Hospice Cup

Sailor or Not, There's Good Times Coming for You

by Carol Glover

Editor's note: We're throwing our support behind Hospice Cup early and advise you to do the same. Racers should be signing up now, and party-goers by land or sea will have many days of pleasurable anticipation if they get their name on the early list.

The sailing regatta Hospice Cup returns for the XVIIIth time to Chesapeake Bay on September 18.

So if you're a racing sailor, this world-class regatta gives you points.

If you're a celebrity seeker, you'll finally get your chance to meet Pat Sajak.

If you're a celebrant of life's finer things, you've finally got your belated invitation to Pierre Auguste Renoir's famous boating party.

If you're a Bay lover seeking an extra-special boat ride, you've got a date.

If you're a believer in hospice as a pain-free, dignified way to manage the final stages of terminal illness at home or in a home-like setting, this is your chance to put your money where your mouth is.

Hospice Cup, in short, is an event with something for just about everybody.

 

For Celebrity Seekers

"The hospice movement is growing I think it's a wonderful sign. It reminds us that all lives are valuable at all stages of life," said Wheel of Fortune's Pat Sajak, honorary chair of this year's Hospice Cup.

What's a big deal affair without a big-name honorary chair? An honorary chairman with a name adds prestige and excitement to the affair. Over the years, Hospice has been chaired by greats of Chesapeake Country and the nation: Chessy Racing owner George J. Collins; broadcast journalist Walter Cronkite; Pulitzer Prize-winning writer William Warner; columnist WIlliam Buckley Jr.; Gov. and Mrs. Charles Robb, of Virginia; and Gov. and Mrs. Harry Hughes, of Maryland. Celebrities accept the chairmanship of hospice for different reasons: community relations, publicity, belief in the cause, personal experience with hospice, love of the Bay and love of sailing.

This year's honorary chair is television's Pat Sajak, who divides his time between Los Angeles and Chesapeake Country, where he lives in Arnold, overlooking the Severn River on Bluff Point, near his wife Lesly's family home in Severna Park. The high-profile Wheel of Fortune entertainer is happy to give up a weekend for hospice.

"I agreed to participate because it benefits such a wonderful cause, and I wanted to give something back to the area in which I spend so much time," said Sajak.

Instead of a sailor - "I've never set foot on a sailboat, though I do own a powerboat," he said - Sajak is a believer in hospice.

"The hospice movement is growing at a tremendous rate, and I think it's a wonderful sign. It reminds us that all lives are valuable at all stages of life. I have a great amount of respect for hospice workers and the unselfish comfort they bring to others," he said.

 

For Bay Lovers

Being on the triple-decker committee boat is "exciting," said Pulitzer Prize-winner and '93 Hospice Cup chairman William Warner. You don't need a better reason than love for a day on the Bay.

So says William W. Warner, Pulitzer-prize winning author of Beautiful Swimmers and 1993 Honorary Chairman.

"The idea of celebrating with a regatta for all classes is an exciting one," said Warner, who claims "many long and happy years of sailing on the Chesapeake."

But, he adds, "being on the committee boat was exciting and so was the delightful reception afterwards," Warner added.

On Hospice Cup Day, the observation boat The Lady Baltimore, a triple-deck lunch and dinner boat on leave from touring the Inner Harbor, becomes a floating floral party boat. For the past three years Nick and June Paul, owners of a wholesale florist company in Washington, D.C., have adorned the excursion boat to carry through the week-end's theme. This year the Pauls will dress the upper deck, railings and dining and buffet tables in pastel posies.

"The boat follows the racing boats. It's a festive ride for people who love the Bay and a great place for photos. Come with friends and have a good time," said June Paul.

A member of hospice will narrate the race as it speeds before your eyes. For your pleasure, entertainment will pass the time as well. A Dixieland band puts a little swing in the day, while the amazement comes from a magician and a tarot reader.

At the race's end, the Pauls' auction their colorful centerpieces. Last year they raised close to $500 for hospice.

The way to meet Pat Sajak, have a day on the Bay and enjoy a close view of the race is to buy a ticket for The Lady Baltimore, which follows the Hospice Cup from 10am to 3pm.

Your $250 donation buys you all this plus champagne breakfast, a bountiful lunch, open bar and an after-the-race tent dinner, held on dry land, with live entertainment.

 

For Hospice Believers

If, like Pat Sajak, you believe in strengthening community and in the philosophy of hospice, this event is for you.

Six hospices join together in sponsoring Hospice Cup. Sharing responsibilities and rewards are Hospice of Anne Arundel Medical Center, Hospice of the Chesapeake, Calvert Hospice, Montgomery Hospice Society, Hospice of Charles County and Hospice of Northern Virginia.

One of those hospices, the Hospice of Northern Virginia, imagined the idea of a sailing regatta to raise funds for local hospices. In 1982, 35 boats raced from Annapolis to St. Michael's, raising $30,000 for the Northern Virginia Hospice. Since then, sailing to raise money for hospices has proved to be so good an idea that it's spread nationwide.

If like Bob Ryan - NBC 4 Meteorologist and 1991 Honorary Chairman - you have ties to area hospices or hospice cup friends, you'll join them in the week-end's events.

Ryan has kept an eye on the Hospice Cup since its early days. "My friends were involved in the beginning of Hospice Cup. That's how I got involved. I always try to promote Hospice Cup because of the work of the volunteers."

Ryan uses his meteorological powers to help the cause along. "I always try to keep the weather just right for Hospice Cup," he says.

With good weather, this year's reward will be $400,000 or more - with 20 percent or less in expenses - organizers hope.

 

For Party Animals

To make Hospice Cup irresistible to landlubbers as well as sailors, the volunteers of Hospice Cup Inc. spend a year planning a grand after-race party. Each year's event has a theme. This year, at the "End of Summer Picnic," the mood is impressionistic, themed to French Impressionist painter Renoir's "The Luncheon of the Boating Party."

Caterers don festive attire resembling the duds worn by the boaters in Renoir's painting. They'll be serving you crab cakes and crab soup, as well as other shellfish entrees, representing a typical luncheon of those in a boating party.

Location is also something special and something new each year. This year the lush gardens of Holly Beach Farm, a private estate, provide a setting for the evening's music and award festivities while guests feast on the gourmet fare prepared by area caterers under the guidance of Catering by Ron.

A Dixieland band entertains as the feast spreads out before the guests. Admission for this grand End of Summer Party also includes a peek at antique boats and a silent auction.

"The camaraderie is unbelievable. People have all come together for one main cause, hospice. Guests see their money going toward something that everyone has been touched by. This is where they all come together," said Barbara Malloy, publicist of Hospice Cup.

Join the party, $60 a person, at Holly Beach Farm from 4 to 8pm Sun. Sept. 19.

 

For Serious Sailors

At race time, the Shearwater Sailing Club takes over. Fun-loving sailors who promote local racing and do good works - including a sail training program for disabled youth - the Annapolis club has been the official racing sponsor since 1984.

Shearwater volunteers handle all race arrangements. This year, 120 racing yachts and spectator boats will take to the waters on Sept. 18 in many standard and two special-race classes. Standard races count toward the high-point competitive standing for the season sanctioned by Chesapeake Bay Yacht Racing Association.

The race classes include: PHRF A0; PHRF A1; PHRF A2; PHRF B; PHRF C/D; PHRF N; Cal 25; Catalina 27; Mumm 30; J/30; J/105; MORC and Hospice Class.

Awards include the Cathy Hartman Memorial Trophy, the Ralph A. Beeton Trophy, the Martin F. McCarthy Trophy and the Hospice Cup. The Hospice Cup is awarded to the skipper with the best overall performance in the last three Hospice Cup Races, 1997 through 1999.

The two special non-sanctioned races are a race for novices who want to have fun, support hospice and sail the Bay, and a race of hospice volunteer caregivers. Patient owners sponsor the caregivers who crew or skipper this special race.

All races in the regatta are still open for entries. The entrance fee is $30 and benefits the consortium of hospices sponsoring Hospice Cup. To learn more about the Hospice Club Regatta, call Shearwater Sailing Club: 410/974-1058.

 

For All the Rest

If you don't sail but want to give your support, you can do so personally or through your company. Sponsor a crew, sponsor a trophy, donate to the silent auction or advertise in the Race Program.

If, like most of us, you have more good will than lots of money, help by volunteering at your local hospice or making small donations.

A $50 donation will go a long way, as Paul Murray, Hospice of the Chesapeake director of marketing, explained:

"We offer a continuum of care regardless of ability to pay, so $50 would be applied to the difference between what insurance pays and the actual cost of care. It would go toward daily care such as a nurse to dress wounds or for pain management or toward durable medical equipment, oxygen or a hospital bed."

You can, of course, donate far more. For $250 to $499, First Mates earn a passage on Lady Baltimore and an invitation to the evening party. For $500 to $999, Navigators double that deal. For $1,000 to $2,499, Captains take themselves and three guests to the full day of events. For $2,500 to $4,999, Commodores get six places. For $5,000 to $9,999, Admirals get eight places plus "special privileges." For $10,000 to $14,999, Flag Ship sponsors get 10 places plus those special privileges. For $15,000 and up, Fleet sponsors get passage for 15 people plus "exclusive privileges."

September 19 isn't far off. Plan now for this beautiful day on the Bay, racing or on the observation boat with a glass of champagne, camaraderie, competition, interesting lively people and Pat Sajak too. As well as a day of fun, it's a way to help each other "navigate life's difficult courses."

To learn more about Hospice and the Hospice Cup festivities, call Mary Radzik at Hospice Club Inc.: 703/538-2062

 

Looking Ahead

Friday Sept. 17 · 6:30pm - Major sponsors attend an elegant invitation-only reception with Pat Sajak.

Saturday Sept.18 · 10:30am-The observation boat Lady Baltimore departs with Pat Sajak. Observers enjoy champagne, brunch, music and entertainment. Experienced sailors provide colorful commentary on the race.

 

| Issue 32 |

Volume VII Number 32
August 12-18, 1999
New Bay Times

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