Baltimore 250
June 25 - 29, 2026
Early Board May 24
Rock Hall and Baltimore, Maryland
Come join The Sailing Club as we celebrate the Semiquincentennial (i.e., 250th) birthday of the country. We will celebrate this summer with a trip to Baltimore, Maryland, joining a fleet of tall ships, other naval vessels, and the US Navy’s Blue Angels.
The Plan
We’ll gather at Haven Harbour Marina on Wednesday, June 24th. The skippers will check out the boats, then we’ll all get settled on board. Crews will go out to dinner at one of Rock Hall’s restaurants, where the seafood is fresh and the drinks flow.
Thursday, June 25
After the morning skipper meeting, boat check-out, and crew briefing, we’ll head out for some sailing and then across the bay to anchor out near Gibson Island on the Magothy River (14 nm from Rock Hall).
Lighthouse Point Marina
Friday, June 26
From Gibson Island, we sail twenty nautical miles to Lighthouse Point Marina in Baltimore, across the Patapsco River from Fort McHenry. We’ll spend two nights here, taking part in the 250th Birthday celebration of the United States. The final event schedule has not been determined yet, but we know that the Navy’s Blue Angels will be the featured attraction of an air show on Saturday. In addition, there will be international Tall Ships and several U.S. Navy vessels in the harbor, as well as several festivals on shore in various neighborhoods. There will likely be fireworks at some time during the weekend.
Saturday, June 27
Layover day to enjoy all the festivities. Some of the tall ships scheduled to participate:
Ara Libertad – Argentinian Navy training ship
HMCS Robert Hampton Gray – Canadian Navy offshore patrol vessel
Arc Gloria – Colombian Navy training vessel
Bae Guayas – Ecuadoran Navy training vessel
Belle Poule – French Navy training vessel
Gorch Fock – German Naval training vessel
HMS Duncan – Great Britain air defense destroyer
Ins Sudarshini – Indian Navy training vessel
USCG Eagle – Training vessel of the US Coast Guard
USS Constellation – US Naval Sloop of War. The last sail-only US warship
LS Chesapeake – US lightship
NS Savannah – The world’s first nuclear powered commercial vessel
SS John W Brown – one of two remaining US Liberty Ships from World War II
Pride of Baltimore II – A reproduction of the Baltimore Clippers of the late 18th and early 19th century
USCG Eagle
Festivals
Several music and food festivals will take place over the week, including at Inner Harbor, Fells Point (next to our marina), Baltimore Peninsula, and Martin State Airport (base of the air show). For the latest information, check out sail250md.org. There is also a Sail250MD app for your phone.
Sunday, June 28
From Baltimore, we’ll get an early start for our sail up the bay to raft up on the Sassafras River (34 nm) for a must-go shared supper. Alternatively, if the sailing is not great that day, we can stop at Worton Creek for the night (24 nm). In either case, we should be far enough north that sea nettles won’t be an issue for a swim.
Monday, June 29
We head back to Rock Hall to fuel up, pump out, clean up and clear out the boats. From Sassafras, it’s 30 nm, or 18 nm from Worton Creek.
Our Boats
Two boats have been chartered from Haven Charters in Rock Hall, a Catalina 445 and a Jeanneau 439, with six people per boat.
The cost of this trip is $950.00 per person (Skippers and Trip Leader: $505.00). The price includes charter fees and slips for two nights. Provisioning, fuel, pump-out, and all other incidentals are additional and will be handled by each boat’s crew.
The deposit for this trip is $100.00. Please make your check payable to The Sailing Club, Inc. and mail it, along with your completed two-page Reservation/Release Form, to Jan Cornelius at the address below. Reservations will be processed beginning April 13, 2026 with a random draw of those received by that date. All reservations received after that date are on a first come, first served basis. The balance of $850.00 is due on May 11, 2026. The Club’s standard thirty-day cancellation policy applies for this event.
A pre-trip meeting will be held before the trip, at a time and place to be announced. All crew members should make every effort to attend in order to meet your crewmates, plan your meals, and make travel plans.
Please review the Club’s trip signup procedure and policies in the Trip Information Package.
Trip Leader
Jan Cornelius
165 Brooktondale Rd
Brooktondale, NY 14817
607-342-6528
JanCCornelius@gmail.com
Assistant Trip Leader
Bob Rainey
2006 South Branch Drive
Whitehouse Station, NJ 08889
908-872-9101
rjraineyjr@aol.com
Please note that sailing conditions are dynamic, that your safety, and that of your crewmates,
depends on your good physical health and agility.
