The Chesapeake Log, Spring/Summer 2023

CBMM STAFF

PRESIDENT’S OFFICE

Kristen L. Greenaway , President & Chief Executive Officer, x4955

Patricia Munson , Executive Assistant, x4951

ADVANCEMENT

ADVANCEMENT

Liz LaCorte, Chief Advancement Officer, x4956

Katie Blaha , Advancement Manager, x4950

Debbie Ruzicka , Membership Services Coordinator, x4991

Laly Murphy, Advancement Admin. Assistant, x4963

COMMUNICATIONS

Eric Detweiler, Communications Specialist, x4995

INTERPRETATION

EDUCATION

Jill Ferris , Vice President of Education & Interpretation, x4986

Kendall Wallace, Education Programs Manager, x4974

Alyssa Zajan , Museum Educator, x4988

Sophie Stuart , Youth Programs Coordinator, x4974

EXHIBITIONS & CURATORIAL

Pete Lesher, Chief Historian & Ambassador at Large, x4971

Jenifer Dolde, Director of Curatorial Affairs & Exhibitions, x4996

Jim Koerner, Exhibition Designer & Exhibits Manager, x4973

Gabriella Cantelmo , Museum Collections Specialist, x4972

Amanda Wachowiak , Registrar, x4968

SHIPYARD

Christian Cabral , Vice President of Shipyard Operations, x4952

Jennifer Kuhn , Shipyard Education Programs Manager, x4980

Jeff Reid , Shipyard Foreman, x4967

Samuel Hilgartner, Curatorial Shipwright, x4967

Alex Bell , Floating Fleet Shipwright, x4967

Stephen North , Shipwright, x4967

Nick Grimes , Associate Shipwright, x4967

Mark Newberg , Marine Mechanic, x4967

Megan Mitchell , Seip Family Foundation Shipwright Apprentice, x4967

Kaeo Clarke, Shipwright Apprentice, x4967

Carston Gage, Shipwright Apprentice, x4967

STEWARDSHIP

Branden Meredith , Chief Financial Officer, x4958

BOARD OF GOVERNORS 2023–2024

FINANCE

Howard Parks , Controller, x4957

Christy Reid , Accountant, x4954

PEOPLE OPERATIONS

Amy Wales Reilly , Manager, HR & Volunteer Program, x4985

Ruta Norkus , Human Resources Coordinator, x4979

FACILITIES

Rob Pedersen , Facilities Manager, x4969

Jonathan Keen , Facilities Associate, x4969

Frieden Gresh , Facilities Associate, x4969

Michael Parker, Facilities Associate, x4969

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Bryan King , IT Lead, x4999

ENGAGEMENT

Shannon Mitchell , Vice President of Engagement,

Editors: Izzy Mercado, Eric Detweiler

Creative Director: Izzy Mercado

Copy Editor: Jodie Littleton

Contributing Writers: Eric Detweiler, Jenifer Dolde, Kristen Greenaway, Samuel Hilgartner, Pete Lesher, Kate Livie

The Chesapeake Log is a publication of the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum. ©2023 CBMM. All rights reserved. 213 N. Talbot Street St. Michaels, MD 21663 410-745-2916 | cbmm.org

HOURS: April to October, 10am–5pm November to March, 10am–4pm

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CONNECT

WITH US:

spring/summer 2023

2 president’s letter by Kristen L. Greenaway

3 currents

• Coming Soon: CBMM’s New Welcome Center

• CBMM Unveils New cbmm.org Website

• Generational Connections with the Messick Family

10 lifelines

Volunteer Profile: The Winnie Estelle Crew by Eric Detweiler

14 curator’s corner

A New Mast for William B. Tennison by Samuel Hilgartner

16 feature Buyboat Central by Eric Detweiler

22 feature

The Wandering, Walkabout Winnie Estelle by Kate Livie

28 on the rail

All Eyes on Spring in Shipyard by Christian Cabral

29 calendar

• Member Nights

• Programs

• Special Events

On

the cover: CBMM’s venerable passenger-carrying buyboat Winnie Estelle awaits its refit in the Shipyard.

Photo by George Sass

Left: Shown here sparkling in the sunlight, Winnie Estelle will be outfitted with a new keel as part of this year’s refit.

Photo by George Sass.

Something bold, challenging, and exciting is happening at CBMM—actually, more than just one thing!

The new Norman and Ellen Plummer Center for Museum Collections is open and fully operational. The Plummer Center is the heart and soul of CBMM—you can’t have a museum without a collection!

Construction of the new Welcome Center is nearing completion. At nearly 12,000 square feet, the building will transform your first impression and experience as you begin your exploration of campus, and provide exhibition space to tell new stories via never-before-displayed collection items.

We are now turning our focus to “the rest of campus.” Expansion of the Shipyard is one example. The Shipyard is our living, breathing exhibition, and with our fully certified Shipwright Apprentice program, we’re not just a museum, but a key contributor to the nation’s continuing workforce and education efforts.

As you will read in this issue of The Chesapeake Log, the Shipyard is currently buyboat central, with one completely new build and three vessels undergoing various levels of restoration and maintenance work.

Bold and challenging and exciting is also our new exhibition, The Changing Chesapeake. Funded through CBMM’s Regional Folklife Center under the Maryland Traditions program of the Maryland State Arts Council, The Changing Chesapeake demonstrates how we’re pushing boundaries and setting new levels of success.

Our Curatorial and Interpretive teams invited artists and non-artists from across Maryland and surrounding areas to explore their perspectives on how climate change and the impact of humans on the environment shape their Chesapeake community, how the ways they identify with and are inspired by the Chesapeake have evolved, what they would want someone 100 years from now to know about life and community traditions in the Chesapeake, and their vision for the future of life in the region.

The works were selected through a community panelist review process and include traditional media such as photography and painting, as well as stop-motion animation, found-object art, quilting, original songwriting, embroidery, poetry, and sculpture.

Our goal? To break down barriers and encourage artists of all types and experience levels to find their voice, share their personal histories, passions, fears, and hopes, and convey how the Chesapeake shapes and is shaped by individual and community identities.

We are fully sails set for this summer, working to share with you a new suite of experiences, at your CBMM. Visit, visit often, and enjoy! ★

We’re not just a museum, but a key contributor to the nation’s continuing workforce and education efforts.

CBMM President & CEO Kristen L. Greenaway

Coming Soon: CBMM’s New Welcome Center

We are just months away from the opening of CBMM’s Welcome Center, and we can’t wait to share our new building and all it has to offer.

The 12,000-square-foot, fully ADA-accessible building constructed adjacent to Fogg’s Cove will house CBMM’s Welcome Center, Museum Store, and two exhibition spaces. Its construction marks the start of Phase II of CBMM’s ongoing Master Plan campus upgrades.

Funding for continued Master Plan improvements comes from individual donations and naming opportunities, grants, and operations. Donate to The Annual Fund today to support CBMM’s efforts to enhance campus and create better public offerings.

Head to cbmm.org to see your Philanthropy at Work by following along with the ongoing construction and learning more about this transformational next step for CBMM. ★

2023 FESTIVALS + SPECIAL EVENTS

SATURDAY & SUNDAY, APRIL 22-23

Eastern Shore Sea Glass & Coastal Arts Festival

FRIDAY-SUNDAY, JUNE 16-18

Antique & Classic Boat Festival & The Arts at Navy Point

SATURDAY, JULY 1

Big Band Night

Rain Date: July 2

SUNDAY, AUGUST 13

Watermen’s Appreciation Day

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 2

Charity Boat Auction

FRIDAY-SUNDAY, OCTOBER 6-8

Mid-Atlantic Small Craft Festival

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 28

OysterFest

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 18

Eastern Shore Sea Glass & Coastal Arts Festival: Holiday Edition

CBMM Members-Only Marina

CBMM is pleased to offer our boaters convenient docking, power, climate-controlled showers, and the free use of bicycles. Our campus has recently been refreshed with new exhibitions and enhanced, faster Wi-Fi access for CBMM marina guests.

Our Boaters Guide has also been updated with changes to marina guidelines and overnight and hourly docking policies, all designed to enhance the boater experience. The updated guide, found at cbmm.org/docking, includes important policies covering holidays and festivals.

While you’re visiting, explore the beautiful neighborhood streets of St. Michaels. Many local restaurants and businesses offer discounts to CBMM Members.

MAKE YOUR GROUP MARINA RESERVATIONS TODAY

Contact CBMM’s Dockmaster at 410-745-4946 or visit cbmm.org/docking

SLIP RESERVATIONS FOR HOLIDAYS & FESTIVALS

Reservations for holidays and festivals accepted no more than one month in advance

Two-night minimum stay required

Full payment required at time of confirmation

72-hour cancellation notice required for refund

No hourly docking available

FRIENDLY REMINDERS for Boaters

▶ Watch your wake at all times when entering and exiting the harbor and marina areas.

▶ Call the Dockmaster on VHF Channel 16 or 410745-4946 for slip assignment when you enter the harbor. Please understand there is no guarantee of specific slips.

▶ Upon arrival, please check in at the Welcome Center for registration information and to complete financial transactions for the duration of your stay.

▶ Overnight docking is available to Mariner-level members and above. Check-in time is noon; checkout is 11:30am.

▶ Hourly docking is available to all members 9am–2pm Friday and Saturday, and 9am–5pm Sunday–Thursday, based on space availability. Dockmaster approval for slip assignment is REQUIRED prior to arrival. No reservations are available for hourly docking.

▶ Pets are permitted as long as they do not disturb other guests. They should be leashed at all times.

▶ For safety reasons, pets and carry-on alcohol must remain on boats during CBMM festivals and special events.

▶ Dockage space at CBMM’s marina is to be used at the risk of the owner. CBMM shall not be liable for the care or protection of the boat, including all gear, equipment, and contents, or for any loss or damage.

DOCKMASTER

410-745-4946

VHF Channel 16

cbmm.org/docking

dockmaster@cbmm.org

▶ If anything is damaged during your stay, please report it to CBMM marina staff.

CBMM Unveils New cbmm.org Website

The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum is pleased to announce the launch of the newly redesigned cbmm.org. Revamped for the first time in recent memory, CBMM’s new website was developed with user experience at the forefront, whether using a computer or a mobile device, and offers innovation to help the organization better serve its members and guests in 2023 and beyond.

“We’re so excited today to share the new cbmm.org with everyone,” said CBMM President & CEO Kristen Greenaway. “Our team has put a great deal of thought and research into what we wanted our new website to be, and just as much time and effort into making it reality. We hope that our community members visit this site often and find it to be a major step forward for sharing all that CBMM has to offer.”

Over the past year, CBMM worked with non-profit industry leader Elevation on the design and implementation of the new site. Improved features include a streamlined, datadriven sitemap that incorporates user experience research to best highlight CBMM’s wide-ranging offerings, as well as an

array of new page components and design elements aimed at boosting the site’s look and usability.

The site remains a one-stop hub for all things CBMM, with all the information needed to plan a visit, as well as the latest news on campus events and programming. Guests can learn about CBMM’s exhibitions, floating fleet, and working Shipyard, search its digital collections portal, and get more details on supporting CBMM by making a gift, becoming a member, planning a private event, or participating in the Charity Boat Donation & Sales Program. ★

Messick family explores unique links to CBMM

by Eric Detweiler

Each year, Jack and Rose Messick welcome their four sons and their families back home to Reliance, Md., a few days after Christmas. It’s become a much-anticipated get-together for an Eastern Shore family whose roots have spread beyond the region.

This time around, the Messicks’ holiday celebration included a field trip to the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum for an opportunity to connect with a unique chapter in family history.

The group—13 in all, hailing from three different states and ranging in age from 2 to 84—made the journey to CBMM on Dec. 30 to see the 1879 Hooper Strait Lighthouse, the historic screwpile lighthouse on which Jack’s father, Harold, served as the assistant keeper from 1939–1942.

“It kind of came up out of the blue,” said Scott Messick, the secondoldest son and a longtime CBMM member. “We got to talking about the lighthouse, and my sister-in-law from

Cincinnati was saying she’d never been. We said, ‘All right, let’s go.’”

Harold Messick is featured on the wall of keepers spanning from the lighthouse’s origin in 1879 until it was automated in 1954.

The display features a photo from the early 1950s of Harold with his wife, Alice, daughter, Annalee, and young Jack, donated by the family to CBMM’s collection along with some of Harold’s personal items, including pieces of a uniform, from

his career working on the Hooper Strait Lighthouse as well as the Hoopers Island and Choptank River lighthouses. There’s also a quote from Harold about how much he enjoyed spending time in that light with Annalee.

Jack’s sons—Stu, Scott, Chris, and Jason—never knew their grandfather, but through the years, they’ve relished the chance to learn his story and share it with others. It was a proud moment for the family to see

Jack Messick (far left) poses with his family—sister Annalee, father Harold, and mother Alice—in the photo that currently hangs on display in the 1879 Hooper Strait Lighthouse at CBMM. 1284.0001, gift of Jack Messick.

his service recognized as part of the exhibition in the lighthouse that was relocated to CBMM’s Navy Point in 1966.

“The cool part for me is my kids are both born in Ohio, so they’ve never seen anything like this,” said Chris Messick, who made the trip from Cincinnati with his wife, Caroline, and children, Julian (age 13) and Clarissa (10). “To have them see their great-grandfather and my dad in that picture and start to understand the history a little bit was really special.”

Jack Messick was just a toddler while his father was stationed on the Hooper Strait Lighthouse, but he’s got a slew of fascinating memories of the Choptank River Lighthouse.

The recent CBMM visit served as a spark for Jack to recount his summer stays with his father on the light.

Starting at age 10, Jack enjoyed unforgettable days filled with fishing, swimming, and playing with the resident pup, Chop. He also found pleasure in helping with daily work that included swabbing the decks, polishing, painting, and helping his father with trimming the wick of the light’s kerosene lantern and recharging the smaller, unattended beacons down the river.

“I’m very proud of my father’s service,” said Jack Messick, a former Marine officer who retired after a long career as a Dorchester County educator. “He was very diligent in what he did. He worked on the water most of his life, and I just know how important his sense of duty was. I like to think I picked that up from him. He had that sense that he was going to do his job the best he could for as long as he could.”

“My father was not unique in that sense,” Messick added. “All the lighthouse keepers that he ever knew or worked with had that same work ethic. Even in the worst conditions, you’d stay with your light as long as you could.”

With his family, Jack Messick told a story that illustrated that particular

point. He recalled being on the light when his father sprang into action to help a family whose boat was stranded near the light.

After Harold Messick towed the family’s boat to safe port in Oxford,

window into the world that shaped Jack.

“It stuck with him,” Scott Messick said. “He’s taught that lesson. Not the same way. Because I’d never heard it that way before, but he’s taught that lesson to us.

“Do your job. Do unto others. That’s how we’ve always lived. I never thought it would’ve come from my grandfather.”

That’s not the only family connection the Messicks discovered on this trip to CBMM.

In the Oystering on the Chesapeake exhibition, there are oyster tongs with “Messick Bros” emblazoned on the shaft. The tongs were handcrafted by relatives in a shop in Harold Messick’s hometown of Bivalve, Md., that has been producing them for generations.

Scott Messick has been supporting CBMM for years. He’s made regular visits for member events and hands-on workshops, and his son Andrew once completed an internship with CBMM’s curatorial team.

the man offered him $10 as thanks. Young Jack was surprised by his father’s polite refusal of the tip for his service.

“I think that was a lifetime lesson for me,” Jack remembered. “At the time, I thought, ‘Well, that’s two Red Ryder BB guns.’ That $10 would’ve bought me two, but he wouldn’t take

Strolling campus with four generations of Messicks, including two of his sons and his grandson Thomas, Scott noticed the tongs that bore his family name for the first time. That fun find only added to the group’s day to remember at CBMM.

“It’s a joy to me to be part of it and feel like I’m part of it,” Scott Messick said. “I enjoy being a member. I enjoy taking people there. I tell people they should go see it, and I say, ‘While you’re there, look

Harold Messick’s lighthouse keeper’s hat worn while serving at the Hooper Strait Lighthouse from 1939 to c. 1942. 1979.48.1, gift of Annalee M. Rieck.

Over nine seasons cruising the Miles River on Winnie Estelle, members of the venerable 1920 buyboat’s volunteer crew have no shortage of wonderful memories.

Ask for their favorites, and you’ll hear tales of shy children finding their confidence with the captain behind Winnie’s steering wheel, brides and grooms savoring a bit of their special day on the open water, dolphins gleefully leaping through the bow wave to the equal delight of the passengers on board, and many more unforgettable snapshots in time.

Ultimately, no two trips are exactly the same, and that’s part of the fun.

“Whenever people come off the boat happy, that’s a good day,” volunteer Mary Sue Traynelis said.

Since joining CBMM’s floating fleet in 2014, Winnie Estelle has hosted more than 19,000 guests, offering both a wide-ranging exploration of the area on the water and a window into its own unique history.

A dedicated volunteer crew of 25—30 handles the dual role of entertaining guests with their knowledge of both the boat and the Chesapeake region while keeping things running smoothly on the 103-year-old buyboat.

While the team changes from year to year, they are bound by the same passion for the work and the impact they can make providing a memorable experience for guests from around the world.

“It’s a really special group,” said Bob Stelmaszek, who has been a volunteer captain throughout Winnie’s time at CBMM. “The camaraderie’s great. When you’re bringing

people with different backgrounds and different capabilities and creating a team that functions as a single unit, it can be a challenge, but with the Winnie team that we’ve had, it’s never been too difficult.”

For volunteers, there’s dedicated training involved, both on supporting the boat’s operations and interpreting the experience for guests. That means knowing the ins and outs of a 21-page operations manual and much more.

The crew regularly leads ecology cruises, often for school-age groups, that explore the Miles and encompass the fish, crabs, and oysters below the surface, birds on the hunt above it, and even the water itself.

Each trip is a living history lesson, and the volunteers detail Winnie’s colorful past with the help of a photo board that traces the boat’s winding path over more than a century.

“It’s a constant learning experience,” Traynelis said. “People ask us questions and we tell them what we know, but if I get a question I can’t answer, I’m forced to either go

By Eric Detweiler

find somebody who has the answer or I’ve got to go read another book or look it up so that next time I’m asked that question, I know more about it. Then, we share what we’ve learned with each other.”

Sometimes, the passengers themselves help further the story. Most notable on that front was a visit from Roberto Smith, who salvaged and restored the boat in Belize and ran it as a tour boat before it was returned to its native Chesapeake waters. Another time, Ed Marshall climbed aboard for the first time in four decades and shared memories of his father, Watson (Shug) Marshall Jr., a Crisfield waterman who owned and operated the vessel during the 1960s and ’70s.

“The people you meet are a lot of fun,” said volunteer captain Lloyd Devigne. “We have met people that have worked on the boat and helped restore it, people who have seen it in Belize, people whose ancestors were buyboat captains. It’s just really interesting to hear their stories.”

It takes the full crew to handle Winnie Estelle’s busy schedule, which has traditionally stretched from May—October.

Of course, things come up for crew members throughout the season, and when they do, the volunteers work together to find replacements to fill the roles and make sure the show goes on, whether it’s providing a prime vantage point for log canoe races, a lesson for a scout

troop, or a fun backdrop for a private event.

Many longtime volunteers got their start as part of the crew on CBMM’s previous buyboat, Mister Jim. Ultimately, they keep coming back year after year because they believe in CBMM’s mission and appreciate the chance to share their passion out on the water.

“Children of all ages just have such a good time on Winnie,” Traynelis said. “It doesn’t matter whether they’re 8 or 80. Out on the water, it doesn’t take much to get people excited, and we get excited, too.”

“It’s just a lot of fun,” Stelmaszek added. “I couldn’t ask for a better experience than my eight or so years running Winnie Estelle.”

For now, the group will eagerly await Winnie Estelle’s return to the water as its refit, including the replacement of its keel, is completed this year.

In the meantime, Devigne and others still have the opportunity to tell the boat’s story as Shipyard interpreters, and many members of the Winnie crew are looking forward to helping lead tours on other vessels in the floating fleet as the 2023 boating season begins.

“I’m proud to be part of the team,” Devigne said. “It’s a good-natured group of people who are dedicated to providing a safe, really interesting guest experience, and I’m anxious to get back on the water with them.” ★

With the stroke of a pen, you can join CBMM’s Lighthouse Legacy Society

For 57 years, the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum has created a lasting legacy: We are the world’s leading institution dedicated to exploring and preserving the history and environment of the Chesapeake Bay through authentic, hands-on experiences.

Making a planned gift is an exceptional way to show your support and appreciation for CBMM and its mission while accommodating your own personal, financial, estate planning, and philanthropic goals. With smart planning, you may actually increase the size of your estate and/or reduce the tax burden on your heirs. Just as importantly, you will know that you have made a meaningful contribution to CBMM.

Please contact us for assistance or to discuss your personal situation and objectives.

Liz LaCorte Vice President of Advancement

410-745-4956

llacorte@cbmm.org

cbmm.giftplans.org

Sarah & Charlie Janney

A New M Ast for William B. Tennison a Lesson in discerning c hange in h istoric Vesse L preserVation

CBMM’s Shipyard takes a pragmatic approach to maintaining vessel operability and safety while preserving historical integrity. How do we strategically assess whether it is appropriate to depart from certain aspects of historical accuracy? What do we consider in this process? Do certain elements of a vessel’s historical identity take precedence over others?

Let’s examine a recent project: Since 2019, the Shipyard has handled maintenance on a unique 1886 bugeye buyboat conversion, William B. Tennison, owned by the Calvert Marine Museum (CMM).

This year, CMM commissioned us to build a new mast for the vessel. The first step in all vessel preservation projects is to identify the treatment plan, which defines the larger project’s intention. In this case, we are to restore the mast to a more historically accurate form while maintaining the new rigging built by our Shipyard two years ago.

Restoration requires research to determine the most accurate representation of the vessel. Research restricted by the vessel’s period of historical significance aids in determining the prioritization of certain defining features that should not be compromised.

In the case of Tennison, these features include the buyboat configuration, the pilothouse design, the decked “patent stern,” and the log bottom construction.

The period of historical significance, or POS, is the date or range of dates that qualifies the vessel’s historical value. CMM seeks to represent the vessel’s form during the 1930s to 1950s.

After studying photographs of the vessel from this period, it was determined that the mast should be decreased in diameter and increased in height.

A future project will be to construct a double gaff cargo rig, so the mast will be fitted out with a table to accommodate two gaffs. The mast will also have a more gradual taper as you approach the masthead portion, which then tapers more dramatically. These changes are consistent with historic photos of Tennison and the general buyboat type.

Once we identify the treatment plan, the vessel’s historical characteristics, and the vessel’s POS, we look at options we might employ for the material and workmanship of our new mast. The mast could be made from solid, locally sourced, historically correct material;

Left: A buyboat owned by the Calvert Marine Museum, William B. Tennison spent the winter at CBMM undergoing annual maintenance, including the design, fabrication, and installation of a new mast.

Middle: Samuel Hilgartner (left) led the project to design, fabricate, and install a new mast for William B. Tennison

Right: Shipwright Apprentice Kaeo Clarke works on William B. Tennison’s mast.

solid, non-local material; solid or hollow laminated construction; or an aluminum extrusion.

Historic vessel preservation principles consider seven contingent properties—location, setting, use, material, workmanship, form, and character—while taking into consideration practical limitations of regulation, maintenance, vessel use, time, and material availability.

At CBMM, our new protocol scores the seven factors of historical integrity using a grading rubric that helps offer a more objective analysis of historical integrity.

In the 1930s, Tennison’s mast would have been solid, built from a local yellow pine species, pitch pine, or bald cypress. However, it is increasingly challenging to source material of the necessary size and quality.

The next best option is to use a wood material with comparable properties, such as Douglas fir, a common mast construction material from the Pacific Northwest. As we could not source a high-quality tree, we will use a laminated construction style using high-quality vertical grain lumber.

We have opted for a hollow birds-mouth construction over solid stack laminations for reasons of strength, economy of material, and weight. If the mast’s material lent the vessel its historical integrity, we would prioritize acquiring the material.

Nevertheless, the new mast will still be wood and more accurate in its design and scantlings, resulting in a historically appropriate mast that should also provide great longevity.

This example illustrates our approach to difficult questions at CBMM’s Shipyard. We do not always use “historic methods.” We will employ the full breadth of technology available to us while ensuring our practices are situated within the heritage of Chesapeake boatbuilding and employing techniques rooted in tradition. ★

Samuel Hilgartner was the lead rigger on CBMM’s Maryland Dove build and serves as curatorial shipwright.

CBMM Shipyard’s New Protocols for Assessing Vessel Preservation

Vessel preservation should never follow the course of individual preference or opinion. It is best to develop a protocol of preservation to guide decision-making. A preservation protocol should be adaptable to a diverse range of projects while remaining consistent in its basic implementation. Protocols that are systematic and philosophically consistent allow future work to be performed with more confidence.

Using a process-oriented plan in preservation may expose inconsistencies in a previous approach. Should these conclusions be opposed to common sense or to a broad consensus of professional opinion, the protocol should be reevaluated.

A Simplified Preservation Outline

1. Establish project feasibility and preservation treatment plan (stabilization, preservation, restoration, new construction, etc.)

2. Gather preservation data, including:

a. Identify period of historical significance (can be a range of dates or an era)

b. Research

c. Prioritize typological and idiomatic properties

d. Evaluate each of the seven properties of historical significance

3. Estimate longevity

4. Assess material availability

5. Assess availability of labor

6. Evaluate the interpretive or educational environment

7. Execute work

Walking around CBMM’s Shipyard recently, Christian Cabral was hit by a thought that made him smile.

“You could snap a picture of our yard right now in black and white, and it’s arguably indistinguishable from the pictures we treasure from 50-, 100plus years ago,” said Cabral, CBMM’s vice president of shipyard operations. “I believe that speaks to what truly is at the heart of the CBMM Shipyard’s mission, which is the preservation of a skillset and a culture. It’s not preservation in the sense that it’s recorded and archived. It’s preserved in the sense that it’s active and taught and lived.”

Indeed, it’s a unique moment in the Shipyard’s history.

Following the completion of their epic Maryland Dove build, CBMM’s shipwrights have been busy working on a series of Chesapeake Bay buyboat projects that offer guests a glimpse into the past while highlighting the future for a historic style of vessel vital to the story of the Bay.

Whether called buyboats, deckboats, freight boats, packet boats, or run boats, these cross-planked workboats used for hauling oysters from skipjacks to market in season and anything else that needed transporting the rest of the year evolved as a necessary adaptation to the needs of the region.

These days, though, there are estimated to be fewer than 30 or so that continue to ply the Bay’s waters, so it’s a rare opportunity to see a group like this

by Eric Detweiler

in one place, learn what makes them special, and gain an understanding of the work that goes into preserving and maintaining them.

“The Chesapeake buyboat is an iconic design, and it’s one that’s found aesthetically appealing by a large group of people,” Cabral said. “It’s lent itself to the act of preserving them, it’s lent itself to the act of converting them from their once-commercial selves to a recreational or pleasure craft, and its unique look and style and characteristics also inspire new constructions today.”

As 2023 began, that sentiment was on full display in the Shipyard.

Winnie Estelle, the floating fleet’s venerable 1920 buyboat, was drydocked there to undergo a refit that will allow it to continue its role as CBMM’s

primary passenger-carrying boat into its second century.

Choptank, a 1938 buyboat meticulously restored with a modern look, was docked beside the yard awaiting completion of its renovation with a brandnew interior and rig and readied for Coast Guard certification.

In the Boatshop, Mr. Dickie, a 36-foot new construction inspired by the historic Mundy Point, was springing to life.

Docked on the other side of the Small Boat Shed was another historic buyboat, William B. Tennison. The Shipyard performs annual maintenance on this 1899 bugeye conversion for the Calvert Marine Museum, which this time included the fabrication and installation of a new mast.

Each vessel tells a different story and offers the shipwrights a different challenge.

“They’re all very different projects,” said Curatorial Shipwright Sam Hilgartner. “Meaning the vessels themselves are unique but also the work that we’re performing. With the projects so distinctive, each one requires a little different approach.”

Added together, those projects make for an immersive interpretative experience in the Shipyard.

“Every day, people come in asking, ‘What are you building here?’” Shipyard Foreman Jeff Reid said. “Right now, it’s great because I can actually say, ‘This is the 36-foot version that we’re building, and over there’s a 70-foot version that exists.’ There’s so much for someone to learn just by looking around the yard.”

There will be plenty to see over the coming months as CBMM’s shipwrights get these buyboats prepared for a triumphant return to their native waters.

With this full slate of eclectic projects, all involved are proud to be doing their part to preserve and share the legacy of such an important Chesapeake vessel.

“It’s not really a re-birth for the buyboat but more a continuation and a next chapter for these once-entirely commercial vessels that have a second lease on life,” Cabral said.

Shipyard Foreman Jeff Reid works on Mr. Dickie.

Top: CBMM’s Shipyard is filled with buyboats this spring, including Choptank (far left), William B. Tennison (center), and Winnie Estelle (far right).

Photo by George Sass.

Bottom: Scenes like this one from Crisfield circa 1932 were once common in harbors around the Eastern Shore. Collection of the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, 0845.0002.00.

Just a few years ago, the buyboat now known as Choptank was Crow Brothers II and seemingly nearing its end on a mud bank in Knapps Narrows next to Tilghman Island.

That’s when the team of Joe Robillard, Mike Avery, and Wes Abell stepped in to help, with a vision for what the 1938 buyboat with a long commercial history could be again and a plan to make it happen.

“That’s not atypical for a workboat’s life, but what’s special is that team chose to save it and restore it,” Cabral said. “They did an incredible job and gave a meaningful object a second chance—or maybe a third or a fourth chance because I’m sure it had

been worked on previously.”

Rebuilt locally with painstaking care over a period of years, Choptank has retained its historic charm while gleaming with modern style. Late last year, the boat made its way to CBMM for the completion of its renovation.

The Shipyard is overseeing the final fit-out, which involves building out the interior with cabins and heads for expedition-style overnight trips, outfitting it with modern safety equipment, and fabricating and installing a new rig.

“We’re excited to make something nice there,” Reid said. “They’ve done a really nice job with what they’ve done thus far, so we’re going to do everything we can to keep the

standard at that level of craftmanship.”

Later this spring, CBMM will initiate the review for Coast Guard certification, with inspections and stability testing that will enable Choptank to carry passengers. After that process is completed, the plan is for it to stay at CBMM to allow for increased on-the-water programming, including overnight excursions.

“It’s an incredible opportunity,” Cabral said. “The capabilities of that vessel and its mission-appropriate design and construction will make it a very powerful tool to help us complete the education and experience missions that we have as an institution with guests of all different ages.”

Mr. Dickie is an homage to the 60-foot buyboat Mundy Point. Named for Dickie Whaley, owner Grigg Mullen’s neighbor when he was growing up in Queen Anne’s County, this new build brings the buyboat look to a scaled-down 36-foot design that features heart pine, white oak, Atlantic cedar, and western red cedar. A retired engineering professor, Mullen started the process of building Mr. Dickie at his home in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley, but when he decided he needed help, it was a natural fit to bring the project to CBMM.

“The idea that we could move the construction of Mr. Dickie over here, and it could provide training both for the apprenticeship program and be part of the educational program at the Shipyard, suited the heck out of me,”

Mullen said. “It seemed like the perfect thing to bring it to CBMM and let more people learn from building that boat.”

Mullen has turned the build over to the CBMM team while continuing to source materials and pitching in whenever he has time. He’s watched the buyboat progress toward his vision in recent months under the lead of Reid, who has enjoyed sharing the framing and lofting techniques that have been used for 100-plus years with the latest generation of builders.

“It’s a really good educational tool for us,” Reid said. “We’re talking about what we’re doing and learning more and more about these buyboats, and it’s especially great for the newer builders and apprentices out there to get an opportunity on a new build like this.”

For guests, it’s a rare look at the

step-by-step process of a traditional Chesapeake build that encourages repeat visits to the Shipyard. Already, they’ve seen the keel laid, the hull take shape, and the crossplanking begin. More milestones are ahead on the way to the finished product later this year.

“One thing that’s really cool about full construction is that as a guest you can really become a stakeholder in the project,” Cabral said. “For better or worse, the visual result of constructing a vessel kind of happens in fits and starts. There’s a lot of milling and fabrication and then, all of a sudden, a part of the boat is added.

“If you’re stopping by every couple weeks, you can track the progress of our shipwrights and the progress of the boat. And then, we hope everybody joins us on launch day to celebrate all the great work that we’ve put into this build.”

Right: Mr. Dickie is a new-construction 36-foot buyboat that is an homage to the historic vessel Mundy Point Inset: Owner Grigg Mullen (right) named Mr. Dickie in honor of his neighbor when he was growing up in Queen Anne’s County.

CBMM’s primary passenger-carrying vessel, Winnie Estelle, was craned and dry-docked last fall in preparation for an extensive refit that will keep it out of the water for the 2023 season.

Back in August, a group piled onto Winnie Estelle to escort Maryland Dove on its voyage out of St. Michaels Harbor toward its new home at Historic St. Mary’s City. That cruise was a chance for some volunteer crew and staff to say goodbye to Winnie, as well as part of the final week of the venerable boat’s ninth season at CBMM and 102nd year overall before a needed refit.

Winnie was craned and drydocked last fall and will spend most of 2023 undergoing a significant refit. This spring, CBMM shipwrights have to lift the boat to pave the way for the

removal, fabrication, and replacement of its structural timbers, including the keel, chines, and many of the bottom boards.

“It’s an interesting job because that’s essentially the backbone of the boat,” Cabral said.

It’s not the first refit for Winnie Estelle. It had approximately 80 percent of its original wood replaced while being renovated by Roberto Smith in Belize in the mid- 80s, but the keel is original.

The new one will be made of white oak sourced from New York, and the CBMM team will try to reuse as

much of the wood as possible while maintaining as much historical integrity as practically possible.

This project is on the scale of previous refits performed on historic vessels Edna Lockwood and Rosie Parks Cabral said he and his crew don’t take the opportunity ahead of them lightly.

“Having a hand in the life of a vessel like this is meaningful when you think about it,” Cabral said. “In the zoomed-out perspective, you’re just one person among the company of many who’ve been part of the vessel’s preservation, which is both humbling and exciting at the same time.” ★

Photo by George Sass.

There’s also a wonderful selection supporting local artists, featuring artwork, cards, and model boats.

by Kate Livie

Dated October 1968, this photograph of Winnie Estelle with a deckload of oysters in Annapolis has been an important resource in planning the buyboat’s refit. Photograph by Ernest Tucker, Collection of the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, Gift of Janet D. Tucker, 1125.0554.

he lives of old Chesapeake boats are generally cyclical in nature. Their timbers were grown somewhere in the watershed, often on the Eastern Shore. They were built for and worked on the Bay’s waterways. Eventually, generally after one man’s lifetime, they were pulled up into a marsh and left to slowly sink back into the soil. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.

But that’s not Winnie Estelle’s story. Over and over, since Noah T. Evans began working on a new deckboat more than a century ago, Winnie Estelle’s story has twisted and turned in unexpected and marvelous ways.

Over and over, Winnie has started another chapter—not an epilogue, but a whole new life. From the glory days of the Chesapeake’s oyster and crab industries, to hauling timber in the Caribbean, to cruising with snorkelers in Belize, to its celebrated return to the Bay’s waterways, Winnie’s epic backstory is anything but ordinary.

Winnie Estelle was built in 1920 by Evans, a Smith Island native who built and ran the mail boat, Island Belle, between Crisfield and the island. It’s not clear whether he used a boatyard on Smith or Crisfield to construct Winnie.

Despite the vessel’s murky origins, Winnie’s purpose was clear—to serve as a tractor-trailer for hauling and shipping in an era when roads and rail were insufficient to connect Chesapeake communities. Evans named his new “deckboat”—not a specific boat form

but rather its function—after his two daughters and kept it for the next two seasons for his main hustle—running buyboats.

Like most buyboat captains, Evans was the critical connection between watermen harvesting fish and oysters and the city markets or big seafood packing houses. Winnie Estelle’s typical buyboat design—flat deck forward and a pilothouse/cabin aft, rigged with a mast and boom to load and unload cargo—was spacious and versatile.

Equipped with a gas engine that was 12 horsepower initially (and then upgraded to 35 by 1931), Winnie Estelle was slow but steady, perfectly built for carrying cargo on deck or in the hold.

As former owner Gene Marshall explained in an interview with buyboat historian Chris Judy, “She was strong. As long as you could stand up, she’d go ahead to it… Wind didn’t bother her.”

Over the next 40 years, the vessel passed through different hands—first, Warren Courtney of Virginia’s Northern Neck from the 1920s until the 1960s, and then, the Marshall family of Smith Island from the 1960s on through the mid-’70s.

Over the years, Winnie Estelle was pressed into all sorts of work—hauling fish, lumber, and fruits and vegetables, and buying oysters directly from the oyster harvesters and hauling them to market. Winnie also transported shells and seed oysters for private planters and the State of Maryland oyster program.

There are rumors of Winnie Estelle carrying a more titillating sort of cargo,

especially during the Courtney years, which lined up with Prohibition. But the persistent whispers of Winnie Estelle being used for rum running appear to have originated in a case of mistaken identity.

Reports from Oct. 15, 1931, of a “$5,000,000 Rum Ring Smashed by US Here” describe a decoy trap set for two rum runners off the coast of Norfolk, Va., by the Coast Guard and name a vessel, Winnie Estelle, several times. But this boat was described as “speedy” and named as one of several “fast little ships” that supposedly evaded lawmen for over four miles in a cat-and-mouse chase on the water before it was apprehended by authorities.

According to CBMM Chief Historian Pete Lesher, these descriptors are the tell—this is not our Winnie Estelle. “Even with a new 35 hp engine, Winnie Estelle could have been overtaken by a boat under sail. Winnie’s never had much of a bigger engine than it has today. So, my guess? As unlikely as it seems, I think there were two Winnie Estelle’s. One a buyboat, one a rum runner, likely a speedboat.”

Buyboat Winnie Estelle might not have been a Prohibition-era rum runner, but there would definitely be plenty of rum in its future. Lesher provides a little backstory for the next walkabout chapter in the Winnie Estelle story. “After 50 years, maybe Winnie is getting a little tired, but if the boat was truly worn out by that time in the

1970s, it would have been run up a gut. But the fact that it was sold and taken down to the Gulf of Mexico shows that there was some life left.”

According to Lesher, it wasn’t uncommon for Chesapeake vessels in Winnie Estelle’s rough-but-stillserviceable shape to leave Smith, Deltaville, or other Chesapeake Bay buyboat communities and head south to the islands. “What’s different about Winnie is that it was almost always a one-way journey. They didn’t come back from the warmer water and all the happy creatures eating away at them. It could have been a death knell. But in this case, it wasn’t.”

Winnie Estelle was sold out of the Chesapeake Bay by the 1970s. Along the way, the vessel changed hands several times, was restored in 1982 by new owner Jerry McDermott, and then pressed into service transporting pine lumber from Honduras to Belize.

After just one run, Belize closed lumber importation to protect its local timber industry, so McDermott had

to try another tack. It was time for those spacious decks to haul a new sort of cargo: tourists.

And so, Winnie Estelle began a new chapter as a day cruiser. Carrying tourists for snorkeling, dive charters, and sightseeing, Winnie was operated from Belizean vacation destinations like Ambergris and Caulker Cayes.

the Chesapeake to learn more about buyboats. “Some of the old hands in the boatyards convinced me that was the thing to do,” Smith said in an interview. The visit inspired him, and in 1986, he began a five-year restoration of the vessel.

Belize, famous for its exportation of timber, was an excellent source of the native heart pine, cabbage bark, and other durable, rotresistant woods that Smith used in the painstaking restoration process.

Over time, booze cruises in warm waters and the relentless onslaught of sea worms took their toll. In need of an enormous amount of work, Winnie Estelle was scuttled in 1985, left to the corals and waves.

For any other boat, this would have been the end, but thanks to a man with a vision and boatbuilding skills, Capt. Roberto Smith, Winnie Estelle once again survived.

Before deciding to undertake such a huge project, Smith traveled to

Later owner Michael Whitehill praised the materials Smith had sourced. “The cabbage bark was hard as a rock. And the Honduran pine on decks was like a brick bat. It was careful work, all done by hand tools, adze.” Smith worked board by board, careful not to change the vessel fundamentally and to stay faithful to the buyboat’s traditional form. He installed a Caterpillar motor, hired local artisans to rebuild the decks and cabin, and in 1990, Winnie Estelle headed to San Pedro for its next chapter.

Left to Right: With a colorful history spanning multiple owners and home ports, Winnie Estelle is still going strong after 103 years. Gift of Mara Pollero, collection of the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, 1349.0003; After decades as a workboat, Winnie Estelle has proven to be a good fit as a passengercarrying vessel. Gift of Mara Pollero, collection of the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, 8888.0124; From the Chesapeake to the Caribbean and back again, Winnie Estelle’s story has twisted and turned in unexpected and marvelous ways. Gift of Mara Pollero, collection of the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, 8888.0124; Winnie Estelle on the water off the coast of Belize. Gift of Mara Pollero, collection of the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, 8888.0124; Winnie Estelle joined CBMM’s historic floating fleet in 2014.

The newly restored Winnie Estelle began a second run as a tourist charter vessel, this time under the operation of Capt. Smith. Images and promotional brochures from this period show Winnie equipped with a big sun shade, low-slung deck chairs, and hammocks. A sunset cruise onboard came with local rum drinks included.

For more than a decade, Smith invited lucky passengers to make memories in the blue Belizean waters. Every year, at the end of the season, he was careful to take Winnie Estelle to freshwater to eliminate the sea worms in the hull.

Winnie was still in great shape, but it was Smith who was starting to think of retirement. By 2012, Smith had moved Winnie Estelle to Fronteras, Guatemala, close to freshwater Lago Izabal. There, the worms couldn’t harm the hull while the buyboat awaited its future.

Back near the Chesapeake Bay, Whitehill, an engineer by trade, found himself out of work due to the recession and open to new ideas. He started kicking around the notion of starting a small business running a

boat for weddings and other outings. Buyboats seemed ideal— beamy, comfortable, and classically Chesapeake. “I wanted something with some size to it. I looked at Mobjack, Crow Brothers, Ellen Marie. I even checked out a few lobster boats in Maine. But everything was too run down and would require too much time and money. That’s when I got a lead from another buyboat owner.”

Word had spread about Smith’s retirement and the extensive rebuild Winnie Estelle had undergone at his hands. Whitehill called a broker in Rio Dulce, Guatemala, to get the scoop. “I was just fascinated by the story. My imagination took over, overcoming sense.”

Whitehill ended up flying down to Guatemala to see Winnie Estelle and was impressed by Smith and the vessel itself. “Winnie was in just excellent shape. Roberto just popped in Dutchmen wherever he found rot, but the lines were true. He was so careful with that boat. Only loving fingertips for Winnie.”

Whitehill would fly down twice more to seal the deal, once to haul

the buyboat at a yard he refers to as “tetanus alley” at the mouth of Lago Izabal, and the next time to prep for the Gulf crossing that would bring Winnie Estelle back to the Chesapeake.

On that last trip, Whitehill gave Smith a check for the buyboat, but with a caveat. “Roberto was key to all of it—if there was full genius in any of it, it was paying the full purchase price on the condition that he sail with me to Key West.”

By May 5, 2012, Whitehill and Smith set sail—sometimes literally— across the Gulf from Guatemala to Key West, stopping in Belize, Mexico, and then heading into open water. “We had a hell of a nice cruise from Isla Mujeres to Key West. At one point, we were swatting away flying fish. We had a Garmin the size of a pocket knife, full charts, and a compass that I had never really checked in advance. For the trip, we had a multicolored drifter that stabilized the boat nicely and a Genoa and jib on the Gulf. I actually clocked her at 12.2 knots under sail and engine power. I’m pretty sure that’s the fastest she’s ever gone.”

Once in Key West, delivery

captain Jim Johnson took over from Smith and continued with Whitehill up the Intracoastal Waterway. News had reached some of the buyboat communities of Winnie Estelle’s return to the Chesapeake, and by the time Whitehill and Johnson reached Deltaville, Va., the energy was electric. “There’s a huge deckboat community, and the reception in Deltaville was unreal—like a homecoming. The marina was just swamped with people taking pictures. Folks took us in, bought us a meal. All out of this maritime reverence for old souls.”

Upon reaching the Chester River, Whitehill got two slips at Piney Marina Yacht Haven and started undertaking the massive work to make Winnie Estelle USCG compliant. “I stripped her down, down to bare wood. It was like a new relationship, getting to know somebody. You find the scars, the bumps. You could read her history and repairs over time.”

Whitehill went on to check off all the necessary elements the Coast Guard requires to carry passengers— fire suppression, side rails, life jacket

boxes, and so much more.

While Whitehill toiled in Langford Bay, word of the USCG upgrades was spreading. Whitehill laughs. “I got all ready to go and the museum bought her out from under me,” he said.

The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum was looking to find a replacement for its longtime passenger vessel, Mr. Jim. Thanks to Whitehill’s efforts, Winnie Estelle checked all the boxes.

Former CBMM President Langley Shook, Lesher, and other CBMM staff visited the vessel and saw the possibilities—not just for interpretation, but for interactivity.

Winnie Estelle represented both a classic Chesapeake vessel type and a comfortable way for CBMM guests to have on-the-water experiences.

Ultimately, Whitehill sold his new/ old buyboat to CBMM, and the rest is history.

“CBMM has used its waterfront from its founding as part of its exhibits,” said Lesher. “And we have outstanding examples of Chesapeake Bay types: the winningest skipjack, the classic

dovetail. But Winnie Estelle’s strength is that it is not an exceptional vessel, it is a typical vessel.

“It tells an everyday working story about the watermen and the Chesapeake of the first half of the 20th century and fills an important element in our maritime narrative about the way seafood got to market.”

Today, after 103 years of exciting adventures, Winnie Estelle is back on the hard, getting the necessary work such a venerable vessel needs for revitalization. Now one of only 30 or so buyboats, it has become a touchstone of the Chesapeake’s past.

A survivor from the Chesapeake’s golden age, Winnie Estelle has persisted because of many loving restorations and owners over the last century, CBMM included. From the Bay to Belize and back again, Winnie Estelle will once again go back to the work it was built and rebuilt for—hauling cargo (passengers now) and cruising strong and steady on Chesapeake waters. ★

a notable change in this year’s list of commissioning activities that is driven by new on-the-water programming scheduled to begin in May.

Winnie Estelle, CBMM’s venerable buyboat, is undergoing a major refit and, consequently, will be unavailable for guest cruises this summer. In order to fill that temporary absence, three of CBMM’s fleet vessels, Dory Boat, Volunteer, and Old Point, are slated to offer Miles River history cruises throughout the summer. Given their new workload, those three vessels are receiving cosmetic, system, and mechanical services suited to their new tasks.

Spring also signals the start of our hauling season. Every year, CBMM’s operational vessels are hauled out of the water for annual painting, general care, and

shipwrights can clean, service, repair, and inspect the running and standing rigging before re-rigging the vessels throughout the maintenance season.

Finally, this spring will bear witness to the launching of a new vessel. Working with the students of our Rising Tide after-school program, Senior Apprentice Megan Mitchell has spent the winter overseeing the construction of a brand-new St. Michaels sailing scow.

This unique type of vessel served as the Miles River Yacht Club’s racing class from 1926–1939, but these days, it has all but disappeared. This spring will mark the rebirth of the once-popular design. With a little luck, the plucky St. Michaels sailing scow will have the chance to collect a trophy or two. ★

Shipwright Stephen North takes a measurement while working on Mr. Dickie

Photo by George Sass.

Spring/Summer Calendar

Member Nights

Mystery on the Miles

Date/Time: Thursday, May 25, 5–7pm

Location: Small Boat Shed

Cost: Free for CBMM Members

Registration: bit.ly/MysteryOnTheMiles

Join us for an interactive mystery event that highlights life on the Chesapeake in the Hooper Strait Lighthouse. Throughout the night, you will meet a variety of characters while compiling the clues needed to solve the mystery..

Mark Hergan Photography

Date/Time: Thursday, July 20, 5–7pm

Location: Van Lennep Auditorium

Cost: Free for CBMM Members

Registration: bit.ly/HerganPhotography

Back by popular demand, Chesapeake Bay sailor and photographer Mark Hergan will share some of his recent photos of stunning maritime scenes.

Boat Auction Preview

Date/Time: Thursday, Aug. 31, 5–7pm Location: CBMM Campus

Cost: Free for CBMM Members

Registration: bit.ly/BoatAuctionPreview23

Interested in a new boat and a good deal? Members have the opportunity to preview the boats for sale at CBMM’s Annual Charity Boat Auction.

Apprentice for a Day Shipyard Programs

Boat Buying 101

Date/Time: Wednesday, April 19, 5:30–7:30pm

Location: Van Lennep Auditorium

Cost: $25, with a 25% discount for CBMM Members

Registration: bit.ly/BoatBuying101

Join Wes Williams, CBMM’s charity boat donations & sales program director, to learn the ins and outs of buying a boat. Before landing at CBMM, Williams owned and operated a marina for 10 years, and he has been a boat owner since he was 12 years old. Bring your enthusiasm and questions. Preregistration is required.

Coffee & Wood Chips with Blue Heron Coffee

Date/Time: Monday, May 15, 9:30–11:15am (in person) and 10–11:15am (virtual)

Location: Shipyard and Virtual

Cost: $10; free for CBMM Members

Registration: bit.ly/CoffeeWoodChipsMay23

Join Shipyard Education Programs Manager Jenn Kuhn and Jay Hudson, owner and master roaster of Blue Heron Coffee, for a morning of sampling featured roasts and exploring all that is happening in the Shipyard. This month’s hybrid session will feature the almost-completed 36-foot buyboat Mr. Dickie, work on CBMM’s Chesapeake buyboats Winnie Estelle and Choptank, and an update on the 17-foot, 8-inch Concordia sloop Osprey being restored by the Apprentice for a Day Program. We would love to see you however you can attend.

Coffee & Wood Chips

Date/Time: Mondays, April 17, June 12, July 17, Aug. 21, 10–11am

Location: Virtual Program

Cost: $10; free for CBMM Members

Registration: bit.ly/ShipyardPrograms

Join Shipyard Education Programs Manager Jenn Kuhn in this monthly Zoom meeting to hear updates on CBMM’s historic floating fleet, restoration on the 17-foot, 8-inch Concordia sloop Osprey, and the new construction of the 36-foot buyboat Mr. Dickie

calendar Shipyard Workdays

Date/Time: Saturdays, May 20, May 27, July 15, Aug. 19, Aug. 26, 10am–4pm

Location: Shipyard

Cost: $60, with a 20% discount for CBMM Members

Registration: bit.ly/ShipyardWorkdays

Join CBMM shipwrights on select Saturdays for an opportunity to work on upcoming new construction and restoration projects and learn the fundamentals of boat building and repair. Projects vary from week to week and will include a small boat restoration and a 36-foot Chesapeake Bay buyboat new build. Participants must be at least 16 years old unless accompanied by an adult. Preregistration is required.

Leather Working 101

Date/Time: Saturday, June 24 & Sunday, June 25, 10am–3pm

Location: Shipyard

Cost: $100, with a 20% discount for CBMM Members

Registration: bit.ly/LeatherWorking101

Join CBMM Lead Rigger and Curatorial Shipwright Sam Hilgartner in this two-day workshop to learn the basics of leather working for marine applications. Participants will go home with a working knowledge of identifying leather types, hole punching, stitching techniques, leather conditioning, pattern-making, and use of basic leather tools. Participants are encouraged to come with a simple project in mind, such as knife and spike sheath, oar wrap, wheel wrap, sheet block covering, gaff or boom jaws chafe protection, boom crutch protection, or rigging chafe gear. All tools and materials are included in the cost of registration.

Women’s Woodworking: Part II

Date/Time: Friday, July 21–Monday, July 24, 9am-5pm

Location: Shipyard/Workshop Annex

Cost: $295, with a 20% discount for CBMM Members

Registration: bit.ly/JulyWomensWoodworking

In this four-day women-only workshop, participants will expand on their previous woodworking and joinery skills by building their own stool. Each participant will focus on selecting, milling, and layout while practicing cutting angles and more complex joints. Previous woodworking experience is mandatory, and participation is required all four days. All tools and materials are included in the cost of registration.

Speaker Events

The Isaiah Fountain Case: Outrage & Jim Crow Justice on Maryland’s Eastern Shore

Date/Time: Thursday, April 12, 5:30pm

Location: Van Lennep Auditorium and available virtually through Microsoft Teams webinar

Cost: Suggested ticket price of $8 per participant

Registration: bit.ly/IsaiahFountain

Author Joseph Koper recalls the life of Isaiah Fountain, a successful Black farmer from Trappe, Md., who became the last person to be legally executed on the Eastern Shore in a case of racial injustice. Drawing on media coverage and court records, this talk looks back more than 100 years to uncover a local chapter in America’s difficult past.

Education Programs

Oyster Gardening Workshop

Date/Time: Saturday, May 13, 9am–noon

Location: Van Lennep Auditorium

Cost: $200 per person for class and workshop, including materials, with a 20% discount for CBMM Members; $10 per person for informational class only

Registration: bit.ly/OysterGardenMay2023

This oyster gardening class and workshop will provide you with all the information needed to successfully grow oysters off your dock. In the first hour, learn the practical aspects of oyster gardening and why oysters are so important for the Bay’s health. In the workshop that follows, we will build our own oyster cages. All materials, tools, oysters, and instruction are provided. Workshop participants will leave with at least one completed cage and materials for two more. Seed oysters will be provided to all workshop participants to start their own oyster garden. The program will be led by Dr. Lawrence Rudner, retired statistician and master oyster gardener.

Youth & Family Programs

Homeschool Days

Date/Time: Tuesday, April 4 & Thursday, April 6, 10:30am–noon or 1–2:30pm

Location: CBMM Campus

Cost: $5 per person, free for children 5 and under

Registration: bit.ly/HomeschoolDaysSpring2023

Homeschool students and their adults are invited to CBMM’s Homeschool Days, selecting either a morning or afternoon program to focus on the history, culture, and environment of the Chesapeake Bay region. This season, homeschoolers will participate in the Design to Survive Immersive Program. Create your own artistic version of the

Chesapeake Bay while exploring CBMM’s Living Shoreline, gardens, and oyster reef critters. Observe the species in our waterfront habitats to learn how different plants and animals have adapted to survive in specific habitats.

Rising Tide After-School Workshops

Date/Time: Mondays, Tuesdays, & Thursdays through May, 3:30–5:30pm

Location: Workshop Annex

Cost: Free

Registration: Contact risingtide@cbmm.org

This spring, Rising Tide will offer in-person, after-school programming for students in grades six through nine. Students will learn tool management and use, team collaboration, project design and development, and workshop safety through the building of unique, fun projects. Registration is required, but we welcome new students at any time during the semester. Sign up for a single class or every class. No experience necessary.

Salad Box Family Workshop

Date/Time: Saturday, April 15, 10am–12:30pm

Location: Workshop Annex

Cost: $25, with a 20% discount for CBMM Members

Registration: bit.ly/SaladBoxWorkshop2023

Join CBMM’s Workshop Education team to build a small tabletop garden for your backyard or patio! Affectionally known as a salad box, this project is large enough to grow multiple harvests of salad greens and herbs, but it is also small enough to fit on a table. This family-friendly workshop is perfect for sparking an interest in gardening or adding space to an established bed. All tools, materials, and instruction will be provided. Children must be at least 10 years old and accompanied by at least one participating adult.

CBMM Summer Camp

Date/Time: Monday–Friday, June 26–Aug. 18

Location: CBMM Campus

Cost: $355 per child for full-day programs and $155 for halfday programs, with a 20% discount for CBMM Members

Registration: bit.ly/CBMMSummerCamp

Explore the magic of the Chesapeake Bay’s people, animals, traditions, and environment! Weekly camp offerings rotate between age groups, with sessions for children ages 4–15. Each session is limited to a maximum of 12 children, with an emphasis on creating a fun, hands-on learning environment that includes on-the-water and environmental activities, stories, games, art creation, and other creative projects. Scholarships available for qualifying students.

On-the-Water Programs

Full Moon Paddles

Date/Time: Monday, July 31, 6:30–9pm

Location: Oak Creek Landing; Newcomb, Md.

Cost: $50, with a 20% discount for CBMM Members *with rental

$30, with a 20% discount for CBMM Members **without rental

Registration: bit.ly/JulyFullMoonPaddle23

Date/Time: Wednesday, Aug. 30, 6–8:30pm

Location: Fogg’s Landing

Cost: $50, with a 20% discount for CBMM Members *with rental $30, with a 20% discount for CBMM Members **without rental

Join CBMM ACA-certified staff for two evening paddles to enjoy the evening sunset and the full moon from the stillness of the water. On July 31, participants will launch from Oak Creek Landing in Newcomb and explore along Oak Creek and the Miles River. On Aug. 30, participants will launch from CBMM’s campus to paddle along the Miles River and into Long Haul Creek. Both paddles are good for both the beginner and the intermediate paddler.

Log Canoe Charter Cruises

Date/Time: See schedule below

Location: Aboard CBMM’s floating fleet

Cost: $375 per charter, with up to six passengers allowed per charter

Registration: bit.ly/LogCanoeCharters2023

Enjoy a private river cruise to watch log canoe races on the Miles River on board one of the vessels in CBMM’s historic floating fleet. Log canoe races are a quintessential Chesapeake pastime, and a log canoe charter provides an up-close and exciting look at the action. Amateur photographers, sailing aficionados, or wooden boat enthusiasts will all find something to enjoy on a CBMM log canoe charter!

Schedule:

• Saturday, June 24, 1:30pm

• Sunday, June 25, 9:30am

• Saturday, July 29, 9:30am and 1:30pm

• Sunday, July 30, 9:30am

• Saturday, Sept. 9, 9:30am

• Sunday, Sept. 10, 9:30am

• Saturday, Sept. 16, 9:30am and 1:30pm

• Sunday, Sept. 17, 9:30am

Paddling Gear & Beer Demo Day

Date/Time: Friday, May 19, 5:30–8pm

Location: Fogg’s Cove

Cost: $15, with a 20% discount for CBMM Members

Registration: bit.ly/PaddlingGearBeerDemo

Join ACA-certified instructors for this meet-and-greet demo day held on CBMM’s campus. Instructors will demonstrate paddling techniques and share their preferred paddling gear. Participants will have the opportunity to ask questions while trying out the gear represented. Preregistration is required.

Paddle & Tasting

Date/Time: Saturday, June 3, 9am–1pm

Location: Skipton Landing, Cordova, Md.

Cost: $55, with a 20% discount for CBMM Members *with rental $75, with a 20% discount for CBMM Members **without rental

Registration: bit.ly/PaddleTasting2023

Join ACA-certified CBMM staff for this leisurely paddle along this classic Chesapeake landscape. Paddlers will launch from Skipton Landing in Cordova and paddle along Skipton and Mill creeks before returning to the launch site. Paddle is followed by a tasting at the lovely Triple Creek Winery, 11138 Three Bridge Branch Road, Cordova. Tasting is included in the cost of registration. Both beginner and intermediate paddlers are welcome.

Special Events

Exhibition Opening: Her Helm: Portraits of Women on the Chesapeake

Date/Time: Friday, September 8

Location: Van Lennep Auditorium

Cost: Included with General Admission

Photographer Kristen Rutowski set out to identify and document women who captain their own vessels. She also found freedom and inspiration on the waters of the Chesapeake Bay. Featuring about a dozen portraits and interviews, Her Helm celebrates women in boating.

410-745-4992