Local racers hoisted their sails on Saturday, September 14 for the 43rd annual Hospice Cup regatta, an annual charity event dedicated to raising funds and awareness for nonprofit hospice organizations.

Conditions for the regatta were better than forecasted to the delight of sailors like Jim Sagerholm, skipper of the winning PHRF A entry.  “We went hard left hoping the prevailing northerly wouldn’t get over ridden by the southerly,” he said. 

The tactic paid off with a strong lead at the first mark of the distance race out in the Chesapeake Bay. Despite a navigation error, Aunt Jean was able to correct over their competition and secure the podium.

In the mouth of the Severn River course, Jeff Todd on the winning J/22 Hot Toddy, credits his crew Chris Ryan. “Good crew work is always important. The races were very short. You had to get a good start and have a clear lane to the first mark.”

On the southernmost racecourse, Cedric Lewis on Mirage credited their success to tactics. “We had good starts and boat speed. We played the shifts up the middle going up wind and looked for additional pressure downwind.

“The spirits of compassion and competition were aligned side by side this weekend,” said Hospice Cup Board President Molly Wilmer.  “It was beautiful to see so many boaters engage in this beloved charity event, all sailing to support the gift of hospice care.” 

The Sailing Club of the Chesapeake ran the distance race in the Chesapeake and the one-design circle in the Seven River while the Storm Trysail Club led the J/105 course. 

Nearly 90 boats competed in this year’s race, together with sponsors raising more than $200,000.  Wilmer shared that it was the most successful event in more than 25 years, with the amount donated and the number of donors at a record high.

“The extent of support from corporate sponsorships, individual donations, and team fundraising gives us hope that we are indeed increasing awareness among the community of the gift of hospice care.”

“It’s impossible to put a metric on the value and impact hospice care has for so many families with loved ones facing serious and terminal illness. We’re very proud that our community can come together to show support at a high level to our partner hospices as they offer compassion, dignity, comfort, and choice to patients at the end of life.”

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 Luminis Health Gilchrist Lifecare Institute at Anne Arundel Medical Center, Hospice Cup has raised more than $30 million since the start of the race in 1982.

Following this year’s regatta, sailors and guests gathered at the idyllic Horn Point Marina for an awards party with record attendance.  There, sailors exchanged stories about the race and heard congratulations from Wilmer to the hundreds of racers sailing in celebration of hospice.

The shore party also featured a live auction of William Sutton’s Chasing Red, which won Hospice Cup’s annual art competition, hosted in the spring with the Maryland Federation of Art.  MFA President Patrice Drago presented the work to winning bidder Cedric Lewis, the skipper of Hospice Cup J/105 fleet champion Mirage.  Lewis also brought home the Van Metre, Sajak, and Hospice Cup trophies for overall fleet performance, best performance in cruising one-design, and best three-year performance, respectively.

Additional perpetual trophies awarded included 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 Dan Laughlin aboard the Hood 32 Karma for most youth sailors on board.  Laughlin hosted 12-year-old Brendan Sailing camp alumnus Cameron Wakefield.

“I couldn’t be more proud of our sailors and their all-around efforts in support of this special race,” said Wilmer.  “Chesapeake Bay sailors truly understand the meaning of community, and each shined a bright light this weekend on all we can accomplish when we come together with joyful hearts.”

Learn more at HospiceCup.org.