit Court, told Capital News Service that “the jurors were smiling when they left” a courtroom upon learning of the postponement. About 50 people of the prospective 300-member pool were in a neighboring courtroom Wednesday.

“The jury pool summoned for this case has completed their service and (has) been released,” said Nadine Maeser, spokeswoman for the Maryland Judiciary, in a statement. She added that she cannot provide other details until a new trial date is determined.

The state had filed five disclosures from four expert witnesses — psychologists and psychiatrists working for the state health department, and hired by the prosecution — related to reports about the mental health of the defendant.

O’Donnell argued Wednesday morning that the prosecution’s disclosures late Tuesday night were essentially a discovery violation. The defense said that their team needed more time to review the opinions of the four expert witnesses that the state had submitted.

Tuomey said that the defense’s decision to disclose its witnesses on Oct. 4 — approximately 30 days before the trial was scheduled to begin — was a “tactical” and “knowing” decision.

Prosecutors said their review of defense reports and data and the timing of their response — on the eve of jury voir dire — was within the bounds of discovery rules.

“We have been ready to argue on behalf of the victims in this case,” Tuomey said.

Former Capital Gazette employees declined to comment on the delay and referred calls to a corporate representative.

“We respect the judicial process and remain focused on supporting our staff and the (victims’ families),” Renee Mutchnik, spokeswoman for Baltimore Sun Media, which owns The Capital, said in a statement.

Ripken agreed with Tuomey’s argument that the court was “surprised” when she learned in early October that the defense had yet to disclose its expert witnesses, and that she “did not agree” with the defense’s conclusion that the prosecution’s experts were “new names.”

“I find simply that the state is doing its due diligence,” Ripken said.

Ramos’ lead public defender, William Davis, said in court that the postponement was requested in order to have sufficient time to review a yet-to-be-submitted report from one of the state’s witnesses, a psychiatrist.

Davis told Wachs — who is in charge of postponement scheduling at the court — that if Ripken’s earlier ruling “had gone the other way,” the defense “would not be here asking for this postponement.”

Wachs said Maryland’s standard discovery evidence rules don’t fit the needs of this case, stating that the defense and their experts are entitled to adequate time to review the state’s newly introduced expert disclosure documents.

Davis acknowledged that the delay would be disruptive to the court officers and to the victims in the case.

Wednesday’s proceedings follow months of motions hearings leading up to Ramos’ trial.

After he pleaded guilty to all counts on Monday, the trial was supposed to move immediately to the criminal responsibility phase — determining whether he was conscious of his actions, or committed the crimes on June 28 of last year during a mental health emergency — following jury selection.

The Capital Gazette became the object of Ramos’ rage in 2011 after the publication of a column detailing his guilty plea to harassment charges in a case levied against him by a former high school classmate.

The newspaper published the column about the conviction in July 2011. This prompted Ramos to take the newspaper to court, where he represented himself in a defamation lawsuit that was eventually dismissed.

The paper and its staff members, among others, became frequent targets on a Twitter account in Ramos’ name, until it appeared to go dark in January 2016. The account tweeted again from inside of the newsroom on the afternoon of the shooting.

Wachs recommended that the attorneys convene with witnesses and Ripken as soon as possible to discuss rescheduling.

“I think it’s in everyone’s interest to get a resolution,” he said.

Litigators are expecting to know the new trial date by the end of the week. It is expected that the delay will take weeks, if not months.

MSP Medivac takes to the air

Maryland State Police Aviation Command hoisted a patient who was suffering from a medical emergency off of a cruise ship Tuesday, October 29, 2019, in Queen Anne’s County.

At approximately 9:40 p.m. on Tuesday, Maryland State Police received a request for assistance from the U.S. Coast Guard to hoist a patient suffering from a medical emergency aboard a cruise ship in the Chesapeake Bay. Maryland State Police Trooper 6, based in Easton, Maryland, was dispatched to the cruise ship Aida Luna’s, which was located in the Chesapeake Bay south of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge near Kent Island.

The helicopter crew configured Trooper 6 for an aerial hoist operation and arrived overhead the cruise ship at approximately 10:25 p.m. The pilots maneuvered the AW-139 helicopter into position approximately 120 feet above the deck of the cruise ship and 220 feet above the water line. A state police flight paramedic was lowered to the deck of the ship to rendezvous with the patient and prepare for extrication.

After the patient was assessed and placed into the secure hoisting device, both the patient and flight paramedic were hoisted up to the helicopter. Once the patient was secured inside the aircraft, Trooper 6 was able to transition to its medevac role and transported the patient to the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore.

The Maryland State Police Aviation Command has served Maryland citizens since 1970, and operates a fleet of ten helicopters from seven bases throughout Maryland on a 24/7/365 basis. Missions include medevac, law enforcement, search & rescue, homeland security, and disaster assessment.  The success of rescues performed by the Aviation Command depends a great deal on the cooperative efforts of local fire, rescue, EMS, law enforcement agencies, and our partners at the United States Coast Guard.

The rain moved on, sun broke through Sunday afternoon and a little year-end heat and humidity arrived to create a certain bayou atmosphere for the second annual Louisiana Shrimp Boil and fais do do to support Sumner Hall at Silver Hill Farm in Quaker Neck. Bob and Gayle Ingersoll hosted the event that featured Phil Dutton and the Alligators, a band known for its broad variety of Louisiana and New Orleans style music.

Germaine Lanaux of Germaine’s Carryout provided the Louisiana Shrimp Boil. Enrique and Felipe Pallares of Casa Carmen Winery provided wine and paella. Lewes Market provided beer and soft drinks.

Philip Dutton and the Alligators: (l-r) Philip Dutton, Marc Quigley, John Ewart, Marc Dykeman, and Ray Anthony. Photo by Germaine Lanaux.

Bob Ingersoll discusses bayou basics. Photo by Germaine Lanaux.

Germaine Lanaux. Photo by Mary Gill.

Felipe Pallares prepares paella. Photo by Germaine Lanaux.

Sumner Hall board members Barbara Foster and Nivek Johnson greet guests. Photo by Germaine Lanaux.

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