The last day of Annapolis Yacht Club's first frostbite series in December 2020 ended with a J/24 crew in full holiday gear sailing up Ego Alley and picking up drinks to go at Pusser's. "The highlight was getting a round of applause from the audience at the Fleet Reserve Club," one of them, Firth, told SpinSheet. Asked why she would sail in the cold when she could be home with hot chocolate, she said, "Sailing is too fun to only do it half the year!"

That attitude describes Eastport's water this time of year better than any talk of an off-season. The boat shows are gone and the transient slips have emptied, but racing on Spa Creek and the Severn keeps going. It runs on a tighter clock and under stricter rules, with a fixed start time and weekly results from mid-November to the week before Christmas. Eastport's own yacht club has the Saturday after Thanksgiving.

The Rules Keep Everyone in the Cockpit

Annapolis Yacht Club's 2026–2027 Frostbite Series Notice of Race, finalized August 25, 2026, has the usual racing rules plus a short list that sets winter racing apart from a summer race. While racing:

1. Every boat carries at least three crew, skipper included, each weighing at least 100 pounds.
2. Crew may not change sails, leave the cockpit, reach an arm or leg past the lifelines or deck edge, or climb out of a hatch farther than the waist.
3. Spinnaker poles and whisker poles are banned.
4. Every crew member wears a Coast Guard-approved PFD the whole time.

Each of these rules keeps people inside the boat and off the foredeck. Without a pole, nobody goes forward to set one. Changing sails is also off the table mid-race, so whatever sails a boat starts with are the ones it finishes with. From the Spa Creek Bridge, these boats look tidier and more upright than the summer fleets. You won't see crews hiking hard over the rail in the cold.

The invitation list shows how broad the fleet is. Cal 25s, Harbor 20s, Sonars, J/22s, J/24s, J/30s, J/70s, J/80s and J/105s are all invited, along with handicap boats racing under ORC and PHRF ratings. A one-design class needs at least five boats entered by noon on Friday, November 13, to be scored on its own.

Two Races at Noon, Lunch in Between

AYC's October 12 announcement sets the first series for Sunday, November 15. It runs through December 20. Two races are scheduled each day, with the first warning signal at noon, and lunch and refreshments are served at the AYC Main Clubhouse between them. The courses use inflatable or robotic marks along with government marks on Spa Creek and the Severn River. That puts part of the racing in Eastport's own creek.

Series 1 entries are due by 5 p.m. on Monday, November 9. The $275 fee covers one or both series and the Hangover Bowl.

Last season shows how full the creek can get. In its 2025–2026 season wrap-up, posted March 16, 2026, AYC reported 120 boats on the entry list for the first series, split into seven classes. That series got through 10 races for every class except the Harbor 20s, which come out only for the first race of each day. So noon is when the creek is busiest, and the second race goes off with fewer boats.

The fall series has a better record than the late-winter one. AYC said the February-to-March second series had "too much wind, too not much wind, and way too much snow and ice," and that only a handful of races were sailed. The 10-race fall series compared with a handful in late winter is a good reason to watch from shore in November and December. Series 2 for this season runs February 7 to March 14, 2027.

Thanksgiving Saturday Belongs to First Street

AYC runs its frostbite series from the downtown side of the bridge. The one regatta in this stretch that starts and ends in Eastport is Eastport Yacht Club's Leftover Bowl, on Saturday, November 28. Per EYC's 2026 Notice of Race, the venue is the club at 317 First Street and the first class's warning signal is set for 1 p.m. Racing is near the mouth of the Severn River, on a single fixed-mark course. There are three classes: Non-Spinnaker, Spinnaker and Harbor 20. The two handicap classes are scored on corrected time and the Harbor 20s by order of finish. Entry costs $50, and registration closes at 1 p.m. on Friday, November 27.

The Notice of Race explains the event's name in one line:

"Prizes are based on leftover and unclaimed trophies from previous year(s) – hence, the name of the event."

There are two other awards. The Golden Shoes Award goes to the best-dressed boat and crew, and the Rubber Chicken Award goes to the last boat to finish. A post-race social and awards presentation follows, and EYC extends the courtesy of its bar and galley to racers. The club's event listing runs the day from noon to 5 p.m. in the club dining room and says the regatta is open to all boats.

So the Saturday after Thanksgiving has a race start at 1 p.m. near the mouth of the Severn and an awards party on First Street afterward. It falls between the opening weeks of AYC's Sunday series.

Watching From the Eastport Side

You don't need a boat to follow any of this. A 2020 Visit Annapolis guide to frostbite sailing names City Dock, the Spa Creek Bridge and Eastport street ends as places to watch winter races. The same guide describes a typical frostbite race as about 45 minutes on a triangular course marked with anchored inflatable buoys. AYC's current Notice of Race leaves the exact courses to the sailing instructions, which come out about 10 days before the first race. Treat the 2020 viewing spots as the usual places people watch from. The 2026 course may change from week to week.

The timing helps. With a noon warning signal and races of roughly 45 minutes, the first race should be wrapping up while lunch is being served at the AYC clubhouse, which leaves an early-afternoon walk to the Spa Creek Bridge in time for the second start. For anyone on the Eastport side, the bridge works for the Sunday series and again for the Lights Parade on December 12.

Six Weeks on One Calendar

The racing is the steadiest part of a short run of dates on and around the water. These are the ones on the calendar between now and the week before Christmas:

According to the Annapolis Maritime Museum's event page, all proceeds from ticket sales for Jay Fleming's party go directly to the museum's education and outreach programs. The Lights Parade goes out on Annapolis Harbor at 6 p.m. on December 12. Visit Annapolis lists the Spa Creek Bridge and Eastport's pocket parks as places to watch it. Eight days later, AYC wraps up its first series. On January 1, 2027, AYC sails the Hangover Bowl under a separate notice of race, outside the frostbite series.

When the Lights Parade boats head out on December 12, AYC's racers will have one Sunday left in the series, on December 20.

Our family has watched these winter Sundays on Spa Creek from Annapolis since 1968. If you'd like to talk about life near the water, including which Eastport street ends look out on the racing, The Tower Team is happy to help. Work With Us.