Silver Heel in 2 015. Currently out of Chestertown, Maryland, the 1902 Silve r Heel is an active participant in the ongoing tradition of racing the Chesapeake Bay log canoes along Maryland's Eastern Shore. Spectators can get a .front-row seat at next summer's races .from excursion vessels operated by the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in St. Michaels. m ajor re bu ilding effort ar his sm all marine railway on H arris Creek, only a few miles away from where she was originally built at Tilghman's Island. A nother new racing career was about to get underway. Jay D ee, Flying Cloud, and Mystery all remain active competitors in rhe log canoe fleer and can be seen sailing on rhe C hes ter, M iles, and Tred Avo n Rivers on weekends from June to September. The
Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, among orhers, offers opportunities to observe rhe races from a spectator boar. U n like ar rhe rime of rheir introduction in rhe 193 0s, these three boars no longer srand our fro m rhe rest of rhe fleer as better-fi nanced or domina nt boars, so perhaps rhe "goldplater" label has wo rn off, but each is still competitive and has won races in recent seasons . .!,
j ohn C. North II has been sailing Chesapeake Bay log canoes for 67 years. H e is retired as a judge ofthe circuit court in Maryland and as chairman ofMaryland's Chesapeake Bay Critical Areas Commission. This article is based on his new book, C hesapeake Bay Sailing Log Canoes: A Study in Tradition, Speed, and Elegance, forthcoming in 2 016, published by the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum.
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