Outdoors Maryland; 614

Me. One. Dusk. It blankets the countryside quickly and quietly. Nightfall begins for the creatures of outdoors my island. Now between pleasantries mating calls and warnings a common awareness is shared whether through sight sound or smell. The animals know there's a new kid in town.

Curry started moving of the state probably late 70s early 80s in northern western Maryland. They were moving down out of Pennsylvania. He had substantiated sightings in every county in Maryland. It is except for the lower three counties on the eastern shore. Robert Colona is a biologist who's taken a special interest in the state's newest resident. We're getting an influx of coyotes that initially started up in Canada. We're also getting more incoming from the southeast which started in Missouri and they're coming up through the Carolinas Virginia West Virginia and we're the last place left in the lower 48 that doesn't have large populations of carp. And these two ways of immigrating animals are meeting right here in our state. Ronald and Pete may get a Boonsboro know the coyote all too well. Though farmers by trade this father and son team is also trapped for more than 30 years. Ranchers from as far away as Texas and New Mexico hire

them to control the coyote considered a real nuisance in the southwest. Their first Maryland coyote encounter was in the fall of 78. We never had coyotes here in Maryland. At least we didn't realize they were here. That was milking cows. Here at the farm with my dad and I left one evening and headed back to the house. And on the way down the road and I seen this animal. And I had never seen a guy in my life a life other than on movies. Seeing this animal cross the road about a half a mile from the farm here. And as he went across the road it had a springy bounce to it rather than a natural gait or walk like a dog would have just like every other year. We got to trap fox off our farm and. We've been back here to set traps for Fox in the sun. And. I back the next morning I was seeing that animal and I wouldn't have seen pictures of before I would knew what the animal was a member of the canine family.

Coyotes are among the most resilient and versatile species found in North America. It's varied eating habits allow the coyotes to survive in every region of the continent. From the arid Southwest to alpine conditions in the Rockies. We've had some domestic animals killed pets cats and dogs. We've had some she kills coyotes don't we when we kill. As far as our cultural damage they don't kill animals livestock in parts of the US are a severe problem on truck crops or melons tomatoes things like that that can cause a lot of damage. You know that. What was it two weeks ago. We spoke to you about doing this interview. And two days later. The lady out of Poolesville Maryland called. And she said she needed someone to do something about it. And I said what happened. She said Well. I went out this morning. And get coffee and I looked out and I saw.

A. Man who is down and then another one who is back. By. A cedar tree here. And I saw a coyote. On top of her eating her. And I walk out on my back porch and I yelled for the coyote to go away. So that thing when it ran off it. Ran off like it was on springs. It just kind of bounce. And when she told me that I knew she had seen it. The last time the coyote was here was the night after Porsche Alice's Lamb got killed. He came and we were almost positive he got one of the stray cats that hangs out in the barn. We heard the cat shrieking. We had lost our third lamb just the night before so I knew what it was. When I came running down the stairs and just about as I got to the hallway I heard the cat stop.

And I came out with a flashlight and the dog went over there to check it out. There was nothing near but the dog was going crazy just going up and down the fence. So. Here is a Redfox that's Nadya's state of Maryland. And you can notice the size of the pellet. They average weight on them is seven eight pounds. This is a coyote. They're. Looking at a mountain right here. And this is a normal stance you'll see on them when they're in a howling position and have their heads screwed up. And that's one thing about a coyote that you see a lot of or hear of all of their howling is very distinct and it's a recognizable difference between that of a dog and a coyote. So you have to hear to understand it but it is a marked difference in sound. And this is what they kill with the canine teeth here are punctured through the back of the neck

and they hang on till they suffocate their prey to death. Their eyes as you normally are ya know they have the pointed type ears. The hair is fairly long and it had that black tips coming out on them as you can see the black tips here. And then we go down to the bushy tail where the identification marks. You can go by is that bushy tail. As the Wiley Coyote continues to expand its habitat. It remains under watchful and anxious size. Human. And otherwise. I see that coyotes have both negative and positive aspects. They are real resilient species. Scientifically they're real interesting because they are so resilient and they're so able to cope in a lot of different conditions. But the negative impacts are going to have a lot of the wildlife resources we have in the state tend to make me view them negatively. Most of the time our Redfox population levels are going to

decline drastically. They outcompete Redfox in the same habitat types. They do have some impact on deer and some of the rest of the wildlife resources. We started our flock about three years ago with three sheep three lambs and we've built it up. We had 25 when the coyote attacked. And from everything we bred and talked to people about. To talk problem to get rid of coyotes. And if he comes back once or twice more we're just going to get rid of him. We're going to have to knock him out. Not going to let them get slaughtered. Like. The. Squirrel or bagpipes. The Katar of a thousand bicycles. Haverty Grace awakens to the start of the eighth annual cycle across Maryland bike

tour. Following a route marked by a series of arrows. The cyclists embark on a six day journey that will take them 350 miles around the heart of Maryland. Through rolling countryside. Small towns and historic sites. Cycling allows you to have time to think and gives you a chance to see things. It's a vacation on your bike. Basically participants of the tour range in age from 9 to 83 and come from 28 states and the District of Columbia. Their vehicles are as varied as the cyclists themselves. That is different about this bike and other bikes is obviously going on short of lying down or sitting down. It's very much like a lawn chair on wheels. It's just enormously comfortable ride. Up there and we're really have to work hard to get out and just wait.

So cranking the power coming from the person in the back which we call a stoker. Like the gray in the train. The logs on him makes the train go faster. At 15 and a half mile mark the cyclists crossover canno one go down one of the largest hydro electric plants in the nation up ahead just outside of Rising Sun is one of Cecil county's best kept secret Plumpton Park Zoo and its menagerie of unique animals from around the world. Rest stops like the one at the zoo occur every 25 miles offering the cyclists a chance to refill their water bottles. Replenish lost energy 6.40 days over. Make a few repairs and reflect on the day's adventure. I just love the peace and quiet of getting out getting out in the road and getting out in your own thoughts

getting out nature. I don't mind the whoosh of traffic in fact I find it very soothing to me. At the 40 mile mark. The cyclists cross the border into the Amish country of Pennsylvania. And. It's back home to Maryland and Iraq that is replete with rolling scenery steep inclines and exhilarating downhills. We've had some pretty good hills in the last last 20 or so miles. It's stretching us a bit but it's giving us a fine challenge. Some of the hills have been pretty aggressive. Well just shy of the mountains I would say but it's been pretty good. It's enjoyable. Life. We're walking up this very steep hill. And when I run out of the bike we had a fun time. This is our second flight for the day. I've

used up my spare. My. Son. Is still patching. After a long day of pedaling the saddle sore cyclists pull into North Hartford high school to recuperate. They build a five letter word. Thanking me. It was great. You know I'm probably going to go over to the. And I would take one hot shower the. Dawn. The solitude and serenity of a glorious day. Time to relax and savor the beauty of nature. The joy of cycling. On.

My. 161. 161. A second crossing into Pennsylvania through the battlefields of monuments of historic Gettysburg. Even. After three days of cycling the strain is beginning to show. And three guys well dressed up number three a couple riders are awaiting medical attention from the American Association of bike medics. We're volunteering here with the camp. Most of what we've been trained is a lot of needs a lot of angles and a lot wrapping a lot of ice a lot of Advil and a lot of abrasions. But everybody's pretty healthy here. Back in Maryland the cyclists stop in town for lunch at historic Antrim and a look at a turn of the century velocipede.

To. Further down the road. Here's a link on our wine sellers one of Maryland's finest vineyards. After peddlin 100 miles in a single day the weary cyclists reach Silver Spring. A chance to cool down with snow cones and relax with old Powles new friends. Day six Essex after prevalent 310 miles the cyclists are beginning to feel pretty good about themselves not only for having stayed the course but also from the knowledge that part of the proceeds from the

tour will be used to support Kam's bicycling mentor program and to purchase helmets for elementary school over. The finish line is almost in sight. But first a leisurely passage the gunpowder Falls State Park. And the Jerricho covered bridge. After five days of cycling and Sykes's the tour has almost gone full cycle. Returning back to Harford County Board began through the Aberdeen Proving Grounds and across a 350 mile finish line at a Hartford community college. Rolling in on the last day is just great. Pressure I'm tired very sore. No I want to go home at this point but it was just it was a lot of fun. Well the whole experience

was definitely a challenge. It was tough and I thought it be from the start. But as the days when it came to be fun. And finishing it is a great accomplishment. I can't wait to see everybody all my friends and family come out to the finish line and knowing that this will be my second tour and I'm looking forward to next year. This land will never change its trees will never be harvested its splendor will never be ripped into by roads nor its symmetry destroyed by manmade buildings. These are some of Marilyns more than 35000 acres designated as wildlands visit. If you want. You're welcome. But if you want to find this place you'll have to watch and listen closely. We're not going to

tell you where it is. We want it to remain like this. Free of any sign of human visitation. But we will give you clues. Our visit to one of Maryland's 24 areas which has been designated as wildlands begins here a drive down a forested road surrounded by dark forest speckled with the glow of early morning sunlight. Here's another clue to our whereabouts. But as you'll soon see the greens and blues on this map cannot begin to illustrate the beauty of the real thing. And so the middle fork runs into Savage River reservoir right. There and then the river goes where. Right down here in the dam. Down to the north branch. Ed Thompson of The Heritage Foundation and Anita Santina of the Department of Natural Resources are about to take us through one of the state's wild land areas.

Don't even think about driving into a wild land area. Motor vehicles are restricted. That eliminates even the hint of exhaust fumes and the sound of motors. That leaves only the sights sounds and smells of untouched. These are places that require respect. Leave only footprints. Take only memories. These places were carefully selected for their unique. There is much to appreciate. One of the reasons these wildlands were chosen out here or this one in particular because it offers a wide variety of different slope fastback. Different. Tobel graphic special words. It protects a whole. A large group of different possibilities. And that's related to what is different geology too. So we have those type of things we have different geology.

A different slope aspect with other words some areas face north face face some face west. You have a different topographic position being down close for the stream or up on the crest. So all that comes together. And you protect a wide variety of different fires. Across the state. Sites like this include a wide variety of wilderness characteristics some of which are represented here. We Perker look at all our. Hundreds of thousands of acres. That we. The citizens of Maryland. Would try to pick. Places that had. Alternate flight characteristics are also. Representative of the different kinds of land. They have now. Have. To have. Reader. You have. The. Time. For. Hard work. Or if. You have places where Brautigan for. Saddam and the. Different.

Geology will hide. All the different. Complex. Kind of landscape characteristics so that. We actually have. A system. Now. Where. We. Can say that we've. Identified in. Preserved. In their. Natural State many of the different kinds of landscapes and now. Some of Marilyns purest waters flow here. And the rich fertile soil of an undisturbed forest can produce a host of visual delights. Like a chance to walk beneath the canopy of giant rhododendrons. This winter in here and when they winter. They concentrate and then. Living lost the lower branches off. And spawning a widely coloured collection of mushrooms which represent a good cross-section of specimens found in a healthy forest. Lot of mushrooms out. Great.

Masters. Like to grow in certain places. These are. The. Spring. So I don't know enough about them to be. Positive. I do know that some species are definitely associated with specific kinds of trees specific kinds of Medicaid education. Or some that will grow in the conifers. The workwell elsewhere. Stuff like that. I think this one that's green color is actually the species here that's been affected by another one was. Pushed right up through the leaves. That's something. I guess so. They want to grow. They push things out of way that's for sure. Well it has. So. We. Don't. Call those gills right. Yes some of them have pores underneath there so we have those what they call gills. One way to tell sort of the group apart. Side.

Schools. Is quite a healthy one. Yeah. Definitely. If you go too far it's never been managed to never been on the leaf litter is it fact and their horizons are the sole horizons are layered. Just like in theory are supposed to. There's another fungus that doesn't look much like a mushroom. It's hard to say what it is for lift this up. You can see. All this follicle growth underneath here. Here's. Some. This. This is all this all helps decay is. Some of the inhabitants of the wildlands are the same color as the leaf litter. It takes a well-trained to spot and pick up some of the dweller's of the forest floor. Well it's an American toad. Very common. The main toad and in Garrett County. And this is a

juvenile. Probably I can't tell what sex. But. If it's a male it has to be a little bit bigger. Next year it'll probably be in. The breeding population. If it's a female probably takes a couple more years. But the real indicator of the health of an environment may be found under these stones. What Ed and Nita are looking for is a creature whose mere presence indicates that the waters of these wild lands run pure. Heart. Can you can. Yes. That's an Appalachian seal salamander may require cool and very cool clean streams mountain streams and only found in the Appalachian plateau which is mostly Garrett County in Maryland. And. Streams like this hafter. They have to have the canopy over them that they have the water very

clean. So that's why wildlands will help the population of the Salamander survive. Marylands wildlands they're scattered throughout the state. New laws mandate that they should always be there. But it's up to how we treat them to make that a reality. Leave only footprints take only memories. These areas deserve the respect that should be given all. Of. Outdoors. Michael. You mean you may want to give it away. You want to hear about how this story is true. You can verify that but talk with Justin is only about seven years eight years old that time. One day we were out just in. He made it into a big one. And I could tell how big of a weight was put on and he got it in fairly close to the boat and I realized then that I didn't have the landing net. And I told him I said

work that over here on this side and I was going to play like the Bassmasters when he got him over and put my finger right down his mouth pull him up on water like you see on television. And I just went to reach down to put my finger in his mouth and it flipped. Then off we went when actually it was a big one I'd say probably maybe 15 16 inches long. Well really hurt me. I almost cried but it happened just didn't say where I looked up and he said don't worry about that pap. He said you had bigger ones and that nothing was never exciting. But I did make my first trip I went on the cliff and never. On. My. Own. I god I didn't touch nothing. So. Back when I was about six years old we didn't have fishing poles. So on the way up the path and over the ridge there my dad would cut a stick about six or eight long and had tied string on the end of it and put a ball over and a hook on it. We go it set on a big rock and that hole and that was

my first remember fishing. And since then I've been hooked on that. We started volunteering here but 1993 money to 92. We try to do it right now. These guys here are all good carpenters electricians and painters trash pick ups or plumbers. Little bit of everything and this is what we enjoy. We decide that we used parks facilities for more 15 and 20 years maybe it was time to donate back to a I call yourself the hallmark crew when the state cares enough to send the very best. That's the way I think about us. Usually we show up on Monday morning air show. You Some of us call us Monday morning. Every year the first Saturday of June the Maryland Department of Natural Resources hosts the governor's youth fishing derby at Rocky Gap State Park.

Rain or shine. The key to success is the dedication of Rocky Gap State Park volunteers like the monday morning crew. You can count on them to show up where the fish do or not. This is the second rodeo that I worked last year. The first one I came out I really enjoyed it. Most of the volunteers were here helped out with the kids giving him out rides getting a bait. There was some incentive they give to him. From the perspective of park and state officials the fishing derby offers kids alternatives to drugs and the streets one time and take your time. OK not to get all like this from the perspective of the Monday morning crew.

It's a chance to pass on the love and lore of fishing. What do you think of that. There are about half of me look at that. By 9 a.m. the fishing families begin to arrive. All of a sudden they all come in all at one time it's like you know where they all come from and then everybody scatters and they get down into the patient and you just kind to me and around help out if the kid gets a on line caught real bad you can replace the wrong point. But it all works out real good and the kids have a good time. I think they really enjoy themselves. And the parents don't have to worry about them they're in good hands while they're out here. You. Are you just disturbing for many in Girl Scout troop number one 79. This will be the very first fishing trip ever.

Exactly the kind of defining experience Derby organizers had hoped for. I love your song your name. Give your all find your name your name could get. Your attention on a case you get a big fish on there. Now comes the essence of fishing for experienced and first timers of life watch and. I don't know exactly what would be the best tip is patience there. My wife out fishes may she say is in the same spot. I run up and down the bag and catch it definitely does she. She stands in that one

place and she finally gets that face to bite. That by the way he's he's active in sports he plays football he's in the football league he's in the little league baseball. But yet when summertime comes and he's Mondays he's he wants to go with that to come to the gap and we all get together real good. I used to be a false prophet all sorts of. Just keep on trying. I'd love to see everybody get a face a big or small. I'd like to see him get one more. Time on one. Of. Them. For Girl Scout troop number 179. The biggest strike of all

beginner's luck. All. Right. Thanks for. That. Of back I'm surprised you're you just going to call me. Here.

That's one thing I guess we can hope for today that this will be an experience for. Some young people that we don't we're back be their first day of fishing and maybe they'll catch on. Maybe they will make it one but we can help. It sure will be. 5:30. The Ocean City and. A fleet heads out into the Atlantic for the beginning of the 23rd annual white marlin. In all 237 boats. Twelve hundred fishermen aboard many of the world class anglers. From this elite group. One boat stands out as decidedly different from all the rest. The caravan.

Of. Bertram 13:5 operated by Carlos Bentos of Annapolis the only man in the history of the tournament to attempt to compete. Along. Without the help. Of A. Normally Carlos never takes anyone with him on board the Caribbean. He kindly made an exception for the camera crew from outdoors Maryland. One of the reasons they feature on me is because I'm with people all the time. And the kind of people the restaurants. You help customers for value. Employees. I think this is the only way that you can be isolated. Either way my view is just becoming a monk. Other boats have captains to find the fish. One or two mates to prepare the right bait and rig the tackle and several languages to reel in the catch. Point. In my case it are different because they do the three

things on one that got them I'm the mate. On the trolley. Hopefully I wouldn't be the Wrangler. Without the sophisticated fishing of more expensive boats. Satellite images cameras under the hull and other high tech equipment. Karlos must rely on his own experience. Today he has a hunch that white marlin will be found 85 miles out in the Atlantic near a lump on the ocean floor. Carlos has detected a subtle change in water color. A Whiter Shade of blue that indicates a warmer current. Condition known to attract white marlin and other game fish. For bait. Carlos uses a bully who without a skirt. What you trolls on the surface of the water in a manner that makes it appear to be swimming. I like to fish with light tackle plenty pump bass line. Which makes it much more challenging. The effect of catching that moment.

The. Caribana trolls on autopilot patiently waiting for a hungry wife to come looking for a snack. When nothing bites. I think they're thankful for being quiet and being reflected. In perspective. Don't try and. Find yourself. Coming and going. Are we doing. What we want to do. What we plan to do what you have done and we do then. You say it's a time for reflection. Right now I say. It. Suddenly applied the adrenaline pumps. White marlin is on the line there you can see the first order of business is for Carlos to remove the other lines and baits so that he won't get tangled in them. Then he marches around so that he can circle back to the exact spot just in case

other Marlyn are in the area see what they are. I know the memory miner 53. Carlos must keep his line taught at all times or the white may throw off his hook. Only by keeping the right amount of pressure on the line. Can he really lean towards the boat. Too much pressure on the line might break or the hook pull up. When. You. Break. In. With a little luck. Carlos is able to tag the Marlins. And then removed the hook from its bill. After making sure that Marlin has oxygen in

its gills. He releases it back into the sea. Perhaps they will meet again in another day. They don't. Know. Why Martling. Can release no broken mouth. I would guess probably 45 pounds 50 perhaps that's an average fish. I'm glad you guys. Are. Good. I was like. The. People. On the boat. Carlos announces his catch and release to the tournament committee but he's already released fish. I'm OK because I got these people so. Lucky. I think that.

Carlos sometimes documents his catches on his camcorder. Normally I'd like to make the rules at the guy jiffies on camera. I think I'm a better. Camera. But if you try to see and. It's nice it's a nice moment. Putting color in the winter days. You cop something the logo. During his three days of tournament fishing Carlos has caught five white marlin including a pair of doubleheaders to Marlin hooked at the same time. Four of five of them were tag. All were released 330 and the fishing deadline for the day is over. The competitors returned to the tournament headquarters in Ocean City. A tradition among the fishermen coming back to board. To fly the flag with the catch of the day. In this case though we can see we are living on the well on the fly in the day. And then the people around I know it looks like the guy who.

Says this is the White Marlin open. Obviously the heaviest prize money goes to the white marlin. When the bill fish categories we award prize money to the heaviest white. And blue. But we also give release points awards for the most cost which is the most prestigious award any good anger would tell you this. You know I can tell you is better than I can get lucky. You're having one right. Not only did Carlos win top honors as the best handler best mate and best captain. He also won the top boat award one of the most prestigious awards in the tournament which is usually presented to entire boats and crews. I think I'm going to be enjoying my five minutes of fame because I don't think he's such a big song. I think he's. A. Monk that you live with honors but dissipated and this doesn't mean I want to be more than 100 this year. And I don't think I'm the best of them.

I was probably the luckiest guy. Well the past three years this strange scene has been replayed thousands of times. These biologists and volunteers carrying gasoline powered generators on their backs and wielding electro fishing gear are trolling middle island streams for some answers. They're part of a project being conducted by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and the University of Maryland called the Maryland biological stream's survey. The basic intent of the Marine Biological stream survey is to get a handle on the biological conditions of the streams. In our state and a survey of our type has not been done before where we actually let a computer choose our sites where we hold. Zach is a scientist with the Department of Natural Resources. One of the things that's unique about our survey design is that it a

random act that what we do is similar to a Gallup poll if you want to find out who's going to win an election. You randomly interview a bunch of people and then you get a fairly precise result. So that's why we're trying to do with a stream survey is pick random sites all over the state and let them tell us a story about how good or how bad our streams are. And then we do a fairly comprehensive look at what's in the stream what's along the stream and up to and including reptile's and if it means that live along the stream the fish in the stream the habitat. How much water is moving past the point. Scientists will use the information collected during the survey to better understand the link between the living resources in streams and a variety of human activities such as acid rain Urban Development and agriculture. A lot can be learned from the small streams that flow through our neighborhoods forests and

farm fields around the state and the streams survey promises to shed light on some surprising environmental relationships such as how parking lots can raise the cost of a Sunday afternoon crab feast. In this watershed there are lots of parking lots upstream from this site here. And when it rains the water doesn't seep into the ground it just washes off the parking lots down into the stream and essentially becomes a raging torrent and it gouges out the soil and the nutrients that are associated with the soil along the banks and carries it down through the river system into Chesapeake Bay and that results in lower dissolve oxygen levels. And most of the deepwater areas of the bay in the summertime and lots with Habitat for blue crabs. So more parking lots housing developments and other hard surfaces can mean fewer crimes. That means more expensive lower quality Gram's. Scientists also hope to find new ways to help migratory fish whose paths do

streams and rivers are blocked by species like the American eagle in Chesapeake Bay. American heels aren't much of a food fish but in other areas of the world such as Asia and Europe they're a delicacy. In spawn in the middle of the Sargasso Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. And then their young are drift with the currents and they settle out and come into areas like Chesapeake Bay and end up in this river. And when when they hit a barrier like that and we go Damn they can't get upstream anymore. And there are literally literally tens of thousands of streams miles upstream of this point that are denied access to the eels to live and grow. And what that results in is fewer large adult yields migrating back downstream that would otherwise be available to the commercial fishing. For the kind of one that was build nearly a million pounds of yields were harvested from the Susquehanna River each year. Today none are. The good news

is that two recently constructed fish efforts are helping other fish species. In the next few years. Bush lives will be completed a 3 dams up river. Scientists hope that several fish species will rebound and once again use the river and its tributaries to strong and grow. Of course with a major hydroelectric project like the can go there are tradeoffs where the stream surveyor reminds us how environmental relationships can magnify the effect of an apparently inconsequential action. This appears to be a small dam but in fact there are several hundred miles of drainage network streams and river upstream of this point. And American Eagle used this habitat to live and grow and with the number of miles upstream of even a small dam like this you're talking about losing it potentially several hundred thousand people through the commercial fishery. And there are. More than 1000 barriers such as this in Maryland.

Sometimes the team is surprised by what you find. As part of our stream survey we found glassing darters and until recently they were considered extinct from Maryland. They weren't found anymore. A fish like the GLASSIE darters small it's reclusive you wouldn't normally see it and most people might not care about it in particular. But I think they have a larger human value. What's important to us as human beings. The sylf isn't entering this stream and we're not losing our topsoil. And you know over the long term losing our ability to feed ourselves the water quality is sufficient that that suggests that our acid rain problem isn't in this area bad enough that we don't have fish alive and that is that acid rain problem also ties into smog. That these indicators tell us more than just yes there's this

Lasi darter in the stream. They suggest that our human environment is good. And when we see an increase in these things we're going in the right direction for our human environment as well. Since the dawn of time. Man has endeavoured to harness the abundant power of Mother Nature. One of the most successful fruits of this labor is the sailboat. I've been sailing since I was three and a half let's say that my dad bought it when I was three and a half years old and I've been sailing on the Chesapeake Bay since mid 50s for real estate developer Bob Walsh-Smith. There's no better way of relaxing after a hard day of work than to catch a stiff breeze on a sunny day. It's peaceful it's quiet. I like. I like the idea that you can you can move without any engine. It's a very peaceful peaceful way to motivate to get around to kill a few hours and.

Just relax. I like to sail. Certainly the bay is a wonderful place to sail. Some of the best sailors in the country are here on the bay. I think the venue itself is spectacular. The bay is a wonderful place. The big open body of water. You don't get the incredible conditions you have in the ocean which are life threatening. Granted they can be life running on the bay but not. Not to the extent they are in the ocean. Sailors have enjoyed cruising Marylander waterways for nearly 400 years in 16:30 for the ark and the dove sailed into St. Mary's City and established the state's first seat of government there. This bastion of Lord Baltimore the second remained Maryland's Capitol for more than half a century until moving to its present location in Annapolis. Once a year voters from all over the eastern seaboard make a pilgrimage back to the

colonial Capitol in one of the state's more popular races the Maryland governor's cup my dad my mom and my brother and I race the very first governor at 74 and are off our 30. Race Committee chairperson Barbara Biegel Rosebery boasts a long affiliation with the governors Cup. A lot of people didn't know that. This being the first Capitol. There was not a big thing and. It's not a big tourist attraction at the time although the historical society was trying to do well with that. So we thought they thought that we should have a race from the new state capitol to the original state park. And that's how it all started. It's sort of fun and it's good natured fun. Running and sailing the race from here to there. This year Bob has decided to enter Tigris. His 50 foot racing graft in the competition. We've got 15 guys on this boat and we've been sailing that together a number of them have been sailing together for a couple of years. Everybody hopefully is going to be doing what they

do best. And. Hopefully we'll have the boat going at its optimum speed. From the minute it starts to the minute it finishes race day for the Tigris crew begins late Friday afternoon with a pre-race briefing by helmsmen David Mizer. To. Go. For the position. I give you your basic mission for we put around overnight for something. Warm. Than just. Want to do it said. We're going to be. Ready. Dave has been sailing the Governors Cup nearly since its inception and he knows what to look for. It's important have a crew that works well together. A lot of feeling of coordination between now with men and the people that are training the navigator tactician. There's a lot of input between all of these people pretty much the whole crew works for the team but those people pretty much keep communication back and forth to make sure the boat's going fast. Probably the most crowded place in the world is a starting line on a sailboat race. Everybody is going to want to be in exactly the same place. At one very

particular moment in time and that's what they're starting. Where do you want to be on the line. What do you want to do. It's a matter of in the boat you know how fast the boat will go. It's a running start you want to be going as fast as you can. And you don't want to be more than a couple of feet from the starting line. Ten. Minutes. On a perfect day the boat crosses the line just after the start axing. Judging by the when I see it right now it will be in MY favor of when most of the world. Will be tracking. Down the bay. Looking for the. Slowest currents against us and the fastest currents to push a. Lot of that has to do with with depth the water timing. Another

factor is the boat's engine. Yes sails are the primary engine. We spend a lot of time and effort making sure there's a right proper sail shape is everything. So. The sail tremors are the ones that make the engine work. I'll give you a little point right now. The sail maker hasn't done his job and created a sail that. Can be made to work. We're going to not go past. For today's race. The Tigris is fortunate to have Mark McKinney on board a sail maker by trade. Clark adds another welcome dimension to the groove sails are designed for specific winds and sea states. And then also for particular boats sails are very important for the performance of boats. If you choose the wrong material the sail will not hold its design shape. So. As the wind changes strength the

sail will change shape and won't be as efficient as what you are hoping to design with. I. Think that both. Weather. Conditions are going to. There are some sails that. Don't always see the potential because they. Trimmer's. Can't always get everything out of the sail. You've got you're going to have all the right equipment and if you don't know how to use it you can go slower than anybody else. Luckily enough we've got a lot of very talented people on board. The Governors Cup is one of only a handful of overnight races still in existence and it presents a number of challenges to race participants on an overnight race you've got 12 13 15 hours of sailing. And nobody has got that kind of concentration to do that well so everybody takes a stand. And a couple of different positions. I think that's one of the other things that makes a lot of fun. Unfortunately the wind is not favored the Tigers sent her crew. A

northerly breeze as necessitated a constant EastWest tacking for most of the race. By nightfall the crew was preparing itself for what would turn out to be the longest in the history of Governors Cup races. It was the slowest recent history. By that not the slowest total of all finishers but certainly the slowest first boat to finish the race since the race started. The usual problem spots are when you run out of wind and with the biggest problem we had this year we went west and fell into a big hole that. Night. Once the boat is docked it's time for the party. But not just to honor those who crossed the finish line first as a celebration of human spirit over Mother Nature. This gathering honors all who entered the race and this is one party where folks come from miles around to be a part of it. I think there's words to describe it. Glad to be done raising. Ready to party the Governors Cup party has always wanted the better already on the Chesapeake Bay after a sailboat.

To Corinthians for it. We do it for the love of the sport. We do it because. The Serenity involved in going out there and racing but having no sound with the sound of the wind. Mother Nature at work. 16.

Feet to 12 feet. High. One day hearing a. Terrible bored.