Maritime Republic of Eastport Tug of War VIII

In a continuing attempt to undermine the strength of the MRE and regain some of the glory lost during last year’s Tug of War blowout (the MRE beat Annapolis in all 7 Tugs), the colonial powers of Annapolis have conspired to create a new starting time for the Tug—at the Crack of Half Past Ten (aka 10:30 am). The Tug will be held October 29, 2005, featuring Maritime Republic of Eastport brawn and bravado against all comers -- for fun and for charity. In response to the request of the Marine Charter Industry Association (MCIA), whose members felt the usual time of noon would have a detrimental effect on their businesses, the MRE agreed to this earlier start time, in the hopes that the citizenry of both sides of the water would rise to the occasion and wake up a little earlier for the Eighth Annual Slaughter Across the Water. On the up side, the Tug Fest, which normally would have begun at 11:30, will begin at 10, giving tuggers and spectators an extra hour and a half to celebrate the fact that they live in (or are visiting) one of the best places, ever. However, this time change will demand extra effort from the volunteers, tuggers and spectators to ensure that the Tug succeeds in this compressed time schedule and that the MRE reaches its goal of raising $21,403 for charity – we all know we’ll have a good time, regardless. We would like to ask for the support of all Annapolitans and Eastportaricans to help support the MRE with this time change – getting the word out, showing up early and proving that the MRE is as resilient as ever to whatever the world tries to throw at us!!

Once a year, local and national attention focuses on the Annapolis Harbor, or, as we like to call it, the Gulf of Eastport, for a competition unlike any in the world – the Slaughter Across the Water, the longest tug of war over a body of water in the world. The Tug is staged between the Maritime Republic of Eastport (MRE) and Downtown Annapolis, featuring a 1700’ rope, over 450 tuggers, and more than a thousand spectators. The Tug transforms Downtown Annapolis and Eastport with a festival-like atmosphere that includes food vendors, cheering crowds, and all sorts of local color.

This year’s Tugfest will include food and beverages, live music, a silent auction, and an officially sanctioned Chili Cook-off. New festivities for this year will include a Cool Car show on the Annapolis side, and an Irish Rower’s Regatta in Spa Creek following the Tug.