Welcome to the Maritime Republic of Eastport's
Eighth Annual Tug of War

Monday, December 12, 2005, 7 p.m. - Distribution of Tug of War Funds
Representatives from the benefitting charities received MRE checks of funds raised during the Tug of War.
Read the Press Release. See the Slide Show.

Eastport Lives to Fight Another Day!

*There was a mix up in communications and the Eastport men stopped tugging before
the heat was over, thinking they had won. MRE officials are protesting the judges' decision!

Governor Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr., stopped by to present a proclamation declaring
October 29, 2005, "Republic of Eastport and Downtown Annapolis 'Tug of War Day'"
in the State of Maryland and commending the MRE's fundraising for charity.
Also attending were Annapolis Mayor Ellen O. Moyer (pictured above), former
Mayor Dean Johnson, and Ward 8 (Eastport) Alderman Josh Cohen, who was also a tugger!

More photos...

read the press releases • about the tug • why do we do this?
the rope • the rules • calendar of events • get involved! • the tug in the media
silent auction
Want the latest info on Tug planning? Read the last meeting's

About the Tug

The always revolting Maritime Republic of Eastport has revived the annual call to its adversaries across the water, the residents and businesses of Annapolis, to take arms and meet at Susan B. Campbell Park -- City Dock -- on October 29, 2005, at a new time this year, 10:30 a.m., for the Eighth Annual Slaughter Across the Water. The MRE, of course, will be awaiting its opponents from the vantage point at the Spa Creek end of Second Street in Eastport.

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.

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. 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, scheduled tugs will include these classic combats:

• Men's Tug (all-men teams)
• Women's Tug (all-women teams)
• Coed Tug (teams of men and women)
• Battle of the Bars (tug between bar patrons on both sides)
• Battle of the Bank & Brawn (tug between Golds Gym and BB&T)

Composed of a maximum of 33 tuggers, each team will strive to bring home the trophy and the title, each tugger doing his or her own part to bring the fame and fortune to the appropriate side.

The 2004 Tug was a shut-out with Eastport winning 7 out of 7 tugs! That earned us another year of bragging rights and the ensuing riches. Okay, there may not be any riches, but the bragging rights tend to be pretty strong and have led, in the past, to the renaming of Annapolis Harbor, the bridge and, in fact, the entire town of Annapolis (the Gulf of Eastport, the Bridge of our Glorious Victory, and Westport, respectively).

Calendar of Events

Saturday, October 29
Tug of War

Eastport Venue - 2nd Street and Spa Creek
Annapolis Venue - Susan B. Campbell Park (City Dock)

New Time: 10:30 - 11:30 a.m. - Tugs
11:30 - all afternoon - Tug Fest on the Eastport side with live music & fun!

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Get Involved!

This event is put on by a group of volunteers and we need you.

We need tuggers, of course, sponsors, donors, advertisers, and workers.

If you are interested in joining a team or putting one together and tugging, click here for more information.

If you are interested in sponsoring the Tug itself, or a tugging team, advertising your business, or donating items to the silent auction, click here for more information.

To volunteer to help with planning, before the Tug or to work on Nov. 7, click here for a list of who's in charge of what... and contact that person. Or, contact our Volunteer Coordinator, Nicole Cullari, at nicole@telage.com.

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Why do we do this?

Once a year local and national attention is focused on the Annapolis Harbor for a strange but compelling competition, the Slaughter Across the Water "International" Tug of War staged by the Maritime Republic of Eastport.

Fun With A Purpose

The Tug draws on the rivalry between Eastport and the city of Annapolis itself, civic pride on both sides allowing this zany event to improve more than community morale. The event has raised more than $165,000 for charities over the past seven years.

Each year, the Maritime Republic of Eastport and volunteers from Annapolis and beyond work long and hard to put together an event unlike any in the area, if not the world, and this year is no different. In addition to a riotous battle, great food and fantastic camaraderie, the Tug offers the chance to give back to the community that surrounds and supports us.

Each year, proceeds from the Tug go to a selection of local charities, some of which rely on this donation as part of their significant operating budget. The initial six charities that will be supported by this year’s Tug proceeds include: Eastport Elementary School’s Reading is Fundamental Program, Lighthouse Shelter, Annapolis Maritime Museum, OIC Job Readiness Center, Civil Air Patrol, and the SPCA. If the Tug raises more money than expected, we will consider contributing to other charities as well.

It is a family and community event of such considerable scale that it literally can't be missed! The Coast Guard and Harbormaster allow us to close the Annapolis Harbor for two hours while the teams on either side of the water tug away during the scheduled "heats."

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Yale Cordage of Biddeford, Maine, built the official MRE Tug-of-War rope especially for this event. With a replacement value (in 1998 dollars) of $23,488.50, it is one of MRE's most valuable capital assets.

Its specifications, as outlined by Yale Cordage:

Maxibraid Plus ® is registered to Yale Cordage, Inc.
Spectra 900® and Fiberbrite 2000® are registered to Allied Fibers

The rope is extended literally across the harbor from Second Street in Eastport to Susan C. Campbell Park at City Dock in Annapolis. The tuggers are not pulled into the water. Instead, the center of the rope is marked with a float and a small helium-filled blimp. Two equidistant points in the water are then marked with floats. For each "heat" or "tug," the winning side is determined when the center of the rope crosses one of the floats. Judges will be aboard the Schooner Liberté close to the rope, closely monitoring the events as radio personalities broadcast live to the world! Close radio contact between

Tug officials on both sides of the harbor ensure that tugging starts at the same time and that the teams observe the rules...well, as much as possible.

click on the photo for more about The Tug of War Rules

While insurance regulations and common sense prevent anyone from being dragged into the water during a tug, there is nothing preventing the captain from the losing side of each heat to "volunteer" to jump into the water as atonement for having lost—in fact, it's required. They are given points for style and technique in the water entry process.

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The Tug transforms Downtown Annapolis and Eastport, with a festival-like atmosphere that includes food vendors, music, face-painting, clowns, cheering crowds, and all sorts of local color.

Teams consisting of all men, all women, and coed have traditionally been the anchor teams for the tugs, earning the Maritime Republic of Eastport bragging rights for the first four years of the Tug over its cousins across Spa Creek, renamed The Gulf of Eastport for the occasion. The fifth year Annapolis team took all heats, leaving the Maritime Republic shocked at the loss. The sixth year the event ended in a tie.

Businesses sponsor some of the teams and get prime recognition from the crowds that gather and the media, while local charities benefit from the money raised.

The Maritime Republic of Eastport sponsors the event as part of its commitment to make our entire community a better place to live; the commitment from private groups is an outstanding example of how to supplement local, state and federal government activities.

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Sponsors

Dave Wallace Aerial Photography
Harbour Deli	Lewnes Steakhouse

read about the 2004 Tug of War

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