Boating News
Group places historic bay sailboats on endangered list
By John Biemer
ANNAPOLIS - The sea takes its toll on a wooden ship and the dwindling fleet of skipjacks on the Chesapeake Bay is no exception.
Their lot has gone the way of their primary quarry. First built in the 1880s, these utilitarian and majestic single-masted sailboats were widely used in the early 20th century to dredge oysters on the Bay.
But the oyster harvest began to plummet in the mid-20th century due to overharvesting and disease, and the skipjacks disappeared with them. Once numbering more than 1,000, the fleet stands now at just 13 - the only U.S. commercial fleet still propelled by sail.
A restoration project is under way for the remaining skipjacks headquartered at The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in St. Michaels and funded in part by the state of Maryland. But it is expensive work, and boatmen wonder if they can stay ahead of the steady saltwater decay.
"In many ways, the skipjacks symbolize the Chesapeake Bay,'' said Richard Moe, president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. On Thursday, the trust named the entire fleet to its list of America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places - all threatened by neglect, insufficient funds, inappropriate development or insensitive public policy.
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