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 Normally we end the Skipjack race at noon if no one has crossed the finish line, and the leader of the pack is declared the winner.  The race started well enough, but it started to grind down into slow motion along the way.  We saw the skipjacks giving up, and launching the yawl boats to push them back into the harbor.  The remainder tried to make the most of what remained of the wind, and neared the finish line at noon.  The captains were tantalized by the short length remaining to actually win the race by crossing the line, rather than winning by default…….no bragging rights to go with that. So they continued to edge their way closer to the line.  We announced the positions of the racers several times, and they constantly changed as they tacked back and forth, and even had the tide turn against them. Daddy Art and the City of Crisfield, the Fanny Daugherty, the Helen Virginia and the Virginia W exchanged the lead several times.  Finally the Virginia W won, followed by Daddy Art in his 56th race, then the Fannie Daugherty, the Ida May, the Kathryn, just fully restored, and the Helen Virginia that won last year with their all lady crew.

We even had one “new” skipjack in the race.  The Fortune had all the dimensions of a traditional skipjack, and was rerigged in full skipjack fashion, qualifying it to the DNR as a skipjack eligible to oyster under license 95 as a skipjack.  After Captain Scott Todd visited the Lions, and talked with us, we accepted the boat as a replica skipjack, like the Nathan of Dorchester, and allowed it in the race. Unfortunately they pulled out of the race with the others due to the lack of wind.

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