Book Recommendation: Chesapeake Bay Skipjacks

Oysters are salt-water bivalve mollusks that live in marine and brackish habitats, and the Chesapeake Bay is the perfect place to find them. These bottom-dwelling species are collected using an oyster dredge, a type of dredge towed along the bottom of the sea by a fishing boat.

In the Chesapeake Bay, the traditional fishing boat used for oyster dredging is the skipjack. This style of sailboat is sloop-rigged. The mast is raked sharply back, and the boom is exceptionally long, with a self-tending jib mounted on the bowsprit. With this sail plan, the skipjack has the power needed to pull the dredge, even in light winds, while at the same time minimizing the number of crew needed to handle the boat. Typically, a skipjack is 40 to 50 feet in length.

The book Chesapeake Bay Skipjacks documents the skipjack and its role in the oyster dredging industry. Reading will offer insights into the natural and manmade disasters that affected the trade, including a storm in August 1933 that swept vessels into pastures!

The author interviews some thirty captains, former captains, crew members, and relatives of those who worked the boats and reads through records and newspaper accounts. This research allowed the author to recreate the events between 1917 and 1993.

This is a story of men who loved to sail and often risked their lives, balanced on the edge of danger, to harvest the Chesapeake's most valuable crop, the oyster.

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When you are in Deltaville, Virginia, this is an excellent opportunity to learn more about skipjacks. The Deltaville Maritime Museum even has the Skipjack Virginia on display as an example of one of the main types of Chesapeake Bay workboats.

There are many opportunities to learn about the oyster industry throughout the Chesapeake Bay, and this is a great way to get started!

Find more recommended books to read along America's Great Loop on our Book Page!