On the April 2018 cover of Chesapeake Bay Magazine - kayak angler Jim Porter with a rockfish caught near Kiptopeake, Virginia.
Spring Boat Maintenance on Smith Island
“I didn’t know if she was going to make it down here from North End”
In the early spring, watermen on Smith Island are getting their boats ready in anticipation for the forthcoming crabbing season. Routine maintenance generally consists of cleaning the bottom and putting fresh coats of paint on. While some boats do not require a lot, others do - this is especially the case for older wooden boats. The ice and low tides that we had in early January 2018 did substantial damage to some boats.
Billy Reed's crab scraping boat is over 30 years old and was in dire need of work before the start of the season - he had two pumps running nearly full time to keep the barcat from sinking. Water had saturated some of the wood planks and expanded during the freeze. The result of the water expanding was gaps in between some of the planks and leaking, making the boat unsafe for working. He brought her to Chris Marshall's railway in Rhodes Point for repair, in hopes to get a few more years of work out of her.
USAS American Mariner - the target ship
In 1966 the 'USAS American Mariner' was scuttled in the middle of the Chesapeake about halfway between Point Lookout and Smith Island. The retired missile tracking vessel was destined to be a target for training naval pilots in her retirement. In the late 60's, while the boat was still in good condition, intrepid Islanders who made the trip out to the ship claimed that the tables in the dining hall were still set with dinnerware. For a few years, some of the islands watermen worked on the weekends - collecting and selling copper and other scrap metal from the ship.
Decades of weapon testing by pilots flying out of Patuxent Naval Air Station took its toll on the ship. The hull continues to rust and deteriorate into the bay.
Exhibit Opening - Annapolis Maritime Museum - Event Photos
Thanks to everyone who came out to the exhibit opening on Thursday at the Annapolis Maritime Museum! We were happy to have a great crowd of guests who were eager to see the rotating exhibit that will grace the walls of the museum's Bay Room for all of 2018! Visitors are welcome to see the exhibit at the museum - admission is FREE!
A special thanks to the Maritime Museum's photographer Ken Tom for covering the event!
