Articles by Steve Carr

Article - People; by Steve Carr - 6/20/13

Dick Lahn’s String of Pearls

The rewarding culmination of a long environmental quest

A light went on for environmental guru Dick Lahn, of Crofton, back in 1967, at a League of Conservation Voters lecture. “I was working as a mathematician for NASA, and suddenly I knew that protecting our environment was what I really wanted to do.” The Ah-ha! moment has shaped Lahn’s life into a String of Pearls that unites Baywide land preservation, art and a treasure hunt. Along the way, Lahn has strung a strand of...

Article - History & Lore; by Steve Carr - 12/13/12

When Marvels Appear

A winter’s wind blows water from the Bay, revealing relics from the past

On a cold winter day, with a stiff northwest wind blowing the Chesapeake Bay south toward the Atlantic, 11-year-old twins Cole and Wyatt Greene stumbled on a strange sight as they explored the exposed mudflats of Herring Bay. Buried in the mud appeared to be the remains of an old ship. A really big ship. The two boys announced their find to their mother. Back they ran with an iPhone and tape measure to record the shipwreck. It measured a whopping 129 feet by 25 feet. Nearby...

Article - Bay Weekly Interviews; by Steve Carr - 10/4/12

2014’s Volvo Ocean Race Begins in Annapolis

Farr Yacht Design’s Patrick Shaughnessy on creating the boats that sail round the world

Sailing legend Bruce Farr’s career began long ago and far away in his hometown of Auckland, New Zealand. By the 1970s, Farr — then in his 20s — had established a reputation for designing fast, cheap boats that were easier to build and sail than most of the competition. His designs won one-quarter, one-half, three-quarter and one-ton world championships. Seeking a presence in the northern hemisphere more accessible to the market, Farr opened an office in...

Article - Boating; by Steve Carr - 8/9/12

The Greatest Race in the World

After almost a year at sea and nearly 40,000 miles, the Volvo Race is a true endurance test

The 39,270-mile Volvo Ocean Race is the greatest test of human endurance in the guise of sport on the planet earth. It’s life at the extreme with its own curiosities. Starting the nine-month race in Spain is always fun. The Spanish know how to throw a good party, and the royalty-crowned pomp and circumstance befits such an epic voyage. But starting from Alicante, Spain, means sailing across the Mediterranean Sea to Gibraltar, a boat-busting, upwind...

Article - Boating; by Steve Carr - 7/12/12

Around the World in 9 Months

In this final leg, the Volvo Ocean Racers come full circle to Galway, Ireland

When you’re riding high, everything seems to go your way, and that’s how the in-port Race in Bretagne, France, played out. Large crowds cheered on local hero Franck Cammas and Groupama as they mastered the upwind/downwind course off Lorient. Camper barely hung on to beat Puma for second place, but that victory mattered. It closed the overall Volvo Ocean Race gap between second and third to four points heading into Leg 9, a 550-mile sprint to Galway, Ireland....

Article - Boating; by Steve Carr - 6/21/12

Life at the Extreme

Leg 8 of the Volvo Ocean Race

When we last reported on The Volvo Ocean Race, 12 days of intense racing across the Atlantic from Miami had ended in one of Volvo’s closest finishes. Despite reaching Lisbon second by six minutes, Groupama gained the overall lead. Along the narrow Tagus River in front of the ancient, white-stoned city of Lisbon, hard-charging Groupama dominated an upwind-downwind in-port race. Telefónica recklessly fouled PUMA at the start, and the Spanish boat finished last yet again. PUMA’s wily...

Article - Boating; by Steve Carr - 6/7/12

A 3,600-Mile Battle to Lisbon

Tropical Storm Alberto and pressure fronts low and high make for trouble on Leg 7 of The Volvo Ocean Race

When we last checked on The Volvo Ocean Race, the sailors had ridden the Caribbean current and safely crossed the Bermuda Triangle, reaching Miami in 17 days. In fluky, dying-wind conditions just off shore of glittering South Beach, Ian Walker and the crafty vets aboard Abu Dhabi once again showed their mastery of short-handed, close-track, in-port sailing by battling Groupama neck-and-neck the entire in-port race. PUMA stole third from Camper in a photo finish. The...

Article - Boating; by Steve Carr - 5/17/12

On a Slow Boat to America

Leg 6 of the Volvo Ocean Race takes the sailors 5,000 miles from Brazil to Miami

When we last checked on The Volvo Ocean Race, the racers had taken a wild ride from New Zealand across the South Pacific and around South America to Brazil. On a stormy Saturday in Itajaí, Brazil, French team Groupama won its first in-port race. Telefónica led all the way — until rounding the wrong mark near the end. Team Puma finished third in port, but the Americans led the race to Miami on the 4,800-mile leg from Brazil. Then the fleet separated laterally over a...

Article - Boating; by Steve Carr - 4/12/12

The Last Boat Standing

Leg 5 of The Volvo Ocean Race breaks hulls, bows and spirits

When we last checked on The Volvo Ocean Race, 20 monsoon-drenched days from China to New Zealand had ended in a bone-crushing duel. Leg 5 takes a wild ride across the South Pacific from New Zealand around South America to Brazil. Record crowds lined Auckland Harbor and took to the sea to cheer Camper on to victory in her hometown in-port race. While the fleet battled the stiff currents of Freeman’s Bay, Skipper Chris Nicholson used local knowledge to sail along the shore, edging out Puma...

Article - Where We Live by Steve Carr; by Steve Carr - 3/15/12

Sailing thru Storms and Doldrums

On Leg 4, the Volvo Ocean Racers leave China and head to New Zealand

When we last checked on The Volvo Ocean Race, 13 days from Abu Dhabi to China had ended with a tacking duel that pushed the exhausted crews to their limits. Leg 4 begins in Sanya Bay, homeport last-place boat, and ends in Auckland, New Zealand. Race leader Telefónica had sailed to victory in the first three distance legs of the Volvo Ocean Race. But the Spanish boat stalled in the in-port races, often finishing last. This time, skipper Iker Martinez powered to a 41-second...