Skipjack at Anchor

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=50 BGCOLOR="#333366" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B>SKIPJACK ON THE CHOPTANK</B></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=165 BGCOLOR="#993300" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="132" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 35 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id86.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Sigsbee Ida Mae"><U><B><IMG SRC="007151d0.gif" border=0 width="21" height="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id115.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Wenona "><U><B><IMG SRC="008151d0.gif" border=0 width="21" height="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="20"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="35" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="20" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id137.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Oil Paintings Printed on Canvas 15 x 30 "><U><B><IMG SRC="00d0d1d0.gif" border=0 width="13" height="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="27"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></B></div> <div> <A HREF="id137.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Oil Paintings Printed on Canvas 15 x 30 "><U><B>Return to Water Color & Oil page</B></U></A></div> </td> <td valign="top" height=430 BGCOLOR="#444444" TEXT="#080000"> <div>   <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" >  </FONT>           </div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>During the latter half of the 19</B><B>th</B><B> Century and the early part of the 20</B><B>th</B><B> Century the work boat king of the Chesapeake Bay fishery industry was the two masted schooner.   As time passed and economic pressures came to bear hard on the oyster fisheries simplified sail rigs and smaller craft requiring less crew and capable of operating in shallow water began to replace the larger and more costly to operate schooner.  The first were the simplified schooner rigs of the bugeye and single masted sloop.  This was soon followed by the smaller and even less costly deadrise hull centerboard Chesapeake Bay Skipjack .</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Shown here at anchor along the shores of the Choptank River, the 50 foot Geneva May was built in 1908 in Wenona, Maryland.   While the numbers of these craft has remained stable for a couple of years they are slowly but continually disappearing as rising operating costs make them less profitable.  Their days will end if Maryland ever repeals current conservation laws which permit dredging under power only two days per week, Monday and Tuesday.  On Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday dredging is only allowed in the Bay under sail.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>The Geneva May ceased oyster dredging many years ago and is currently part of the maritime collection of the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in St. Michaels, Maryland.</B></div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>