Annapolis, MD – Local yacht racers hoisted their sails on Saturday, September 13th for the 44th annual Hospice Cup regatta, an annual charity dedicated to raising funds and awareness for non-profit hospice organizations.

The Sailing Club of the Chesapeake, who hosts the event, partnered with Storm Trysail Club and Severn Sailing Association to manage three racing circles for the event.

“Sailing Club of the Chesapeake was proud to be supportive of Hospice Cup again this year,” said SCC PRO Drew Mutch, whose club managed the distance race circle.

“Storm Trysail helped us out with the J-105 fleet and SSA helped us out with the small boat river course,” Mutch continued. “And we had great breeze, thanks to our race meteorologist Dr. Gina Henderson who shared her predictions with us at the skipper’s meeting the night before.”

99 boats registered for this year’s race, and together with sponsors raised more than $230,000, a record high for the annual regatta.

“My father went into hospice and the care was indispensable when our family was going through the toughest time,” said racer and skipper of Stout Gear Alex Stout, who placed second in the Melges 15 fleet.

“This is my second Hospice Cup,” added J-105 racer Theresa Rosbeck, who sailed on Relentless with skipper David McKee. “The organizations that the race supports are near and dear to my heart so I’m happy to come out here on a beautiful day and spend my time giving what I can on and off the water.”

For more than 40 years, Hospice Cup has supported local care programs for under and uninsured patients with advanced and terminal illness. Partnering with Montgomery & Prince George’s Hospice, Talbot Hospice, Capital Caring, and The Lifecare Institute at Anne Arundel Medical Center, Hospice Cup has raised more than $31 million since the start of the race in 1982.

Following this year’s regatta, sailors and guests gathered at Horn Point Marina for an awards party where racers were treated to local oysters from Orchard Point shucked by Baltimore’s Oyster Ninja, smashburgers from Burgers Period, and batch cocktails donated by the Bob and Peggy Seidel Foundation in memory of Harbor 20 racer Barton Goldenberg. Racers also had a chance to enjoy the great weather while they hit biodegradable golf balls off the dock, listen to music from steel drummer Lenny Rogers, and participate in a knot-tying contest sponsored by Bacon Sails.

“Raising awareness is just as important to our mission as raising funds,” said Race Chair Molly Wilmer. And what better opportunity for us to do that than at an event that’s fun, joyful, and inviting.”

The shore party also featured a live auction of Leah Bell’s Racing Rhythms, which won Hospice Cup’s annual art competition, hosted in the spring with the Maryland Federation of Art. Wilmer and the Lifecare Institute’s Becki Roemer presented the work to winning bidder John Pica, the skipper of Farr 40 Senatore, who also took home the 3rd place prize in PHRF A.

Perpetual Trophies were awarded to Good Trade, who won the Lesly & Pat Sajak Trophy for best performance in cruising one-design; Muskrat, who won the Van Metre Family Trophy for best performance at the 2025 Hospice Cup; and Mirage, who won the Hospice Cup for best performance across the last 3-years.

Additional perpetual trophies awarded included the Geri Manning Memorial Trophy awarded to the crew of the Solaris 44 Tradecraft for best team fundraising performance and the Donnybrook-Brendan Sailing trophy, which went to Julianne Fettus aboard her 44-foot Cherubini Bennu for most youth sailors on board. Fettus hosted Brendan Sailing camp alumni Johanni Guo and Logan Brock. Brendan Sailing, founded by Donnybrook skipper and Hospice Cup sponsor Jim Muldoon fielded a total of 8 youth sailors racing on 6 boats this year.

Hospice Cup is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization whose mission is to raise awareness and funds for hospice care in our region. For more than 40 years, Hospice Cup has continually supported local care programs in our region, including Montgomery Hospice, Talbot Hospice, Capital Caring Kids, and The Lifecare Institute at Anne Arundel Medical Center. For more information on Hospice Cup, please visit www.hospicecup.org.

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