420 Racers

Here's one of the Annapolis Yacht Club piers on Spa Creek, near sunset in mid-August 2003. The boats are small racing sailboats used by high-school-age Junior Sailing Program members for instruction and competition.

One of my more nautically-inclined friends, upon seeing this photo, told me that these small boats are called "420 racers," referring to the boats' length in centimeters. For use in competition, this little fleet is ideal; since the boats are all the same, winning is a matter of seamanship rather than equipment.

I took this photo from the drawbridge spanning Spa Creek, which separates downtown Annapolis from Eastport. Over the years, I keep coming back to photograph this nicely-lined-up set of racers from different viewpoints, time of day, and seasons.