Articles by Steve Carr

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...

Article - Features; by Steve Carr - 2/23/12

13 Days of Non-Stop Mayhem

When we last checked on The Volvo Ocean Race, the 15-ton, 70-foot-long boats were safely in Abu Dhabi — after hopping a stealth freighter to avoid pirates in the Indian Ocean. Leg 3 begins with the usual in-port race in Abu Dhabi, home of the boat in second-to-last place, and continues to Sanya, China, home of the boat in last place. An Arabian fairy tale came true as British Olympian Ian Walker skippered hometown favorite Team Abu Dhabi to victory in the Etihad In-Port Race. Walker...

Article - Boating; by Steve Carr - 1/12/12

Leg 2 of the Volvo Ocean Race

Battling rough seas and eluding pirates on the Indian Ocean

On a perfect day for racing in Capetown, South Africa, Telefonica tightened its stranglehold on first place by winning the in-port race. But the real winners were the three boats that had made it to the starting line after withdrawing from the first leg because of equipment failures. The following day, all six of the boats began Leg 2, a 5,000-mile slog to Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. Hundreds of spectator boats came out to watch that country’s boat, Abu...

Article - Boating; by Steve Carr - 12/8/11

Know Your Racing

The Volvo Ocean Race isn’t the only high-profile sailing event

The Volvo Ocean Race is an around-the-world marathon showcasing 70-foot high-tech sailing machines. Precise rules govern boat and sail design, making each boat similar. It takes the racers nine months to sail the globe, with extended stops in eight ports. The boats are sponsored by syndicates that hire the world’s finest sailors to ride these carbon-fiber, sail-powered rockets. It costs about $100 million to play that game. The winner gets a silver chalice that can easily hold a couple...

Article - Boating; by Steve Carr - 12/8/11

40,000 Miles of Heartbreak and Thrills

The Volvo Ocean Race is back on the water

The machines are scary sharp, the crews wear bright and sexy clothing and the thrills and spills will keep you coming back for your fear-factor fix. That’s sailing we’re talking about, not Grand Prix auto racing. While we await Christmas and winter, one of the biggest shows in the world is playing out. So take a break from holiday madness for a turn on the water. Follow the racers round the world at www.volvooceanrace.com...

Article - Where We Live by Steve Carr; by Steve Carr - 9/1/11

We Live Atop Lost Cities and Civilizations

Pig Point is our newest Lost Town — and our oldest link to history

Anne Arundel County’s newest Lost Town is Pig Point, a prehistoric Indian village near Jug Bay on the Patuxent River. Archaeologist Jane Cox and her Lost Towns Project colleagues realized they were on to something pretty wild as soon as they started excavating the long-forgotten site. Digging down through the layers of several fire pits, they encountered trash going back almost 10,000 years. That makes this one of the region’s oldest uncovered sites. ...

Article - Where We Live by Steve Carr; by Steve Carr - 5/12/11

The Severn River Association’s First Century

It takes many years to save a river

It seems odd, but the Severn River Association is the oldest group in the United States dedicated to the preservation of a river. You’d figure that honor would fall to some group affiliated with John Muir. On April 29, 1911, 32 wealthy white men from Baltimore who owned summer homes along the Severn River got together and started the Severn River Association. Their primary mission was to stock the river with fish, prevent watermen from poaching and upgrade Ritchie...

Article - Creature Feature; by Steve Carr - 4/28/11

This Week’s Creature Feature: Reach the Beach

Turtles, like people, benefited from William Donald Schaefer’s beach-bound determination.

Back in 2001, I joined the Severn River Association in arguing a tidal wetlands case before the Board of Public Works. We were trying to convince the regulators that a living shoreline would be better than a rock revetment on one of the last remaining natural shorelines along the Severn. To make our case, we came armed with school children and turtles. The school children, freshly scrubbed from the Samuel Ogle Science Magnet School, explained the importance of beach habitat...

Article - Where We Live by Steve Carr; by Steve Carr - 4/21/11

Fear the Turtle

Riparian rights have wronged a number of Bay critters

Turning a big ship around takes time, a lot of time. Right after World War II, many people living along the waters of the Chesapeake Bay began building bulkheads to prevent their shorelines from washing away. The state even encouraged this by offering homeowners free loans to harden their shorelines. A smiling fellow named Leonard Casanova showed up on our doorstep one summer day way back in the early 70s and announced that he was from the Department of...