To say that the Mid Shore has seen a flurry of historic boat restorations recently would be an understatement. Then again, when isn’t a wooden boat in a state of restoration of some sort?
While the world continues to grapple with the effects of a pandemic, the needs of wooden boats don’t disappear. The ravages of time, weather and water continue the relentless march on historic bugeyes, skipjacks and log canoes, all vestiges of another era. Luckily a hearty cadre of organizations, captains, crew and volunteers have been taking up the charge to save a precious few more of these treasured vessels.
These historic boats are exceptional artifacts of our sailing tradition unique to the Chesapeake Bay. Restoration is imperative to preserve these unique relics of our maritime heritage.
In some cases, restorations were a matter of saving a vessel from the salvage heap, as in the case of the Skipjack Martha Lewis and Log Canoe Flying Cloud. In other cases, such as the Skipjack Nathan of Dorchester, boats needed careful maintenance to staunch the flow of regular deterioration.
In every case, rigorous fundraising is imperative and has proven to be extra challenging during quarantine in the past year. In the following pages we have provided a small sense of what has been taking place around the Bay surrounding historic boat restoration. A wooden boat has her own agenda and we simply try to keep up with her fickle wants and needs.
Skipjack Race Schedule 2021
Deal Island Labor Day Skipjack Race: September 6, 2021
Choptank Heritage Skipjack Race: September 25, 2021
Log Canoe Racing Schedule 2021
June 26-27: MRYC Centennial Cup / 4th series
July 10-11: CRYCC/CRYC Series
July 17-18: RHYC Series
July 31-August 1: MRYC Governor’s Cup Series
July 31: Boardman’s Challenge – MRYC
August 14-15: TAYC/CBYC Oxford Regatta
August 21-22: CYC Hicks Trophy Series
August 28-29: TAYC Heritage Regatta
September 11-12: MRYC Labor Day Series
September 18: MRYC Higgins/Commodore Cups
September 19: CBMM Bartlett Cup
Skipjack Tours
St. Michaels
H.M. Krentz
Captain Ed Farley
https://oystercatcher.com
Reedville, Virginia
Claudia W. Somers
Reedville Fisherman’s Museum
rfmuseum.org
Deal Island
Kathryn
Deal Island Skipjack Sailing Tours
410-251-7787
Tilghman Island
Rebecca T. Ruark
Captain Wade Murphy
www.skipjack.org
Cambridge
Nathan of Dorchester
www.skipjack-nathan.org
Annapolis
Wilma Lee
Annapolis Maritime Museum and Park
Did You Know?
- In restoring a skipjack, parts from other skipjacks are used. In constructing the Nathan of Dorchester, the wheel and gearbox was used from Wilma Lee (1940), rollers and davits came from the Susan May (1901), and rigging and wooden blocks are compliments of the Nellie L. Byrd (1911).
- While dredging season runs from November through March, it is unusual today to see a skipjack under sail while dredging for oysters. Skipjacks are powered by push boats or yawl boats instead of wind. These outboard engines are outfitted in a small boat that power the skipjack from behind.
- The average skipjack cost $3,000 to build in 1905. Today it is not unheard of for renovations to run $100,000.