Nov/ Dec 2020

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Oyster Dip Recipe Rich As Rockefeller

Everything Your Boat Needs This Winter

NOV/DEC 2020

Get Shuckin’

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Buying a Boat

New vs. Used Cost, maintenance, & expectations to better your experience

By Bob Oberg

S

o, you have decided to buy a boat. The next question is usually, should I buy new or used? I have been selling both new and used boats for almost 10 years and talked to hundreds of clients about this decision.

Buying New

Buying Used

Warranties - New boats come with varying manufacturer warranties. On top of the manufacturer’s warranty, oftentimes there are equipment warranties. Engine warranties are a good example of this and can usually even be extended for a price.

Cost - While the advantage list for used boats isn’t as long as it is for new boats, cost is quite often the biggest advantage. The initial cost of a used boat is less than buying a new one. Boats are a depreciating asset and the original buyers are the ones that usually take the biggest hit in depreciation. Also, a new boat is not always in the budget. The most important thing is getting out on the water with friends and family on a safe and fun boat.

Customization - When you order a new boat, you get to choose the layout of your boat, fabrics, countertops, and all the finishes. You can also customize your boat with the most up-to-date equipment.

You will not have the additional cost of upgrading in the near future like you would on a used boat.

Cost - This is the biggest deterrent to buying a new boat. You are paying a premium for all the other advantages listed here. You will usually take the biggest depreciation on the value of the boat over its life.

Financing - Not everyone knows this, but finance rates are better on new boats than on used boats. When looking at used boats 20 years and older, it can be hard to get financing and will usually require a larger deposit.

Maintenance - This falls into a few categories. The first being that the boat and equipment are covered by warranties so there is no cost if a piece of equipment fails. The next would be maintenance history. Because you have owned the boat from new, you know all the maintenance that has been done. And finally, you are receiving a clean boat. Bilges, lockers, heads, beds, etc. have not been used and start fresh.

Support - This is probably the most overlooked advantage of a new boat. It can also be a negative experience if you do not get support from your local dealer. Look into the reputation of the dealer you are considering buying a boat from. See if you can find other owners of the brand you are considering and ask them about their experience. Know that even when buying a new boat, issues will come up. It is how the dealer deals with these issues that will make owning a boat either a fantastic experience or a terrible one.

Unexpected Expenses - While the cost of a used boat is less than a new boat, there are other costs associated with buying a used boat. The first cost is the cost of the survey and sea trial. Hopefully, the first boat that you find passes but if you have to do this more than once, it can add up quickly. Also, with almost every survey, there will be a list of items that need to be addressed. While some items may be taken care of by the seller, there are ones that are taken on by the buyer as well. As I always tell clients before a survey, you are buying a used boat, there are items that will come up.

Condition - While you may or may not ever meet the previous owner, how they took care of the boat on their watch will make a big difference in your ownership experience. The cleanliness of the boat is a good starting point. Things like clean bilges are a good sign of a wellcared-for boat. Also, a list of replaced and upgraded equipment over the life of the boat is a good sign. Quite often some of the issues that come up are not visible and the current owner did not know about them, otherwise a good owner would have taken care of them.

Location - Best case scenario is when you find the perfect boat close to home. Travel to see a boat to survey and sea trial and finally transporting the boat to your dock can add up.

I hope that you find this article helpful and sets your expectations for buying either a new or used boat.

Knowing what to expect will make the experience for either scenario better.

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IT’S OYSTER SLURPIN’ SEASON Dive in to mouth-watering oysters in Dorchester County, Maryland – plump on the half shell, fried, baked, in stew, or topped with jumbo lump crab. With just the right brackish balance of fresh and salt water, this area produces delectable oysters with names such as Choptank Sweets, Chesapeake Gold, and Hongatonk – served up in some of the East Coast’s top restaurants. But you don’t have to travel to the big city to enjoy them. Come to the source and enjoy oysters at our restaurants or straight from the harvesters.

VisitDorchester.org 410.228.1000

contents TALK OF THE BAY

14 18 20

November/December 2020—Volume 50 Number 7

Where We’re Headed

Oyster Growing at Home The easiest pet you’ll ever own—Steve Adams.

Permanent Wave Charlie Young-

66

24

66 Gunpowder River 20

mann on the Bay’s tiny tsunamis.

24 Baltimore 14

Pilot on the Ladder A Bay Pilot

climbs to the top of his profession— Bill Band.

24

CBM

Blue Seas in a Dark Harbor Lovin’

20 Annapolis 14

Tred Avon River

28

Mattaponi River

54

Yorktown, Va.

Spoonful bassist’s waterborne recording studio went under in a big way—Rafael Alvarez.

FEATURES

On the Cover:

28

DIY shucking is more work, but just as sweet.

Photo by Maggie Hughes

54 SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

36

Marine Services

Before you lay your boat up for a long winter’s nap, here are the things you should check out.

48 What’s in a Knife?

54 Gift Guide

Susan Moynihan gets the knives out for oysters.

Get off the internet and go shopping—Susan Moynihan

PAT VENTURINO

Shop Local p. 54

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contents

November/December 2020

Columns

28

Chesapeake Almanac: Exploring the Mattaponi River

31

Chesapeake Chef: Oyster Rockefeller Dip Eat the rich with this

32

On Boats: Beneteau Antares 11

66

Wild Chesapeake: Trout Fishing

31

The tide is high, but Capt. John Page Williams is holding on.

twist on a classic, from Hoopers Island Oysters.

A distinctive modern family cruiser— Capt. John Page Williams.

Capt. Chris D. Dollar takes to the hills to find the watershed’s sweet spots.

Departments

Bay Partners

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70 75

From the Editor Online

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from the editor

An Occasion for Oysters

by Meg Walburn Viviano

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T

o me, oysters are like champagne—fun and festive. If you’re eating them on the half-shell, it’s likely a special occasion: a sit-down dinner out, a fancy fête, or a lively fall roast. If it isn’t a special occasion, well, now it is, because you’re having oysters!

That’s the joy of oyster season in the Chesapeake region, or it was until the COVID-19 pandemic struck. Social distancing put a damper on festive oystereating occasions. Restaurants were forced to close. The market for Bay-raised oysters fell to virtually zero. Things looked pretty bad for the industry and those of us who love to slurp oysters.

But when something as extreme as a pandemic occurs, we take matters into our own hands—or in this case, we take oysters into our own hands, and we shuck them.

In the spring when aquaculturists scrambled to start selling their harvest direct to customers via pop-up shops and cold shipping, foodies caught on quickly. Now, even some restaurants are sending oysters home in your carryout box. In my neighborhood on the Baltimore waterfront, Mama’s on the Half Shell sells a “Take it Shuckin’ Home” kit complete with Maryland and Virginia oysters, cocktail sauce, lemon, a knife, and instructions.

Yes, shucking oysters at home has become an occasion in itself. The hard part is successfully gaining access to the juicy oyster inside. Best-case scenario, you’re prying, twisting, and wedging a knife into a small crack that is held dangerously close to your appendages. Worst-case scenario? Let’s just say stitches are involved.

In light of the current DIY shucking trend, we’re using our traditional November oyster issue to help you get hands-on. We hunted down the best oyster knives—the kind that make you look like you know what you’re doing.

I assure you the oysters are worth the work. Not only are you getting some of the freshest seafood around, but it’s also a way to support the Bay’s oyster growers, who are counting on this fall season to bounce back. This past month, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation called on the entire watershed to celebrate “Buy Chesapeake Bay Seafood Days” by eating fish, crabs, or bivalves from the Bay every Saturday. Now that’s a festive oyster occasion we can get behind.

Cheers!

Meg Walburn Viviano, raised on the Magothy River, spent her college years rowing on the Chester for Washington College. She wrote her first Chesapeake Bay Magazine feature as a 19-year-old intern. After a decade producing television news, Meg returned to CBM to launch the Bay Bulletin online news source. She now leads all of CBM’s media content, and lives with her husband and two young sons near the Baltimore waterfront. You can reach her at meg@chesapeakebaymagazine.com.

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VIDEO: Shuck Oysters in 5 Easy Steps As more people bring Bay oysters home to slurp, they could use a simple how-to.

Cheryl Costello learns from national experts, teaming up for oyster recovery and oyster eating. Watch the video at chesapeakebaymagazine.com/howtoshuck. u Read more and sign up for Bay Bulletin, CBM’s free weekly e-newsletter online at

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Celebrate the Joy of Family in Annapolis and Anne Arundel County this Holiday Season.

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talk of the bay

Growing oysters doesn’t take much work, according to advocates.

The Easiest Pet You’ll Ever Own Oyster Growing at Home

by Steve Adams

T CHESAPEAKEBAYFOUNDATION/CBF.ORG

here’s no shortage of ways to support oyster restoration efforts in the Chesapeake Bay. You can donate to nonprofits that plant oysters throughout the watershed, such as Oyster Recovery Partnership or Chesapeake Bay Foundation. You can choose restaurants and seafood businesses that source their oysters locally and donate their spent shells to oyster recycling programs, such as the Shell Recycling Alliance in Maryland or the Virginia Oyster Shell Recycling Program. And recognizing that every single oyster benefits the Bay by filtering 50 gallons of water a day, you might wonder: Can you grow your own oysters right at home? Yes. And it might just be the pandemic project you’re looking for.

If you live on the water (or in a neighborhood with a community dock) and want to grow oysters, there’s a lot of support to help you get started. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources’ Marylanders Grows Oysters (MGO) program aims to do just that, fostering citizens’ awareness and stewardship of their local river systems and the Bay through growing oysters.

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November/December 2020

The program goes back to the Tred Avon River in 2008. That year, MGO provided the owners of 177 private piers with 6,125 oyster cages (produced by state inmates), spat, and the know-how necessary to grow young oysters. They were planted roughly nine months later in local sanctuaries closed to harvesting. Since then, the numbers have grown to over 1,500 private piers and roughly 7,800 cages across 30 different rivers, creeks, and coves, resulting in roughly two million citizen-grown oysters being planted in sanctuaries each year. DNR now works in partnership with the Oyster Recovery Partnership (ORP) and the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science.

“The program has been tremendously popular over the years,” says MGO Director Christopher Judy.

“Participants become part of a larger community of people helping their local area and the Bay by growing oysters.

And as long as an area has a suitable number of people who want to join and a local coordinator, and can support oyster growth and survival, we’re always open to new groups coming in.”

MGO is modeled after the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s oyster gardening program, which helps waterfront homeowners within established boundaries set up their own oyster foster home. Prospective oyster growers attend a three-hour workshop where they build their own oyster cages and receive the instruction and 1,000 to 2,000 spat they’ll need to grow them.

Then they can install the spat-filled cages on a dock, pier, bulkhead, or pilings in September; tend them, with periodic cleaning and shaking to dislodge sediment and waste, for nine months; and return the bivalves for planting on nearby sanctuary reefs in May or June.

And yes, ambitious Marylanders can strike out on their own, growing oysters independent of the two programs—as long as it’s for noncommercial purposes, in an approved

Finally, those who wish to become hooked, or help others do the same, can also turn to the Tidewater Oyster Gardeners Association. The 23-year-old nonprofit and its 600-plus members, including over 100 expert-taught “Master Oyster Gardeners,” promotes oyster cultivation from the James to the Patuxent. They help new gardeners with questions, research how various oyster strains are affected by environmental factors, and most popular of all, host oyster tastings and roasts.

As longtime Tidewater member and supporter Doug Clark notes, “Oyster roasts and dinners are a great way to create stewardship and spread the word; plus, eating the oysters that you grow is a delicious reward for each year’s work.”

area, and the grower registers with the state. A new oyster-gardening kit from Hoopers Island Oyster Co., available to order now for March 2021 pickup, includes seeds and equipment “ready to toss in the water with no fuss.”

The goal of all the programs is to engage and retain citizens who’ll not only keep providing healthy oysters for sanctuaries each spring and keep coming back for more spat to raise each September, but also to recruit additional growers—oyster-growing evangelism.

Virginia While its highway signs say it is for lovers, Virginia is for oyster growers, too.

CBF urges Virginians to become oyster gardeners, promising they will be “the easiest pet you’ll ever own.” The foundation offers seminars and “roundups,” or spat pick-ups, in Hampton Roads, Virginia Beach, and Norfolk.

And while the state lacks a legislated program like Maryland’s, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality promotes the practice by providing citizens with the Virginia Oyster Gardening Guide: an exhaustive, soup-to-nuts resource that covers site evaluation (based on salinity, water

depth, dissolved oxygen levels, plankton availability, and Virginia Department of Health field data), growing strategy (spring vs. fall), containment system options (Taylor floats, mesh bags, or cages), permitting, supplies (including area-appropriate, disease-resistant spat), set-up and maintenance, and harvesting (for consumption, donating to sanctuary reefs, or even building their own reef).

To put it simply, the goal of the oyster gardening guide is to help Virginians “get hooked on oyster gardening.”

Can you reap what you sow?

It’s undisputable that growing oysters in the Bay combats pollution, thanks to their filter power. But should growers be allowed to harvest and eat their oysters, or should all of these homegrown oysters stay in the water to keep the clean water benefits going? The programs in Maryland and Virginia don’t quite agree on the answer.

Under CBF’s growing program, the oysters are “for restoration purposes

HOOPERS ISLAND OYSTERS

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation offers classes for new gardeners, covering everything from cage-building to planting the oysters.

The Hoopers Island Oyster Kit comes ready to put in the water, seeds and all.

November/December 2020

ChesapeakeBayMagazine.com

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only.” And MGO’s Judy points out how consumption impacts restoration.

“From an oyster restoration standpoint, the big difference comes at the end,” says Judy. “For while the oysters would be filtering water and providing a small bit of habitat for local organisms before reaching the legal size for consumption (three inches), once eaten, their ecological functions would cease.

Oysters planted on a sanctuary reef, however, provide filtering, spawning, and habitat for other species, as well as shell for future oysters to set on. So restoration-wise, a planted oyster provides much greater value for the ecosystem.”

CBF also recommends against eating oysters from private piers, regardless of specific location, for health reasons. And while MGO notes that it’s not actually illegal to consume shellfish that are grown at private piers, it warns of the health risk of consuming those grown in waters that have not been tested and approved.

In Virginia, however, officials believe that folks who harvest and eat what they grow will be more committed to water restoration because they want their waterways to be clean enough to produce oysters that are safe to eat.

State marine resources leaders also doubt the small number of oysters grown off a private dock are making a huge impact, anyway. “The number of individual oysters grown by oyster gardeners does not likely provide a measurable ecological benefit in most areas,” says Andrew Button, head of conservation and replenishment at VMRC. Whether you grow oysters to serve on the half-shell, to boost the population, or simply as lowmaintenance pets, the Bay is a little better for it.

Steve Adams is a lifelong Annapolitan and PR guy by day who loves all aspects of the Bay, from paddleboarding on it to eating the oysters and crabs produced by it.

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Meteotsunamis are generally smaller than tsunamis triggered by seismic activity. When conditions are right, they can occur in bodies of water around the world, including the Chesapeake Bay.

Permanent Wave Little-Known Meteotsunami Strikes Upper Bay

by Charlie Youngmann

NOAA

C

harter boat guide Tom Weaver was confident he’d be able to dodge the forecasted storms during his scheduled roundtrip from Annapolis to Tolchester on the afternoon of July 6. Instead, his course took him right into the path of a common but largely unknown weather phenomenon.

Two massive storms converged over the Chesapeake Bay, leaving Weaver and his clients trapped between them. Among them were John Chiochetti; his son, Ryan Scales; and their friend, Brian Robinson. “We just start motoring south a little bit, just to get in this lane between the two storms and we’re watching, watching, watching and then they start to merge,” Weaver recalled. “Sometimes, I can get away without even getting wet. This one just closed in on us and we didn’t have anywhere to hide.”

Though the storm to the north, near Tolchester, was the smaller of the two, the lightning there was far worse so Weaver determined it would be best to head towards Annapolis. He could see the shipping channel markers on the GPS, but he couldn’t make out the markers in the water in front of him due to the horizontal rain and blinding wind.

As the storms closed in, they were hammered with waves, starting mildly at about four feet. As they punched over the first round, Weaver and company were met with a bout of churning waves nearing 10 feet. “I’ve raced around the world, I’ve made my living as a professional sailor for the past 25 years,” Weaver said. “I mean, I’ve seen big waves, but in the Chesapeake I’ve never seen waves that size.”

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Hurtling through a series of lesser waves, the four were soon out of the storm. In the end, they managed to stay clear of the storms for all but 15 to 20 minutes of their trip. “By the time we got to the Gibson Island area, the rain stopped, wind stopped, and it was kind of a pleasant ride home,” Weaver said.

While no one onboard panicked, they did each note their ears popped with a sudden drop in pressure, and they felt alternating waves of warm and cold air during the storm.

What Weaver did not know at the time was that the atmospheric conditions of that event had created a meteotsunami wave. Chesapeake Bay Media covered the phenomena the next day in Bay Bulletin, and before long it had been shared through our Facebook more than 1,500 times.

According to Gregory Dusek, senior scientist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, this wave was about 14 and a half inches from peak to trough, which is considered a small to moderate meteotsunami.

It turns out, meteotsunami events are quite frequent in the Chesapeake Bay, averaging about 25 each year.

Last year, Dusek published a study detailing meteotsunami events along the East Coast ranging from 1996 to 2017. So why haven’t we heard of them before?

“The catch with that is that the vast majority of them are really small,” Dusek said “Out of those 25 per year or so, only on average about one a year is over two feet.”

Dusek described the characteristics of a meteotsunami, a form of tidal wave, as similar in frequency to seismic tsunamis. They are often caused during the warmer months of the year when fast-moving summer storms (like the one that rocked Weaver’s boat) meet a sudden drop in pressure. “When you have this fast-moving storm system, it can move

at just the right speed to align itself with this wave, so you end up feeding energy into the wave over a period of time,” Dusek said.

The effects of meteotsunamis are recorded through water level gauges stationed on land. NOAA collects data from hundreds of stations, including 16 gauges throughout the Chesapeake Bay. A meteotsunami event this far north is somewhat rare; they are much more common in the southern regions of the Bay. With far less water for the wave to gain traction over, the Tolchester gauge only observed 10 events over course of Dusek’s study, while some southern Bay gauges had recorded as many as 50.

Michael Angove, tsunami program branch director for NOAA and the National Weather Service, explained that some meteotsunami waves can

dissociate from the storms that formed them. Though meteotsunamis are the offspring of violent summer storms which can be destructive to the immediate area, the tidal wave itself is often harmless and inert, lumbering in to shore an hour later.

While they are often relatively small and localized compared to their seismic counterparts, some meteotsunamis have caused damage along the East Coast. A large event on June 13, 2013 was recorded on gauges from Massachusetts to North Carolina. Its waves grew to over two feet, becoming a public safety concern. When these events are detected, especially large ones, they are reported to the National Weather Service, who issue warnings.

Some of the larger meteotsunami events can also trigger deep-water

sensors designed to pick up seismic tsunami activity, providing researchers with further data on a given wave.

Though you may not have heard of them, they are common occurrences in coastal areas and rarely a threat in the Chesapeake. “You won’t sense the wave the way the weather and rain is sensed when you’re out in it,” Angove said.

People should remain aware of the possibility of hazardous meteotsunamis without living in fear of them, said Angove. “No one wants to go around screaming ‘Tsunami!’ and ‘Run for the hills!”

Charlie Youngmann graduated in 2019 from the University of Maryland’s Philip Merrill College of Journalism. He is a former CBM intern.

November/December 2020

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CBM

talk of the bay

Pilot on the Ladder For Bay Pilots, Getting to the Top Isn’t Easy story & photos by Bill Band

I

t was just a routine trip up the Bay. At 19:30 I had boarded the Polishflagged bulk carrier at the Chesapeake Bay entrance, and nine hours later I was approaching the Annapolis anchorage. The ship was to anchor there, waiting for her berth to clear in Baltimore a few days later.

On this March night, the wind had been picking up for a couple of hours, blowing at 20 knots with higher gusts from the NNE. The pilot ladder was rigged on the starboard side, one meter above the water, allowing the pilot boat to lay into the side of the ship without damaging the ladder. We were light draft, permitting me to go deep into the anchorage, steering towards the Severn River entrance. All the while slowing down, I made a sweeping turn to the east, which gave me a good lee for getting off once anchored. My boat, Pilot Express, was sitting a short distance off, waiting to see me at the top of the ladder I would begin to descend.

Considering the calm water afforded by the lee I created, it should have been a straightforward matter for the boat to slide in and get me. It didn’t work out that way.

Once anchored, there was a slight delay in getting my pilot order signed, and the ship’s captain wanted to chat.

He seemed oblivious to the conditions outside as the ship began to weathervane. Standing on the bridge and looking over his shoulder, I could see the bow swinging towards the Bay Bridge spans in the distance. As politely as I could, I cut the conversation short and almost ran down the ship’s ladderwell to get to the main deck. Once there, I was surprised

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to see that the chief mate had pulled the Jacob’s ladder up onto the deck and was beginning to disassemble it.

Realizing his mistake, he immediately began to secure it back over the side.

By the time all was ready, there was no more lee; instead, there was a two- to three-foot sea running down both sides of the ship.

Looking at the Pilot Express now dancing in the waves, I decided I might get a better look at the conditions if I descended the ladder partway. After all, I was tired and wanted to get home. I convinced myself that things weren’t too bad and called the boat in.

The operator expertly maneuvered the boat below the ladder. Trying to time my transfer, I watched the boat’s motion over the waves running down the side of the ship. This was not easily predictable in the dark. I stopped a few feet above the pilot boat’s handrail.

While holding on to the Jacob’s ladder with my left hand, I reached down to catch the handrail with my right as the boat reached the apex of the next wave. At that point I would transfer over. I was a hair’s breath from letting go of the ladder when the pilot boat suddenly dropped away. I heard crewmen on the main deck shout in alarm as I swung out from the side of the ship. The boat rose up on the next wave and brushed the back of my legs, almost lifting me off the ladder. It was a heart-stopping moment. The boat operator immediately powered ahead, allowing me to collect myself before making another attempt. This time, when he drifted back I was able to make a smooth transfer.

Heading back to the dock in Annapolis, none of us spoke. The deckhand, the boat operator, and I were lost in our thoughts of what almost happened. Had I fallen into the 40-degree water, even wearing my float coat, there would have been little time to rescue me in the dark. My desire to get off the ship almost killed me.

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VIDEO

The author shares video of his more harrowing pilot ladder experiences in Cheryl Costello’s Bay Bulletin story. Watch it at

chesapeakebaymagazine.com/pilotladder.

In piloting, there are two important aspects to the job. First and foremost is to have the knowledge and skill to navigate ships—some longer than 1,200 feet and weighing 200,000 tons—safely on Chesapeake Bay. In Maryland, the path is usually to and from the port of Baltimore. As pilots, we are guardians of the environment.

Our sole responsibility is to ensure the safe movement of ships on the entire Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries.

This is a responsibility shared with the Virginia pilots to the south and the Delaware pilots on the C&D Canal.

The second thing is to be able to board and disembark safely. People aboard passenger ships sometimes witness the pilot transfer, which usually involves stepping off a pilot boat onto a few rungs of a rope ladder and into an opening in the ship’s side.

Although this can be dangerous at times, it is nothing like climbing 25 feet or higher up the side of a merchant ship, particularly in foul weather. A slip from these heights has serious consequences, especially if the pilot should land on the deck of the pilot boat.

A ship will usually contact the pilot tower two hours out from the Capes.

The pilot tower is located near the Cape Henry lighthouse and shared by both the Maryland and Virginia pilots.

Its personnel act as informal traffic advisors and appoint pilots to their ships. They will also direct the ship’s personnel as to which side to hang the ladder for the best lee.

Boarding or disembarking ships requires close attention. If the bottom of the ladder extends below the deck of the pilot boat, the deckhand will pull the excess onto the deck. As the ship rolls, the pilot watches the motion of the ladder. He or she will then grab hold of the ladder as high up as possible and move quickly to get well above the pilot boat. Failure to do so risks getting knocked off the ladder or

pinned against the side of the ship by a spirited, 50-ton (gross) vessel moving in the seaway. Typical boarding speeds are between 8 and 10 knots.

On December 30, 2019, a Sandy Hook pilot died in a fall onto a pilot boat while boarding the Maersk Kensington, a U.S. flag container ship bound for the terminals at Newark, NJ. The accident occurred at 04:30, and as of this writing is still being investigated.

On February 4, 2007, a pilot was lost at sea while boarding the Energy Enterprise, a U.S. flag coal ship bound for Baltimore, at the Delaware Capes.

He was partway up the ladder when he fell between the pilot boat and the ship. The time was 18:30, and in the darkness he was never seen again.

Pieces of his float coat were later found wrapped in the pilot boat’s propeller.

There are approximately 1,300 pilots in the USA. On average, there is one death or injury every year resulting from falls.

A pilot boat crew usually consists of a boat operator and a deckhand.

These highly trained and experienced professionals literally have the lives of the pilots in their hands. When to stand off a ship, when to move in, when to request a reduction in speed or call for more of a lee falls to their good judgment. They will advise a disembarking pilot of ice on the ladder and/or ice on the pilot boat deck.

The deckhand assists the pilot with his or her bag, manages the lower end of the ladder, and at times lends a hand for stability.

At 05:30 on June 30, 2018, Maryland pilot Captain Brian Fierro was disembarking from the car carrier M/V Glovis Companion. While at the top of the ladder and grasping the right stanchion, it failed under his weight, resulting in a head-down fall of 20 feet.

Deckhand Bob Cousins quickly moved below him and broke his fall, literally saving his life. With both men badly injured, Captain Allen Gouldthread, the

boat operator, declared an emergency and sped towards the pilot station in Lynnhaven Inlet, where an ambulance had been directed by Earl Sutton, the watch stander in the pilot tower.

Months of recovery lay ahead for these two men.

Imagine closing in on a ship at night, miles out to sea, on occasion in heavy weather. The pilot boat advances towards a ladder made of wooden rungs and rope suspended from the side of a ship. There is a cluster lamp shining down from the main deck. One’s view from the boat is reduced to a small area of illumination down the side of the ship with a splash of light on the water below. But for the sound of the pilot boat’s engines and the occasional crackle of the radios, the rest of the world is black. It’s a very personal experience that is at times almost surreal. Those on board feel very connected to each other.

It’s 04:00 and we are outbound at the Virginia Capes. I am being escorted along the main deck by the chief mate. My ten-hour journey down the Bay is finished, and I have handed back control of the ship’s movements to the captain. After I leave, he will adjust the ship’s course and speed for the next port of call. We reach an opening in the deck railing and I wish the crew gathered there a safe voyage.

I turn and face them. With both hands on the railing I step back onto the top rung. The mate, keying his portable VHF, briskly reports to the captain on the bridge a phrase that I have heard thousands of times during my 41-year career: “Pilot on the ladder.” h Bill Band graduated from SUNY Maritime College and served as a Maryland Bay Pilot First Class for over forty years, bringing thousands of vessels from 200,000-ton vessels to tall ships and every kind in-between into and out of Chesapeake Bay.

November/December 2020

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B

—Steve Boone, sailor man

ack in the troubled year of 1968, in the last days of Lovin’ Spoonful, bass guitarist Steve Boone was invited to produce an album by some guy named James Taylor. It was two years before Sweet Baby James became a global superstar with “Fire and Rain.”

“I knew James was going to be a monster success,” said Boone, a prediction that came true with very nice paydays for everyone involved. Steve was 25 years old, just freed from the grind of big-time tours and disillusioned with the industry as only a successful musician can be.

The album production offer, said Boone, came from attorney Nat Weiss, the Beatles’ American representative. Taylor had just released his debut in Britain on the Fab Four’s Apple label and was preparing to record another.

Did Boone want a shot at it?

He did not.

“I need a break from all this,” he told Weiss. “I’m going sailing.”

He spent the next three years in the U.S. Virgin Islands, living on a 56-foot racing schooner—originally the Beatrice B., renamed Cygnus. It was designed in the 1930s by renowned naval architect John Gale Alden and rebuilt in the Goudy & Stevens yard in East Boothbay, Maine.

In the James Taylor story we find two great passions that drive Boone to this day: music and life on the water. Born at Camp Lejeune and named for Stephen Decatur and John Paul Jones by his Marine father, Boone is now 77 and remains both an old-school rock star and a weathered sea dog.

At the height of Lovin’ Spoonful’s popularity (they placed nine songs in the U.S. Top 20 between 1966 and 1968), the Spoonful played 350 gigs, sharing bills

November/December 2020

with the Beach Boys and the Supremes, along with lesser acts like Chad & Jeremy.

In 2000, Boone was inducted with the original Spoonful into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. While Robbie Robertson of The Band has called life on the road “a goddamn impossible way of life,” Boone often refers to his journey as “many miles under the keel.”

His lifelong pursuits most recently came together last year when the Spoonful (minus star frontman John “Welcome Back, Kotter” Sebastian) played the annual “Flower Power Cruise,” a floating boomer fest that also featured what remains of the Cowsills and Tommy James and the Shondells, among other 45 rpm superstars.

Having sailed upon many seas, Boone calls the Chesapeake Bay “home sweet home,” while declaring it sans compare.

“Being on the Chesapeake is like sailing back in time; all the creeks and rivers that feed it have fantastic history,” said Boone, who sailed the Bay extensively when he lived in Baltimore from the late 1970s through early-to-mid-80s. (He now resides in Flagler Beach, Fla.) Boone lived aboard this 56-foot racing yacht for three years in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

“It’s huge, but aside from the shipping lanes, it’s not deep. So you’ve mostly got pleasure boats and commercial fishing sharing the water with 900-foot freighters.”

Navigating in and around the big and the small, the commercial watermen, huge car carriers from the Far East, and weekend party boats can be a challenge. And anything that tests Boone’s instincts and acumen is what he likes best, be it on the water, on stage, or in the studio.

Around the age of five, he became obsessed with his father’s record collection, listening to Liszt and Chopin and Broadway musicals like Annie Get Your Gun while other kids were playing with trucks and blocks.

He began sailing competitively in grade school and learned on his father’s Comet-class sailboat, which he later inherited.

Like his contemporary and one-time Manhattan neighbor Stephen Stills, who wrote “Treetop Flyer” about smuggling marijuana by small plane, Boone said he has also composed (but not recorded) a few “sailing for profit” tunes. Those voyages presented many challenges not taught in sailing school, particularly when the heat was on.

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talk of the bay

As documented in the Boone biography Hotter than a Matchhead: Life on the Run with the Lovin’ Spoonful, Boone deliberately sank two vessels bound for the U.S. with reefer from South America.

Off the coast of Ocean City in June 1979, Boone had time to unload 19,000 pounds of Colombian marijuana onto two 40-foot trawlers before sinking a 68-foot Rhodes Motorsailer named Do Deska Din. Boone and crew were then picked up, he said, by “associates.”

Another time, he sank the Miss Sun, named for a Boz Scaggs song.

The vessel had lost control of its rudder near Cuba; so, with it dead in the water, Boone deep-sixed it, along with 6,300 pounds of marijuana.

When the Coast Guard cutter Decisive arrived, a bale of pot floated

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to the surface. Though officials could not prove the pot had come from the Miss Sun, this would be the end of Boone singing the smuggler’s blues.

From the early 1960s Greenwich Village folk scene to The Ed Sullivan Show and the oldies circuit, author Tony Moss details it all in the book Summer in the City, which gets its title from the Spoonful’s No. 1 smash hit from ’66. “Steve and I talked a lot about sailing while writing that book,” said Moss, an ESPN editor in Connecticut and the grandson of a Baltimore stevedore. “But we never sailed together.”

One vessel that didn’t need Boone’s help to find the bottom was a barge-cum-houseboat on which he installed a fabled recording studio called “Blue Seas.” The endeavor, docked in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor,

November/December 2020

was both miracle and disaster. On the barge was first-generation digital equipment along with old-school stuff, all of it hauled downtown from a Hunt Valley studio called ITI that a penniless Boone improbably acquired at a 1975 auction.

The late Lowell George, who recorded Feats Don’t Fail Me Now with Little Feat at the Hunt Valley location in ’74 (with back-up vocals from Emmylou Harris), cut a few demos on the barge. Earth, Wind and Fire bassist Verdine White, who discovered the Baltimore R&B group Pockets, did the same. Boone recorded a few local acts who played No Fish Today and the Marble Bar, and it is believed that blues legend Sonny Terry also recorded on the barge.

On Christmas Day 1977, not unlike that errant bale of pot off the

coast of Cuba, some strange and expensive goodies drifted past the old power plant on Pier Four along with the usual Inner Harbor trash: reels of audiotape, Boone’s Martin D-28 guitar, speaker monitors, other odds and ends of the recording trade, and a Steinway grand piano made the year George M. Cohan released “You’re a Grand Old Flag.”

After a lot of rumors, accusations, and criminal investigation, the sinking was ruled the fault of a failed bilge pump, faulty maintenance (lack of proper caulking), and too heavy a load. Boone’s recording career ended the same way his smuggling had: abrupt and wet.

The Martin acoustic was hauled out of the drink with a boat hook and bears a chip in the sound hold from its rescue. “I still have it,” said Boone, “it’s my go-to guitar.”

Today, Boone works to keep the Spoonful legacy and its monetization afloat on a Flagler canal where he lives with his spouse of 21 years, Lee Yester Boone, daughter of former Spoonful member Jerry Yester, the piano man on the band’s ’65 hit, “Do You Believe in Magic?”

After a lifetime of owning and piloting vessels both exotic and mainstream (he once drove a ChrisCraft sea skiff from the Inner Harbor to Ocean City via the C&D Canal and the Delaware River), Boone’s current ship of state is a small jon boat for fishing and relaxing in the evening.

His last time on the Chesapeake was Christmas of 2017, when he and Lee rented a house on Tilghman Island for the holiday. “All the watermen would leave the docks early in the morning,” he said. “And I’d get up at the crack of dawn to take pictures of them heading out.”

Rafael Alvarez can be reached via patreon.com/rafaelalvarezbaltimore.

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chesapeake almanac

Mattaponi Bluffs Wildlife Management Area

Exploring the Mattaponi River

by Capt. John Page Williams

MEGHAN MARCHETTI /DWR

H

28

ow high is the Chesapeake’s highest daily vertical tide change? Compared with the 10- to 40-foot changes from Downeast Maine through New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, it’s fairly small. Most of the tide stations in the Bay system see one- to two-and-a-half feet, and our strongest tides are way upriver. The largest range in NOAA’s tide tables turns out to be three-and-a-half to five feet (depending on the moon’s phase), at Wakema on Virginia’s Mattaponi River, some 15 miles above West Point (where the Mattaponi and the Pamunkey join to form the York River).

Tides are progressive waves of energy with periods around twelve hours and twenty minutes long. As one wave rolls up a river and reflects off the point where the bottom rises to sea level, it collides with the next wave coming upstream.

Depending on the three-dimensional shape of the basin, these opposing forces may hinder or reinforce each other, so some resulting river tides are quite small, while others grow surprisingly high. In the entire Chesapeake system, the Mattaponi’s tides are the tallest. Years ago, I paddled both with and against them over three summers working as a counselor at a camp for boys. Those summers formed the beginning of my long-time love affair with the Mattaponi.

That current is one factor that makes the Mattaponi a fascinating waterway to explore. Another is its good water quality, thanks in large part to its still-forested watershed. The river rises from commercial pine timberland, mixed hardwood bottomland, and wetlands in Central Virginia’s Piedmont as the Matta, Po, and Ni rivers. Those wood- and wetlands absorb rainwater naturally, filter it, and release it gradually into the river system. They also provide great habitat for wildlife, from whitetail deer and bobcats to river otters and migratory waterfowl. Good examples with hiking trails open to the public are the Mattaponi Bluffs Wildlife Management Area of Virginia’s Department of Wildlife Resources (visit dwr.virginia.gov/wma/ mattaponi-bluffs) and Zoar State Forest of the Department of Forestry, which also offers canoe/kayak access to the river (dof.virginia.gov/stateforest/list/zoar.htm). A

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good five-mile flatwater paddling trip runs from the landing at Zoar downstream to DWR’s boat landing and ramp at Aylett. Further downriver is Sandy Point State Forest (dof.virginia. gov/stateforest/list/sandy-point.htm), with trails and frontage on the river.

The power of the flow from the Mattaponi’s watershed and its tides provides plenty of current that attracts anadromous fish—species that spend most of their lives in the Chesapeake and the Atlantic Ocean, but ascend the river to spawn. They include river herring (alewives and bluebacks), shad (American and hickory), striped bass, white (gray) perch, yellow (ring) perch, and even a few Atlantic sturgeon. Most of them spawn in the spring, a constant parade from late February into June, with a small run of sturgeon also in the fall. Meanwhile, the meandering channel of the tidal river and its freshwater marshes support strong populations of both species of perch, several sunfish (locally known as bream), largemouth bass, black crappie, chain pickerel, and blue, channel, and white catfish. Longnose gar gather to gulp air at the surface in “playgrounds” over the deep water in the meanders. A few of the Mattaponi’s blue cats reach trophy size, but the most satisfying fishing experiences here are for “whatever bites”: general bait fishing with worms or cut bait, or casting small lures like spinners and spoons with light gear. The variety will please both young and older anglers, as will a few of the panfish harvested for an excellent meal.

Anyone interested in birds will find plenty to watch as well, in all seasons.

The riches of the Mattaponi have made the river home to Native Americans for multiple millennia. The Mattaponi Tribe, “the people of the river,” formed peace with the English in 1646; in 1658, the Virginia General Assembly ratified their claim to longsettled land that has been their reservation ever since. It lies on the

outside of a curve about ten miles below Walkerton. Faithful stewards of the river for many years, the residents have been especially active not only in subsistence fishing for American shad in the spring but also participation in efforts to strengthen the stock. The tribe (mattaponination.com) gained federal recognition in 2018, along with the Upper Mattaponi Tribe (umitribe.org), indigenous to the river’s headwaters.

A look at later human history of the Mattaponi brings some surprises. Aylett appears to be an idyllic village today, known mostly for its bridge over the Mattaponi on U.S. Route 360 (the road from Richmond to Tappahannock). The river is only 20 yards wide there, but in the 18th century, the town was a busy port for shipping out grain and tobacco, as well as receiving manufactured goods from England. Ditto for Rosespout, which sits on a high bank

on the outside of a turn a mile downstream. The name signifies a large wooden pipe (spout) through which farmers poured grain down into ships’ holds. Rosespout’s old wharf pilings still show at low tide.

Follow a map along the Mattaponi (you can order river maps from the Mattaponi and Pamunkey Rivers Association, mpra.org) and you’ll see a string of landings that supported the region’s agricultural economy for nearly three centuries, from the earliest English settlers until the steamboats ceased their runs in the 1920s. Older riverside estates like Newington have buildings constructed of stone brought in by ships as ballast. At Chelsea Plantation, ballast stone piles in the river augment natural fish habitat. Walkerton, twelve miles below Aylett, was particularly important for shipping out lumber from the forests around the Mattaponi. Late 19th-century

photographs show schooners and three-masted rams moored there waiting to load. With the building of roads in the 20th century, Waterfence Landing, a few miles above West Point, became the primary site for loading lumber. Multiple ferries crossed the river before construction of the bridges at Aylett, Walkerton, and West Point.

Now contemplate what it took to skipper a sailing ship up that winding, narrow-but-deep, tree-lined channel for some thirty-five miles above West Point.

Making that tedious trip meant playing the tides, probably with crews rowing a small towboat to give the ship enough way to maintain steerage. The river does grow wider further down, but even at West Point, it is only a quartermile across, hardly the fetch that modern recreational sailors seek. For colonial America, though, this kind of water was instant infrastructure in a

Find fun this fall right in your backyard.

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land without roads, so ship captains did whatever they had to do to move goods up and down. The development of internal combustion engines for yawl boats made the trip easier on the crews, but life moved at a much slower pace back then.

So what are the right boats for exploring the Mattaponi River in 2020?

Well, there’s plenty of depth even for cruising powerboats all the way up to Aylett, though vertical clearance at Walkerton is only six feet. The most appropriate vessels, though, are those that place their crews close to the water.

The upper reaches are great for paddling, especially if you pay attention to the tides (yes, I speak from experience). In addition to Zoar State Forest and Aylett, public access points include Walkerton, Melrose Landing just below King & Queen Courthouse, Waterfence, and West Point. Fees for the first, which is privately owned, go to support Walkerton’s rescue squad. The others are free, built and maintained by DWR. For them, outboard skiffs of 14-20 feet are ideal, especially if equipped with pushpoles for poking up into the marshes (and getting back out if caught by inattention to a falling tide; again, I speak from experience).

A lot of cars and pickups cross the Mattaponi at Aylett while carrying or towing boats. Not many of them stop.

Local people chuckle. They like their river quiet. Nevertheless, I’m confident that any CBM reader who has followed this column will treat their river with the respect, curiosity, and delight that it deserves. Let us know what you find when you explore it.

An afterword: In most years, the Mattaponi-Pamunkey Rivers Association organizes paddling and cleanup events on the Mattaponi. COVID-19 has put a crimp on their efforts in 2020, but they hope for healthier times in 2021.

CBM Editor at Large John Page Williams is a fishing guide, educator, author, and naturalist, saving the Bay since 1973.

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chesapeake chef

CBM

T

his recipe comes to us from the Hoopers Island Oyster Company in Cambridge, Maryland.

Founder Ricky Fitzhugh is a lifelong waterman who turned to oyster farming in 2010. His company sells oysters and do-ityourself aquaculture kits through its Cambridge location, and offers pickups there and at other spots in Maryland through its website, hoopersisland.com.

Hoopers Island Oysters Rockefeller Dip Serves: 6-8. Time to Prepare: Prep—15 Minutes, Cook—20-25 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

1 tablespoon butter 1 pint shucked Chesapeake Gold oysters, drained and cut in half (or thirds if very large) 8 ounces cream cheese, softened 1/2 cup Duke’s mayonnaise 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice 1 (10 ounce) package chopped spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry in paper towels 3 green onions, diced 1/2–3/4 cup (4 ounces) grated Pecorino Romano, Parmesan, or Asiago cheese 1 clove garlic, minced 1 teaspoon Old Bay 1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add oysters and cook for a minute. Remove from heat.

Place cream cheese, mayonnaise, and lemon juice in a large bowl. Blend using a hand-held mixer.

Add spinach, green onions, cheese, garlic, hot pepper sauce, and black pepper.

Add oysters and gently fold ingredients together.

Spoon mixture into buttered dish. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until bubbly.

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COURTESY PHOTOS

NOTES Serve with toasted baguette slices or crackers. Recipe can be made in advance and refrigerated up to two days until ready to bake. We diced 1/2 small bulb (1/3 cup) of fennel and sautéed in butter for two minutes before adding the oysters, to reflect Pernod used in Oysters Rockefeller.

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on boats

u Learn more about the Beneteau Antares 11 at beneteau.com.

Beneteau Antares 11

by Capt. John Page Williams

T

COURTESY PHOTOS

here are advantages to being a global boatbuilder, if that company can manage its far-flung and diverse operations well. Beneteau Beneteau Antares 11 does, with a broad range of brands in both power and LOA: 36' 4" sail. Moreover, while they Beam: 11' 2" have a new, high-tech plant in Draft: 2' 7" (engines up) Cadillac, Michigan, their U.S. Max HP: 2 x 300 corporate headquarters are Fuel Capacity: 2 x 106 gal. here on the Chesapeake, in Water Capacity: 53 gal.

Annapolis, with dealers for Available through Clarks both power and sail in Landing—clarkslanding.com.

Maryland and Virginia.

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November/December 2020

With such a broad stable, Beneteau can design and manufacture boats for very specific market niches, and they pay attention to how customers want to use their boats. Thus, their highly successful line of Swift Trawlers serves serious passage-making couples and families.

On the other hand, for families more interested in day, weekend, and weeklong cruises, there is the Antares line of cruisers, ranging in size from the 7 (24 feet, 6 inches) to the new 11 (36 feet, 4 inches), the subject of this review. Following a strong current trend, all Antares models are outboards. In the U.S., that means Mercurys, including the pair of 300-hp V-8 Verados that

powered our test boat out of Clarks Landing by the Bay Bridge.

The Antares models are definitely modern in look as well as design, with sweeping lines, lots of glass for natural light in both the wheelhouse and the topsides, and sunpads fore and aft. The hulls are distinctive, with tulipshaped double chines at the bow that provide not only a sharp forefoot to cleave seas but also plenty of reserve buoyancy and forward hull volume for a roomy master cabin. Those chines and a pair of lifting strakes on each side of the bottom damp spray well.

Design and construction are robust enough that the Antares 11 gets a CE Category B rating for eight people under the European Union’s Recreational Craft Directive design standards, for boats operating offshore with winds to 40 knots and significant seas to 13 feet. That’s a good thing, because those Mercurys are powerful, and the Antares 11 wants to run. In our test, it was happiest between 4,200 and 4,500 rpm, at speeds of 23-29 knots. We were particularly impressed with a 4,400 rpm sweet spot, running with the bow just kissing the water at 26 knots while burning 26 gallons of

fuel per hour, giving the boat a conservative range of 190 nautical miles.

There wasn’t much wind on our August test day, so we had to hunt powerboat wakes to give the hull a workout, but it cut those seas apart as expected, without any spray on the windshield. With the silky-smooth Verados mounted on an integrated stern bracket behind the transom and the aft saloon door closed, the sound at the helm at 4,400 was only 76 decibels, low enough for easy conversation.

Top speed with two aboard and the engines turning 6,000 rpm was 40 knots. Even with two families aboard, this rig can cover a lot of water if the day’s itinerary calls for it. Meanwhile, on the drift broadside to wakes, the boat’s motions were easy, and the Mercury joystick control system made maneuvering easy.

As to accommodations, Beneteau teamed up with France’s Sarrazin Design to create livable spaces for swimming, socializing, lounging, picnicking, serious cooking, washing, and sleeping, all within the bounds of a compact cottage afloat. The bright, airy saloon serves as action central for piloting, cooking, and lounging. The helm is compact and

November/December 2020

ABOVE: (L) The bright, airy saloon's L-shaped lounge includes a table that can be lowered to form an extra bunk.

(R) The helm is compact but comfortable, with clear sightlines.

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CBM

on boats comfortable, with room for a 16-inch Garmin electronic display that supplies chart, depth, and (optional) radar information, along with a Mercury SmartCraft display for engine functions.

A Garmin VHF radio connects with the chartplotter. Sightlines at all speeds are excellent. Also present are charging ports and a pair of cupholders. The helm chair is comfortable and adjustable. Just aft of it is a starboard galley with a two-ring gas stove, counter with sink, cupboards, and a refrigerator.

To port is an L-shaped lounge with a table that can be lowered to form an extra bunk. The back cushion at the forward end of the lounge can pivot to form a companion seat while underway. An optional television can hang in the starboard aft corner of the saloon for viewing from the lounge.

A note about Beneteau’s cabinetwork: All of the wood is artfully “manufactured” by a remarkable Italian company, ALPI, which “breaks down and reassembles wood,” essentially peeling veneers off logs from sustainably managed forests in West Africa, then assembling carefully laminated panels that form all of the boat’s attractive woodwork, from galley cupboards to companionway steps and bunks. Fit and finish are uncannily tight.

The other large social center is the cockpit, with its own L-shaped lounge, whose transom component can fold back to form a sunpad when at anchor, even with both engines tilted up for swimming off the starboard stern platform and its ladder. Opening the four-panel saloon door connects the

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two spaces at the same level.

Meanwhile, a panel in the starboard topside folds down securely to offer a terrace that expands the cockpit space.

A lockable hatch in the sole provides access to a large, neatly organized lazarette for access to batteries, wiring, plumbing, and an optional, remarkably compact Panda 6.4 kilo-volt-ampere diesel generator. (The one on our test boat was running to power the air conditioner on that hot August day, but it was inaudible to us onboard.) By the way, Beneteau offers a solar panel for the deckhouse over the cockpit to complement the generator’s output.

The Antares 11’s side decks are asymmetrical—6 to 8 inches wide to port, 14 to 16 inches wide to starboard—with railings placed strategically all along the passage to

the foredeck. There is a third social center: a sunpad for two (or maybe two and a child), with backs that tilt up for reading. A great option is a folding canopy to furnish shade there on a hot day. At the bow, a double anchor locker affords access to chain, rode, and windlass. Another option is a bow ladder, appropriate because outboard power allows a skipper to put the Antares’s bow onshore for beachcombing.

Washing and sleeping? Oh, yes, the Antares 11 has a roomy forward cabin with island berth, storage beneath, and hanging locker. The head includes an electric marine toilet and an enclosed shower stall to port.

Opposite to starboard is space for more storage plus a freezer or a second refrigerator. Beneath the helm (where

the boat’s engines would be if it were an inboard) is a full-beam guest cabin with both a double bed and a single bunk. The entrance has standing headroom for dressing, but this cabin is for sleeping or maybe reading. Even so, it gets plenty of one-way light from glass panels in the topsides.

Base price for the Antares 11 with twin 250-hp Mercury Verados is $238,100. The base for our test boat, with 300-hp Verados and joystick control is $280,000. For more information, visit beneteau.com/us/ antares-outboard/antares-11. h CBM Editor at Large, educator, guide, and author of three quintessential Chesapeake Bay books, John Page Williams was proclaimed a Maryland Admiral of the Bay in 2013.

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n nautical lore, the traditional method of winterizing a boat involved a compass, a bar of chocolate, an anchor, and a bottle of rum. At the end of the boating season, you set the chocolate on the deck, use the compass to head south, and when the chocolate starts to melt, you drop the anchor, open the bottle of rum, and wait for spring.

If you’d rather not waste the chocolate, Steve Zimmerman of Zimmerman Marine has some alternate advice.

“We look at winterizing from three different levels,” he explains. The basic level is to just make sure nothing freezes over the winter. “That’s just a matter of addressing the engine’s cooling system, the generator, and the boat’s plumbing system.

“But if you want to go a level above that, there are certainly things I would recommend, like a formal fall sea trial before you put the boat away. That should tell you if the alternator is keeping the battery at the proper voltage, if it’s cruising speed is at the proper RPMs, and if there’s any vibration at open throttle.”

These red flags could indicate work that needs to be done and you might as well have it done over the winter.

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“If you do that,” Steve explains, “it’s less likely that you’ll get a call from us in the spring when we go to launch your boat for the season. You’d like to have known that before you put the boat away in the winter.”

There’s a little bit of controversy about whether to do an oil change in the fall or in the spring, “but it’s better to do it in the fall if you can,” he advises.

“That’s better than leaving dirty oil in the engine all winter long. But we change the impellers in the water pump in the spring because we don’t want the new impellers to sit in one position all winter long.”

Before you change the oil in the fall, Steve advises that you have a sample tested to see if there are any trace metals that might indicate engine wear.

“Let’s say there’s a trace metal that indicates the rings are wearing,” he explains. “You’ll know you need some work done, and at least you won’t have the engine break down while you’re out cruising. You can buy the kit and do it yourself, but it’s better to have your mechanic do it. They send it out to the lab and you get a written report.”

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If you haul your boat and store it on the hard, you need to be sure to keep all of the cockpit drains open, he warns. “We’ve had boats sink on dry land, when the rainwater fills the cockpit and drowns the engine.”

October and November can be two of the nicest months of the year for boating on the Chesapeake Bay, but don’t wait to schedule whatever it is you want to have done, Steve cautions. “If you’re going to have the yard do it, you should call and schedule now.”

Zimmerman’s six locations include Deltaville, Mathews, Va., and Herrington Harbour in Tracy’s Landing, south of Annapolis, and accommodate all these services.

Andy Fegley is an American Boat and Yacht Council Certified Marine Electrical Technician who’s owned Yacht Electronics Systems in Annapolis since 1990. He specializes in electrical systems, including alternative energy management solutions for long-range cruising boats, both sail and power.

The number one problem with winterizing, Andy declares with fervor, is “defective batteries. People don’t make a plan to keep them charged over the winter.”

Andy advises that you let your batteries sit for a month and see if they’re falling below 12 volts. “If they

are, you are doing damage to them,” he says. You should periodically charge them, at least every two months.

Or you can set up a trickle charger. “If you’re shrinkwrapping your boat, you want to leave the main breaker on along with the individual breaker for the shore power, then leave the shore power cord dangling outside of the shrink wrap.”

In Andy’s judgement, half the boats out there suffer from “parasitic power drain.” Electronic equipment like the amp-hour monitor can use up battery power even when they’re not on. “Way worse are things like carbon monoxide and smoke detectors,” Andy warns. “If they’re 12 volts, they’ll run a battery down in six weeks.”

“The winter is a good time to take care of any kind of equipment that’s getting older,” says Marshal Larner, owner of J Gordon & Co in Annapolis’s Eastport neighborhood. “That’s when we’re not so pressed to get from one boat to the next,” like they are in the spring. “A lot of people have problems and limp along until the end of the season.”

Larner has an ABYC-certified electrician on the staff of his full-service yard. Other qualified tradesmen can address plumbing, climate control, refrigeration, carpentry, navigation and communication systems.

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Winter is an excellent time to schedule an upgrade on the heating and air conditioning system. “Almost all the air conditioning units are reverse cycle, so they can heat and cool as well.” Marshal explains. “That way, people can use their boats several more weeks or months on each end of the season.”

Marshal also recommends VacuFlush toilets as a retrofit upgrade. VacuFlush systems operate with your existing fresh water and uses only about a pint per flush, much less than other systems. Less water during the flush cycle in a VacuFlush system allows for up to four times more holding tank capacity than other types of systems.

“Those are the two things on a boat that will keep a spouse away: no working head and no air conditioning,” Marshal notes. “Both are good choices for upgrading.”

Whether you own a center console or an oceangoing yacht, another good investment would be to install a gyro stabilizing system like Seakeeper, based in California, southern Maryland.

“Seakeeper can eliminate 90 percent of all roll in any boat from 23 feet on up,” Communications Manager Kelsey Barrett explains, making it a good choice for “anybody who’s prone to sea sickness or needs a solid

deck for fishing, or who has mobility issues. It works at rest or underway, and it’s all internal so there are no external appendages. We install it and you have a stable ride all day out on the water.”

The smaller units can be deck-mounted, so they can be tucked beneath the existing leaning post or inside a center console, she says. “The good thing is that it doesn’t have to be on the centerline, especially on larger boats, but we do prefer that it’s installed midship-aft.” All of the Seekeeper dealers are independent, so it’s good to shop around when you’re pricing out installation.

As for sailboats, one sailmaker says it’s best to “pull the sails at the end of the year.” Jerry Latell is from Latell Sailmakers in Deltaville, which recently joined the Evolution Sails Group. Latell’s loft has served sailors for more than 30 years. “Get them out of the elements,” Latell says. “It’s a good exercise anyway—you’re looking at the sails, the rigging, the gear” to see if there’s any wear and tear that needs to be addressed. It’s good to get them back to the loft at least every other season for professional inspection and cleaning.

“The big stuff anybody can spot, but we can see sun damage the customer can’t see. We know the parts that wear first,” he notes. The leaches tend to wear out, he says, but the biggest problem is the sun. “We can see

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stitching that’s about to go. It’s much easier to repair the earlier you catch it.”

Stack type mainsail handling systems have become quite popular for good reason, Jerry explains. “These systems allow you to integrate a mainsail cover with lazy jacks which greatly reduces the hassles of raising, lowering and stowing a conventional mainsail.”

Latell also offers sail modification and sail wash services, in addition to a full canvas department offering repairs as well as new Biminis, dodgers, and enclosures.

Just like the sails, the canvas and enclosures should be taken off the boat in the winter, according to Rob Pennington, who owns the Cover Loft in Eastport with his partner Sean Lawlor. “The primary thing that everybody should do with canvas is to get it off the boat and don’t leave it on the boat over the winter,” Rob advises. “The wind buffeting the boat will wreck it. Don’t use it as part of your winter enclosure.”

It’s important to clean it every year, he says. “Bring it in for check-over and repair. We make sure the zippers are in good shape, that the stitches are secure. We have a wash service to get rid of mildew. We clean and polish the glass, things like that. People just ball up their canvas over the winter and expect it to be perfect in the spring.

It’s a pretty costly item, so you have to take good care of it.

“This time of year, people start bringing their canvas in and it’s old and rotten,” Rob notes. “It needs to be replaced after 10 years or so. You don’t have to start from scratch, because most people have frames that are decent. But you do need to get new patterns. You can’t use the old canvas for patterns. You can use it for basic measurements, but not patterns. So it’s important to get started early. These are pretty involved projects when you’re replacing Biminis, dodgers, or enclosures. It’s important to get a good pattern before you put the boat away. Definitely before you shrink wrap it.”

Most boats are chronically under-maintained, laments Andy Fegley of Y.E.S. Electronics. “People only call when their boats aren’t working right. People have to take responsibility for their boats. I get 20 calls on the first nice day in spring. I get calls every Monday from people who found things wrong with their boats over the weekend.” So be proactive with maintenance on all of your systems and protect the investment you have made in your boat. Call your yard now, or your discontent will come next spring, when you want to enjoy your boat out on the Bay.

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what’s in a knife?

A lot, especially when it comes to oysters

O

yster season is once again upon us, which is great news for bivalve lovers. But like everything in the COVID era, this year looks a little different. Due to indoor dining limits and the postponement of major oyster festivals in St. Mary’s City, Md. and Urbanna, Va., this season more of us may be forced to (gasp!) shuck our own oysters.

Just like the old joke about Carnegie Hall, the best way to become a good shucker is practice, practice, practice. But it also requires a good knife. We asked some expert shuckers to share their thoughts on the tool of the trade.

Pete Woods has been shucking since he was 11—long before he created the menu for Rappahannock Oyster Company’s Merroir Tasting Room, or took on his current role running the raw bar at The Tides Inn in Irvington, Va. “Fancy is worse” when it comes oyster knives, he says; “simple is better.”

Woods buys generic, wood-handled knives by the box at his local hardware store in Deltaville and then customizes them, carving finger pits in the handle to fit his hand. “I look for a narrow, sharp blade that you can easily wiggle into the bill or hinge,” he says—and then he hones the blade even more. “I can cut carpet with my knives; they’re dangerously sharp,” he chuckles.

Dan Worrell earned his skills as a shucker at Ryleigh’s Oyster in Baltimore’s Federal Hill, and today grows oysters at his farm, pairs bivalves with wine at his company Shell & Barrell, and works with the nonprofit Oyster Recovery Partnership. He agrees that a knife doesn’t have to be fancy to do its job; in fact, he finds a lot of his on the job doing shell recycling. “I look down in down in the pile and there’s an oyster knife,” he says. “I take them home and clean them, taking off the rust, and they’re good as new.”

BY SUSAN MOYNIHAN

PATRICK LOUGHREY

The right knife is the secret ingredient to a successful, at-home feast.

November/December 2020

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While most Mid-Atlantic shuckers go through the bill of the oyster, Worrell approaches the bivalve from the other end.

“As a hinge shucker, I want a sturdier blade,” he says. “It’s good to have a sharp point, but what I really need is something that can walk me inside the handle of the hinge. You wiggle it in there until you feel it tighten, and when you get to that moment, it’s like turning your car engine and ‘pop’!”

His most treasured knives are the ones once owned by his great grandfather, a former lighthouse keeper, that were passed on to him by his grandmother. But for a good utilitarian knife, he’s partial to Dexter Russell’s Bostonstyle knife, with a 4-inch blade and a plastic handle. “The longer the blade is, the more feel I get.” But at the end of the day, which knife he uses really depends on the oyster. “I’ll bring three or four different knives with me, depending on the event.”

JAY FLEMING

Gardner Douglas grinds down the blade of a standard knife to make it his own.

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Gardner Douglas grew up near Chincoteague on Virginia’s Eastern Shore, and learned the skill from his father, a professional oyster shucker. Douglas continues the tradition with his D.C.-based mobile S.S. Shucking Service, while also competing nationally and running the Oyster Ninja podcast. “The first thing I’m looking at is the handle,” he says of the quest for the perfect knife. “It’s all about comfort; if you’re not comfortable, it’s going to be hard to shuck.”

Like Woods, Douglas customizes his knives. “I get a regular Dexter knife and grind down the blade,” he says. “It’s durable, restaurant quality, and with a grinder you can make any knife your knife…. My cut on oysters is real particular, just like the way I like my knives.” It also depends on what kind of oyster he’s shucking. “For wild oysters, I like a sturdy knife, like a Dexter 22 or Toad Fish. But for farm raised, it’s more than likely a Dale

MAGGIE HUGHES

Pro shuckers typically bring multiple knives to an event—and one of them (like the one bottom right) is likely made by Dale German.

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L TO R: VIRGINIA’S RIVER REALM, JAY FLEMING, GARY REICH, CBM, COURTESY

Meet the Shuckers

52

Pete Woods

Gardner Douglas

Chef, shucker and oyster educator with The Tides in Irvington, Va.

Championship shucker, podcaster and owner of S.S. Shucking Service in Washington, DC.

German. That’s the best knife for farm-raised, bill-shucking oysters.”

You can’t be around shuckers for long without hearing the name Dale German. The Baltimore woodworker got turned onto oysters about 15 years ago, when he heard Bill Devine, owner of Baltimore’s reknowned Faidley’s Seafood, complaining how he hadn’t been able to find a good oyster knife since Crisfield-based cutlery company Carvel Hall went out of business. Intrigued, he turned to U.S. National Championship winning shucker George Hastings for advice. “George has been shucking since he was a teenager,” says Dale, who started by taking measurements of Hastings’ favorite knives. “The size and shape of blade of what he was using was very different from any commercial knife you could get. So I started making a few here

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November/December 2020

and there, and refining them over a period of time.”

The result is the Chesapeake Stabber, which is the cult favorite for regional chefs and shuckers. It’s lighter than a traditional knife, with a pear-shaped handle typically made from white oak and a shorter blade than you’ll find on many other commercial knives.

“The blade only needs to be long enough to reach the abductor muscle,” he says. “Mostly I make them 2 3/8 to 2 1/2 inches; some guys like them even shorter.” Designed for bill shucking, German says the secret lies in the thinner blade. “It’s easy to put in between the shell.”

Patrick Hudson, oyster farmer and co-owner of Baltimore’s True Chesapeake Oyster Co., agrees. “The original Dale German knife is definitely my favorite. It has a super

Dan W0rrell

Dale German

Patrick Hudson

Shucker, oyster farmer and sommelier with Shell & Barrell, Havre de Grace, Md.

Woodworker and creator of the chef-favorite Chesapeake Stabber, Baltimore, Md.

Oyster farmer and restaurateur for True Chesapeake Oyster Company, St. Jerome, Md..

thin blade that flexes slightly when you put pressure on it, but it’s sturdy as heck.”

Hudson prizes his ‘original Dale’ gifted to him by George Hastings, with a handle made from the wood of Maryland’s fallen Wye Oak. “I keep it safe and only use it on special occasions.”

In fact, he is such a fan of Dale’s knives that he and True Chesapeake partner Nick Schauman (also of Baltimore’s The Local Oyster) worked with Dale and George to make their own version, designed for newbie shuckers. “It’s built to last and withstand a few shucking errors without breaking,” says Hudson. “But it’s thin and nimble enough to shuck farm-raised oysters.”

True Chesapeake sells theirs online at Truechesapeake.com, or you can reach out to German directly for his custom knives, which

he sells in person, “a little bit here and there.”

Which is how I ended up in a parking lot on a late August afternoon, selecting a mulberry-handled beauty from the array of knives lined up on the trunk shade of Dale’s red hatchback. Because oyster season is coming, and I don’t plan to miss out, even if I have to shuck a few myself. And as I’m quickly learning, with the right tool in hand, shucking oysters can be almost as addictive as eating them.

Susan Moynihan is a longtime travel writer whose stories have taken her to 50+ countries and counting. An avid lover of food, ukuleles and roadtrips, she has written for outlets including USA Today and Architectural Digest, and is the author of 100 Things to Do in Annapolis and the Eastern Shore Before You Die.

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2020 Gift Guide

by Susan Moynihan

H

oliday celebrations may be quieter this year due to social distancing, but that doesn’t make the season any less special. For this year’s gift guide, we’re spotlighting six towns that are ideal for shopping day trips, with picks from independent stores sure to please the names on your Nice List.

If you prefer to stay home, they all offer delivery, as do the other local picks on our online holiday shopping guide. Check it out at chesapeakebaymagazine.com/gifts. h

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Chestertown I

PAT & CHUCK BLACKLEY / ALAMY STOCK PHOTO

ts roots are in the Revolutionary era (evidenced by the stately Georgian homes in and around the waterfront), but quaint Chestertown is modern as well, with a deep love of the arts. A bevy of independent shops and galleries makes it a great place to find one-of-a-kind gifts for the creative set on your list.

For Shopping Make your first stop Twigs and Teacups, a destination gift shop. You can’t help but smile as you

santa boating ornament

wander their whimsical assortment of clever home goods, tchotchkes, coffee-table books, and more. Massoni Gallery is a must for fine-art lovers. Owner/curator Carla Massoni’s longstanding relationships with artists gives her better access to works than you find at big-city galleries in New York. The aptly-named Create sells high-end, American-made pieces from a curated collective of artisans specializing in exquisite glassware, sculpture, woodwork, and jewelry. MusicLife Delmarva has instruments from ukuleles to brass, plus sheet music and lessons for all levels.

ukulele $

79

MusicLife Delmarva 241 High Street musiclife delmarva.com

$

11.50

Twigs & Teacups 111 S. Cross Street facebook.com/ twigsteacups

For Sustenance The weekly Farmers Market, held Saturdays from 8 am to noon, features area produce and handcrafted items from soaps to pottery. Any time is a good time to pop into Evergrain Bread Company, where every crusty loaf, sweet scone, and fresh focaccia is baked onsite. (The coffee’s great, too.) Chester River Wine & Cheese offers a tasty selection of cheeses, charcuterie, specialty pastas, marinades, local meats and more. Or leave the cooking to the pros with a meal at The Kitchen at the Imperial, a perennial winner of CBM’s Best of the Bay awards. neat nick preserves

For something extra Their popular A Dickens of a Christmas weekend has been postponed until 2021, but you can still enjoy strolling the town and checking out the festive decor on historic homes and storefronts— and you may run into some pop-up musical performances as well.

$

7.99

Chester River Wine & Cheese Co. 117 S. Cross Street chesterrivergourmet.com

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true talbot. true chesapeake.

true

wonder

go to tourtalbot.org to plan your escape

Easton • Oxford • St. Michaels • Tilghman Island • Trappe Talbot County is home to some of the most beautiful and historic small towns in America. Explore our culinary treasures, one-of-a-kind boutiques and elegant inns. Or bike, kayak and sail the Chesapeake Bay. Plan your escape today!

410-770-8000 | TourTalbot.org

Easton T

TALBOT COUNTY TOURISM

he county seat for Talbot County is the geographic and economic center of the lower Eastern Shore, and the gateway to smaller towns like St. Michaels, Oxford, and Tilghman Island, serving millionaire estates, rural towns and generations-old farms alike. Which means there’s a little something for everyone in this commercial crossroads, tucked into tidy storefronts in the historic downtown.

For Shopping Crackerjacks has toys for kids of all ages, from clay crafting kits and Ravensburg puzzles to plush friends in every size and species, including breed-specific pooches. Silver Linings specializes in Chesapeake-themed jewelry, with the expected crabs and anchors but also sterling boat cleats, canoe paddles, workboats, and watermen’s boots represented. Invest in heirloom-quality crystal and porcelain at Benjamin, or fine-art sculpture or landscape at award-winning Troika Gallery. Albright’s Gun Shop has all you need for hunting season, from SITKA waders to Barbour jackets for man, woman and dog. Check off your favorite bibliophile’s wish list from the beautifully curated titles at Flying Cloud Books. rise up starter kit $

65

Rise Up Coffee 618 Dover Rd

watermen’s boots necklace $

165

Silver Linings 13 S. Washington Street silverliningsmd.com

dog plush toys $

34.99 each

Crackerjacks Toys 7 S. Washington Street crackerjackstoys.com

riseupcoffee.com

For Sustenance Easton’s thriving food scene has loads to tempt you, be it fresh salads at Sunflowers & Greens, wine by the glass and small plates at The Wardroom, or classic Eastern Shore cuisine at Hunter’s Tavern. Piazza Italian Market offers direct-from-Italy groceries and wine for gifting, plus tasty paninis, soups, and pastas to enjoy there or take home. Rise Up Coffee Roasters was founded in nearby St. Michaels, and their Organic Maryland roast (or take-home, five-flavor starter kit) will keep you going all season long.

Moonlight Madness For something extra Moonlight Madness takes over downtown on Friday, December 4, with carriage rides, a crafts market, a town raffle, and loads of holiday cheer.

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UNIQUE GIFTS FROM THE

★ VETERAN OWNED ★

Calvert Marine

MUSEUM Do your holiday shopping while supporting local research and educational efforts!

OPEN EVERY DAY 10AM-6PM

Washington Street Books, Known for it’s large assortment of Books, Music, and Comics, has expanded it’s vision to bring Hollywood to Havre de Grace, with the creation of a New Entertainment Museum.

DON’T GET YOUR TINSEL IN A TANGLE! At Joseph’s, in quaint, historic downtown Havre de Grace, one on one personal service is more than a cliche. We’re one of the largest department stores in the region but you wouldn’t know it by our small town friendliness.

ORIGINAL MOVIE COSTUMES PROPS, SCRIPTS, & COSTUME DESIGNS ON DISPLAY

FEATURED COSTUMES: • HUNGER GAMES • HERCULES • BEAUTIFUL CREATURES • THE LAST AIRBENDER • DEFIANCE (TV SERIES)

410-939-6215 131 N. WASHINGTON ST. HAVRE DE GRACE, MD, 21078

Gift a stay at the historic Cove Point Lighthouse Keeper's House!

Give the gift of museum membership for a full year of fun!

WE’VE GOT EVERYTHING YOU NEED FOR THE HOLIDAYS! 122 N. Washington Street Havre de Grace, MD 21078 josephsdepartmentstore.com • Phone: 410-939-4114 Hours: Mon-Thurs 10A-5P, Friday-saturday 10A-8P, Sun 12-4p

WASHINGTONSTREETBOOKSANDMUSIC.COM 58

Shop local and find the perfect gift at the Museum Store!

ChesapeakeBayMagazine.com Josephs November/December 2020 MAG 1120.indd 1

10/21/20 3:26 PM

LOCATED IN SOLOMONS, MD CALVERTMARINEMUSEUM.COM 410-326-2042

Havre de Grace

T

PAT VENTURINO

his charming town sits at the very top of the Bay, and its walkable downtown of late 19th and early 20th century buildings is a great place to find unique gifts for history lovers.

On your stroll, don’t miss the colorful murals on Market Street, which showcase the city’s past as a stop on the Underground Railroad and as a horse-racing center. (George Washington and Seabiscuit both slept here.)

For Shopping Washington Street Books & Music has two stores’ worth of collectibles, from used books and vinyl to games and toys. Don’t miss their collection of authentic movie costumes, displayed behind plexiglass in rotating exhibits. Mary L. Martin Ltd. vintage postcards span the 1940s through the 1970s, and are a great way to personalize a gift, or recall a treasured memory. Pyrex fanatics come from all over to peruse the collection at JoRetro, which spans over 1,000 pieces in every size and hue. You’ll also find contemporary, retro-minded gifts like tea towels and linens, Havre de Grace pillows, candles (and Mandles—candles for men), and midcentury modern clothing and furniture. The husband-and-wife team at Vincenti Decoys Painting and & Supply have been creating beautifully detailed decoys of waterfowl, songbirds, and shore birds for 40 years. Their shop has their work, as well as the work of other regional artists. Bearwood Designs features cool metalwork, furniture and jewelry by another talented artist duo, Mike and Renee Lust. havre de grace map pillow $

35

JoRetro 137 N Washington Street joretro-vintagemarket.square.site

For something extra Havre de Grace’s Holly Jolly First Friday and tree lighting takes place on Friday, December 4. For 2020, the annual candelight tour of homes is now a candlelight tour of porches, held Saturday, December 12, from 4 to 8 pm.

vintage postcards $

4.25-200

Mary L. Martin, Ltd. 230 N. Washington Street marylmartin.com

For Sustenance Vineyard Wine Bar specializes in smaller, family-owned vineyards with a great taste of place.

Sample the ever-changing varietals by the glass and half glass, or peruse their bottle shop for takeaway. For the best views in town, grab a bite on the lawn overlooking the Susquehanna at Tidewater Grille and dig into a plate of chicken Chesapeake or surf ’n’ turf. Bomboy’s Candy has been making and selling candy for more than 40 years. Create a mix-and-match box and try not to eat them all on the way home.

gadwall decoys $

200 each

Vincenti Decoys 353 Pennington Avenue vincentidecoys.com

C h a r t M etalw o r ks c a p t u r es m em o r i e s an d c e l e b r at e s b e a u t i f u l m o m e nt s.

The Portland, Maine-based company can find virtually any navigational map and handcraft it onto jewelry, home goods and more, creating a one-of-a-kind piece that tells your story.

Choose from jewelry such as necklaces, earrings, rings or bracelets featuring the navigational map special to you or your loved one.

Cutting boards, wine stoppers, picture frames, treasure boxes, holiday ornaments, paperweights, coasters and more are some of the pieces Chart Metalworks can customize.

Every piece is handmade, from design to polishing and packaging. And the company can further customize your choice with an engraving.

“One of our customers raised his daughters in a home on Round Bay in the Severn River,” says Mike Nicholas of Chart Metalworks. “When his girls were very young, he commissioned bracelets for them with navigational maps of Round Bay to always remember their time on the water.

When they grew a little older, he came back and had us create necklaces for them.”

Once you’ve selected your custom navigational map and the item you’d like Chart Metalworks to apply the map to, you’ll receive a digital proof of the piece within 1-2 business days.

“There’s not much we can’t create,” Nicholas says. “If you don’t see online what you’d like, contact us. We’ll use your imagination as our guide.”

Memories created by you. Captured by us.

Chart Metalworks 1 Pleasant St., 3 Rd floor, Portland, Maine 04101 I 207.221.6807

w w w.c h a r t m e ta lw o r ks.c o m

Onancock O

ne of the oldest towns on Virginia’s Eastern Shore, Onancock is a great excuse for a road trip any time of year. Capt. John Smith called it the Gem of the Eastern Shore back in the early 1600s, and to this day, what it lacks in size it makes up for in charm. Get your bearings and more history at the circa-1842 Hopkins Brothers Store, a former mercantile center now run by the Eastern Shore Historical Society.

For Shopping Get set for holiday entertaining at North Street Market, where cheery Blue Crab Bay Company

blue crab bay company ramekins

dishes, smartly packed serving sets, and a great selection of imported cheeses, infused oils, and vinegars make great hostess gifts. Photography fans will love the striking aerial landscapes from At Altitude, or pick up a delicate seascape by Laura MacGowan or a colorful folk scene from Danny Doughty, two notable local artists. You can customize a sterling silver Chesapeake Bay bracelet with onsite engraving at familyowned C.D. Marsh Jewelers.

$

6-8

North Street Market 5 North Street facebook.com/ NorthStreetMarket at altitude print $

300-3,400

North Street Market 5 North Street facebook.com/ NorthStreetMarket

For something extra For 2020, the town is debuting Believe: A Christmas Driving Tour, with two miles of lights, music, and live characters, running Saturday, December 12 from 4 to 8 pm.

For Sustenance Get a warm welcome at the Blarney Stone Pub, along with a pint, fish and chips, and live music. Or head out on the deck at Mallards at the Wharf for water views, great seafood, and possibly a song by chef-owner Johnny Mo, who’s known to serenade diners with his guitar when he gets a break from the kitchen. Don’t leave town without stopping into Corner Bakery for freshly baked donuts, and a package of sweet potato biscuits to go.

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UNFORGETTABLE Give your Family the Gift of Memories this Holiday Season!

GIFT CERTIFICATES AVAILABLE AT MOORINGS.COM/CBM | 800.669.6529

Kilmarnock T

his friendly town in the center of Virginia’s Northern Neck is the perfect place to slow down during a hectic holiday season. The pedestrian-friendly downtown is made for ambling, and Town Centre Park lights up with decor and music every weekend evening starting December 10. oyster plate $

For Shopping Kilmarnock Antique Gallery is home to the Oyster Plate Lady, and what’s said to be the country’s largest collection of these beautiful, highly collectible dishes.

Pick up a one-of-a-kind terrarium filled with succulents and spiky air plants—or better yet, build your own—at Grow NNK , which also sells custom CBD oils and lotions. The Rivah has a devoted fan base, thanks to their great staff and ever-changing selection of covetable goods like Bogg Bag and Simply Southern totes, Lily Pulitzer dresses and masks, and colorful costume jewelry. Find fun gifts including printed tumblers, journals, and bar towels along with a stellar selection of cards and stationery at Papeterie.

terrarium $

395

Kilmarnock Antiques 144 School Street virginia-antiques.com

For Sustenance Grab an outdoor table for a pint of locally made cider and charcuterie at Ditchley Cider Works, set in an historic, 160-acre estate. Old-school eatery Lee’s has been serving up hearty diner-style plates and homemade pies for 80 years. NN Burger has been voted Best Burger in VA for seven years running, and their shakes have to be seen to be believed. Specials Wine Cellar has the largest selection of bottles in the region, to enjoy by the glass or to go.

45

Grow NNK 84 S Main Street facebook.com/ GrowNNK

bogg bag $

74.99

The Rivah 49 S Main St For something extra The Kilmarnock Trolley Express, a 90-minute “enchanted journey” to the North Pole

facebook.com/ ShopTheRivah

(based on the book The Polar Express), runs the evenings of December 4 and 5; timed tickets required in advance.

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Nancy Hammond Editions

Regatta by Nancy Hammond

32” x 48” S/N LTD ED Giclee Print 40” x 60” Signed Artist Proof

Annapolis, MD • St.Michaels, MD • 410-295-6612 • NancyHammondEditions.com

Yorktown T

he town of Historic Yorktown is anchored on one side by the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown and the York Battlefield on the other. In between is Riverwalk, a modern, pedestrian-only town square overlooking the York River. Step back in time and learn a bit about how holidays were celebrated in our nation’s earliest days.

For Shopping Museum at Yorktown

The shop at the American Revolution has gifts galore, from reproduction period glassware and painted chargers to felt ornaments of George, Thomas and Alexander. Folk artist Marilyn West (aka Auntie M) upcycles vintage fabrics, wool, metals, and more into everything from wall hangings to cuddly toys, which she sells along with crafts from other regional artists at Auntie M’s American Cottage. Artist Henry “Hank” Viccellio Goldsmith creates unique, intricate designs, including his signature Yorktown bracelets, at Viccellio Goldsmith & Fine Jewelry.

Have an idea for a design? He does custom work, too.

Felt ornaments $

15.99

American Revolution Museum Gift Shop 200 Water Street historyisfun.org

For Sustenance

Warm up with freshly baked cookies and a cup of Deadrise coffee at Mobjack Coffee, set in the circa-1730 Cole Digges House. Enjoy fresh seafood, burgers, and salads at Yorktown Pub, just across from the York River public beach. Since you’re so close, pop over the bridge to Gloucester, home to the original Whitley’s Peanut Factory, for VA-grown nuts, brittles, and barks.

yorktown bracelet $

1,200

Viccellio Goldsmith 325 Water Street viccelliogoldsmith.com

Whitley Bark Bites $

23.95

Whitley’s Peanut Factory 1977 George Washington Highway, Gloucester whitleyspeanut.com

For something extra The Christmas Market on Main, held on December 5-6, features 60-odd vendors, strolling entertainers, roasted chestnuts, and the Big Man himself. The smaller Mistletoe Market comes to town on December 12.

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CBM

wild chesapeake

Trout Fishing the Watershed’s Sweet Spots

by Capt. Chris D. Dollar

STEVE DROTER/CHESAPEAKE BAY PROGRAM

W

hen someone mentions “trout fishing,” my first inclination is to think of those spotted drums I’ve caught in the shallows of Tangier Sound rather than native brookies. It may surprise some people, but there’s excellent trout fishing to be had in the freshwater tributaries that drain into the Chesapeake Bay, and I have several fond memories of trying to match wits with wild trout in the quiet waters that pulse down from the majestic Blue Ridge Mountains. These trout streams only seem like they’re enveloped in wilderness; the fact is, most are closer than you may think, and close to modern amenities. Even if you live closer to the Atlantic Ocean than to the mountains, it’s likely you’re less than a four-hour drive away from wading a stream. And don’t let the approach of winter deter you; these waters are fishable from late October through the New Year.

Many of these places are located in the cradle of American history, places that whisper our nation’s sins and proudest moments. Recently, I fished such a place, Antietam Creek. On this day the water was low and temperature high, which translated into slow fishing. Still, it was a thrill to see Burnside’s sycamore again, a tree that witnessed the horrific September day 158 years ago when Americans raged against each other with never-before-seen ferocity.

I eased into the cool Antietam Creek, hoping to hook anything with fins, and made my way downstream, casting the four-weight fly outfit into pools, pockets, and riffles. The water level was low and the creek was slightly cloudy. On the first bend, I approached a pair of like-minded anglers. Stream encounters are an informal affair but not without protocol. I waited against the bank until one gentleman waved me on.

As our paths crossed, we chatted politely without purpose, per custom. The elder angler commented on the unusually turbid water. The younger of the two offered up, unsolicited and without a hint of superiority, that a cone-head Crystal Bugger in olive had done the trick, with the standard disclaimer only a small fish of no account hit his fly.

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I have little doubt he made his recommendation after noticing my poor fly choice and felt obligated to gently correct that decision. Some fly fishers are like that, thankfully. As the pair walked upstream, I was pleased that I had a fly similar to what the stranger suggested. The change of flies didn’t improve my catch ratio, which stood at nil, but the exchange did buoy my faith in people at a time when I need it.

Perhaps my longtime friend Jeff Lewandoski, who operates Gunpowder River Angler in addition to his saltwater guide service, said it best when asked his take on freshwater trout: “It tests an angler’s instincts and requires patience and finesse…the slightest differences in approach, presentation, and choice of techniques (usually) means the difference between just fishing or catching.” It is this challenge and the tranquil setting that I find so appealing.

These excursions spark great joy within me, taking me to places where I can fish with riveted focus or simply let my thoughts float downstream, and no one can tell the difference. Oftentimes neither can I, and perhaps that’s the best part.

I offer you a mere sampling of the many trout fishing holes that abound in the Chesapeake watershed’s sweet water. It’s more than likely you’ll run out of time before you run out of places to cast your line.

Where to Fish For a small state, Maryland has outsized trout action. From my home in Annapolis, the state parks offer great mountain vistas and good trout fishing.

Each fall for many years I’d camp at Savage River State Park, which at 54,000 acres is the largest park in the state forest system. Poplar Lick and Big Run were two of my favorite places to fish.

Formed from the coldwater springs born of the Allegheny Mountains, the Savage River is one of Maryland’s top fishing destinations for trophy wild brook and brown trout. This tributary of

Unofficial

OYSTER CAPITAL OF THE WORLD

IF YOU’RE INTO OYSTERS THEN THERE IS NO BETTER PLACE TO GET YOUR FIX THAN QUEEN ANNE’S COUNTY, MD The Eastern Shore of Maryland was once considered the “Oyster Capital of the World” and Kent Narrows, located in Queen Anne’s County, was the self-proclaimed epicenter as it was home to 15 oyster houses and many more oystermen that made their living harvesting the delectable mollusk.

Although the current landscape of the Kent Narrows waterfront has progressed it remains an active “Working Waterfront” and continues to be the home-base for many of the County’s local waterman who fish the surrounding rent Lewis waters supplying local restaurants. hom pson & B T e ik M Courtesy Oyster season officially started October 1st, so if you are ready to enjoy fresh-off-the-boat oysters, take a short trip over to Queen Anne’s County on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, the “Unofficial Oyster Capital of the World”, and enjoy fresh, local oysters prepared at any one of their awardwinning restaurants.

Queen Anne

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The area of fers affordable h a vast selection of otels with ca ptiva a great fall weekend geta ting views for way. Enjoy of scenic tra miles ils, beaches a n d golf course that highligh s t the shopping at Q colors of fall. After ue of our many enstown Outlets or one unique gift sh op tastiest catc h at a waterf s, enjoy our ront restaura where our ch nt efs excel at p reparing nati delicacies. ve

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the upper Potomac River also holds rainbow trout. Biologists estimate that adult trout densities measure roughly 1,000 fish per mile throughout most of the river. Brown trout dominate the population, but there are plenty of brookies. Nearby Youghiogheny River is also a good choice for trout bums.

The Potomac’s North Branch may be considered a “must fish” stretch of trout sweet water. While nothing is ever guaranteed, it is possible to score a trout “Grand Slam”— brook, brown, rainbow, and cutthroat trout—in the upper catch-and-release section. From the Keyser to Cumberland section of the river, smallmouth bass dominate the scene but panfish are also present.

Other good trout waters include the Casselman as well as the upper Gunpowder and Patuxent rivers and Morgan Run and Big Hunting Creek.

The Old Line State’s neighbor Virginia boasts more than 2,800 miles

of trout streams, and because the season is open year-round, you’ll never tire of trying new streams to fish.

Virginia’s diversified trout habitat supports both wild and stocked trout in good abundance in the spring. Two prime destinations are the Blue Ridge and Allegheny mountains’ streams. The high elevation keeps water temperatures relatively low year-round, and you cannot beat the views of the region’s picturesque valleys, which contain limestone spring creeks that trout love.

Douglas Dear loves fly fishing so much that in 2003, he, his wife Jennifer, and their two boys purchased land in Virginia’s Madison County to found Rose River Farm, an exceptional fly fishing getaway that’s a relatively easy drive from Washington, D.C. and other Mid-Atlantic cities.

Dear says Rose River Farm offers an uncrowded fly-fishing experience similar to the fishing anglers enjoy in

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western mountain states such as Colorado and Montana. Local streams offer wide stretches of rocky bottom, making wading and executing a 50-foot cast easier.

Good waters to fish for reliable trout action in Virginia including Hogue Creek, Passage Creek, Shenandoah River, and Madison Run. Moving south along the mountain chain, the Rapidan River, North River (both the tailwater and gorge), and Shawvers Run are good picks. Try casting flies at Mill Creek and the north and south fork of the Tye River. In the far western part of the state, Roaring Run and feeder creeks of the Roanoke River as well as Mayo and Dan rivers are worth wading.

Fly outfits from three weight to five weight are ideal. Small black and brown stoneflies, and black, tan or cream midges work well in the spring. Also, make sure you have plenty of darkcolored wooly buggers (#16 to #20), as

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well as crayfish and leech patterns.

Closer-style flies in various weights and sizes (#6 to #1) are perfect for panfish.

As you’d expect, local outfitters offer canoe and kayak rentals and guided trips on many of the larger stretches of trout water. Do-ityourselfers can easily while away several hours, or several days, exploring wild trout streams found throughout the Bay watershed.

Conservation Efforts Without question, COVID-19 has stolen something from almost everyone in 2020. Yet, if there is the thinnest of silver linings to this ongoing tragedy, at least there seems to be a growing appreciation and respect for the outdoors. Perhaps that spark could ignite into real action to protect and restore forests from unsound development.

A couple years back, John Neely, a Trout Unlimited (TU) Life Member, told me the future is looking better for wild trout in western Maryland. And by and large, there are other examples of encouraging progress in other parts of the Bay watershed, though much more needs to be done.

“The upper Savage River drainage is the largest intact wild trout habitat south of Maine,” he told me a couple years ago. “With 120 miles of interconnected streams, it supports a healthy population of Maryland’s only remnant fish from the last ice age, the wild brook trout.”

Neely explained that almost twenty years ago, Maryland joined other eastern states to undertake a brook trout initiative that called for zero creel, no use of bait, and catch-and-release only in the Savage River watershed.

“Because of these conservation measures, there has been strong recruitment in young-of-year and the population has taken off,” he said.

“Tributary streams to the Savage River, such as Poplar Lick, Big Run, Middle

Fork, and to a lesser extent Dry Run, regularly support 1,200–1,400 wild brook trout per mile. And it’s not uncommon now to catch 10- to 12-inch brookies.”

And it’s not just the brookies’ resurgence in the Savage that has anglers encouraged. The upper Casselman and Youghiogheny Rivers (the only two streams in Maryland that flow north and eventually spill into the Ohio River) are also on the mend.

Decades of work by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and its partners at the Maryland Department of the Environment and the Youghiogheny River Watershed Association to redeem the Casselman River watershed in Garrett County are paying off.

Once awash in chemical pollutants from abandoned coal mines that nearly wiped out the brook trout populations, the streams are healthy enough to welcome the brook trout’s return like prodigal sons and daughters, and as a result that has meant better trout fishing opportunities in Maryland.

But it seems like every other week, conservation-minded anglers have to rally to beat back yet another illconceived proposal that threatens stream health, forests, and recreational fishing. Thankfully, angling conservation groups are usually on top of things.

They recognize that while the minutia of state and federal rules can be confusing and complicated to most of us, it is crucial to focus on the bigger picture. Opening up the public’s natural filters to unsound development not only impacts wildlife and aquatic habitats and curtails recreational opportunities, it also potentially infiltrates and degrades aquifers. It is true that not everyone fishes (heathens!), but everyone needs clean drinking water.

Capt. Chris Dollar is a fishing guide, tackle shop owner, and all-around Chesapeake outdoorsman with more than 25 years experience in avoiding office work.

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A A DESIGN-BUILD DESIGN-BUILD FIRM FIRM Providing COVID-19 Safe Practices A DESIGN-BUILD FIRM Full Architectural Services Afor DESIGN-BUILD FIRM the Safety of our Clients Clear Communication andtoour Staff Providing COVID-19 Safe Practices Proven Construction System FullDesign Architectural Services Extraordinary for the Safety of Clients Custom Homes Fullour Remodels •Craftsmanship Clear Communication Additions Spaces System and•toOutdoor our Staff Proven Design Custom HomesConstruction • Full Remodels Extraordinary Custom Homes Full Remodels remodelthebay.com Additions Spaces •Craftsmanship • Outdoor

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410.867.0407 remodelthebay.com 410.867.0407

WATE RF RO N T L I V I N G E X P E RTS

ou might be thinking I am referring to monetary value. And maybe your home has increased in monetary value. However, I am referring to the growing desire for an improved lifestyle at home.

With the pandemic, we all have been forced to stay at home, work from home and go to school at home. We have also been trying our best to find ways to safely socialize with friends and family while maintaining a safe distance. Wow, what a year.

My clients have come to us with a major increased personal value placed on their home and want to improve its functionality and livability. Now that the home has so much more purpose in so many different ways, new designs and spaces with different purposes are necessary. Homeowners have new needs now based on working and school that can require proper desk space, office equipment and possibly sound proofing to family time, socializing with friends and personal quiet time. We are commonly asked to “create the feel and luxury of my last vacation get-away destination”. My clients want their home to be a place of happiness, relaxation and peace that they are always anxious to come home too.

If this feeling is familiar, start writing your thoughts down and discuss with your family what is truly important to you. Then put the items you come up with in priority order. You are now ready to start the transformation. I don’t see this changing anytime soon; rather I see it continuing to increase in importance over the years. Also remember with good, smart design, not only will your livability increase in value, but done correctly, your monetary value can increase as well.

garrett

Realty Partners Building Futures Together

$1,400,000

garrett Realty Partners presents

COASTAL VIRGINIA’S finest $1,150,000

taylor farMs

Truly ONE OF A KIND home lacking nothing!! Seller has invested over 2.2 mil in home!! Heated pool, outdoor shower and bathroom, massive pool deck, covered patio, 3 car garage, whole house generator.

$625,000

$895,000

WilliaMsburG Waterfront

AMAZING home on James River w/ wonderful privacy!! Only 10-15 minutes to almost EVERYTHING. 106ft of riverfront.

1st floor master, walk out basement, glass balcony, patio, bulkhead, pier, boat lift!

$599,000

larchMont

Rare find in wonderful waterfront neighborhood w/ gorgeous views of Lafayette River!! Custom built 4 bedroom and 3 ½ bath home that still shows like new. Open floor plan is perfect for entertaining.

$529,900

north Waterfront

12+ acres of privacy! Own your own beautifully landscaped peninsula with water on 3 sides! No flood insurance required! Canoe, fish, swim off your floating pier, enjoy the fire pit, or bird watch!

$495,000

$525,000

old Wythe Waterfront

WIDE OPEN VIEWS OF HAMPTON HARBOR!! ONLY street on waterside of Chesapeake Avenue with unobstructed views all the way to Norfolk. 1st and 2nd floor master suites, whole house generator.

the Woods on Mansion rd

horn harbor Waterfront

JUST A SHORT RIDE TO THE BAY!! This well maintained beauty is over 4900 sqft., offers 3BR, 3.5 baths & is situated on 3.54 acres!! Large 12’ x 37’ deck & a private dock with built-in benches.

$399,000

Bright & Spacious Custom Built Home on almost ½ Acre! Family Room w/cozy fireplace open to Casual Dining Area and Kitchen w/Stainless Appliances, Granite Counters, Center Island and Gas Cooking.

757-879-1504 s 1-800-GARRETT

Gloucester Waterfront

5 acres of privacy! Enjoy the sounds of nature from this 19th Century farmhouse with upgrades and improvements throughout.

Estate includes in ground pool and tennis court. Charming sunroom view!

sMithfield

DEEP WATER!!! Beautiful view of the Pagan River located next to Smithfield Station! The value is in the land! Property is being sold as-is/where is.

greg@ggrva.com

Greg Garrett

Cove Cottage

WHITE STONE, VA NORTHERN NECK/CHESAPEAKE BAY

$1,649,000

FIRST OFFERING

Exterior Features: Great Boating with 5’MLW at the Pier, Water & Electricity - 5+ Park-Like Acres - Screen Porch - Wrap Around Waterfront Covered & Open Deck with Heated Gunite Pool - Geothermal Heat/Cool 45 KW Generator Vinyl Cedar Shack & Brick Exterior - Attached 2-Bay Garage plus Unfinished Room Above & Detached 3-Bay Garage with Workshop plus Unfinished Room Above - Great Location to Towns, Hour+ to Richmond, 2+ Hours to Northern Virginia Interior Features: Elegant & Coastal 4123 SF - OneFloor Living with Open Entertaining Spaces - Gorgeous Waterfront Primary Bedroom - Gourmet Kitchen with Heated Floors, High-End Appliances, & Butler’s Pantry - Ship Lap Ceilings, Brazilian Cherry Floors, Tons of Built-Ins, High Speed Internet & Much More David Dew 804.436.3106 DavidEDew@gmail.com Katie Horsley Dew 804.436.6256 HorsleyRE@yahoo.com

Pat Willett 804.436.5235 pat.horsleyre@gmail.com

For More Pictures, Information & Video Visit Website

H O R S L E Y R E A L E S TAT E . C O M

Voted Best Real Estate Firm 7 Consecutive Years!

Your Northern Neck & Middle Peninsula of Virginia Real Estate Specialists

Property websites include 3D tours!

www.RappahannockRiverLuxury.com First offering of this fine home on the Rappahannock River. The home was designed and built by accomplished builder for personal use. It features first floor bedroom en suite, open floor plan, huge rec. room with incredible views, waterside screened porch & patio. Pier has 4 ft. MLW and quick access to the Chesapeake Bay. Enjoy big water views and incredible sunsests.

$999,000

Virtually tour all our listings!

www.GreatWicomicoRiver.com

This gorgeous Lindal Cedar home sits on the Great Wicomico River on an elevated private lot with dock.

The house is updated with a waterside great room with a wall of glass and basement home theater.

$649,000

www.VirginiaCountryHome.com

This 19th century estate sits on 4 secluded acres and has been updated with all the modern amenities. Great location close to town, public boat ramps, beach and more!

$575,000

Please visit our property websites to view interactive floor plans, aerials, maps and more!

www.MeachimCreekRetreat.com

This cozy home has been lovingly maintained by the same family for over 50 years. It features beautiful views, 3 Bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, boat house with boat lift & newer: roof, windows & heat pump.

$339,000

www.IrvingtonLiving.com

Live in the heart of Irvington with all the charm that Virginia’s River Realm has to offer. This gorgeous home sits on over an acre w/ water access only a golf cart ride away. Featuring 2 primary bedroom en suites & new kitchen!

$525,000

804.724.1587

www.BeverlyShultz.com

SPONSORED CONTENT

boat of the month

 Visit crusaderyachts.com for more information on this yacht.

Annapolis, MD 410.269.0939 crusaderyachts.com

SPECIFICATIONS LOA ............................................................. 37’ BEAM .......................................................... 2.8’ WEIGHT ...................................... 15,950 lbs FUEL...................................................... 38 gal WATER ................................................. 80 gal POWER................................................... 40HP PRICE ...............................................$249,000 Annapolis, MD | Solomons, MD | Coastal NC & SC

2007 Tartan 3700 CCR Fenway is a beautifully prepped and maintained Tartan 3700 CCR. It has had two loving owners and the boat has never wanted for improvement and has been professioanlly maintained since new. Some of its features/highlights include - Epoxy Hull, Carbon Fiber Mast - CCR Rig (solent rig), LeisureFurl Boom.

Belowdecks is a spacious, open layout featuring 2 Master Cabins, a large head with separate shower, A/C, Inverter, Microwave and more. The 3700 has been Tartan’s most popular modern design, having built over 170 hulls before extending the hull and repurposing the interior design into the Tartan 395 (current model). Below the water line, it has an all-lead, shoal draft “Beavertail” keel drawing just 5’ and is powered by a 40 HP Volvo Penta Saildrive with just 1650 hours!

Schedule a time to visit Fenway and we know you will not be disappointed.

November/December 2020

ChesapeakeBayMagazine.com

75

ANNAPOLIS 410.269.0939

54’ 2020 Jeanneau Yachts 54 - Our Docks .. $699,000 53’ 2004 Oyster 53 CC ....................................... $409,000 51’ 1983 Passport 51 .......................................... $225,000 51’ 1983 WASA Atlantic 51 ..................................$64,500 50’ 2011 Jeanneau 50 DS ................................. $229,000 50’ 1988 Transworld - Fantail 50 ................... $240,000 48’ 1987 Hans Christian 48T .......................... $125,000 45’ 2011 Jeanneau SO 45 DS ......................... $245,000 45 2017 Hanse 455 ............................................. $339,900 44’ 2005 Tartan 4400 .......................................... $327,500 44’ 2009 Tartan 4400 .......................................... $375,000 44’ 2021 Jeanneau SO 440 - In Stock .................. CALL 44’’ 1993 Pacific Seacraft 44 ........................... $215,000 43’ 2018 Tartan 4300 .......................................... $547,900 42’ 1985 Hinckley SW 42 .................................. $269,000 42’ 2018 Legacy 42 - IPS Drives ...................... $649,000 42’ 2006 Sabre 426 ............................................ $285,000 42’ 1982 Nautilus 42 Pilothouse .................... $115,000 41’ 1991 Tartan 412 ............................................ $125,000 41’ 2021 Jeanneau SO 410 - In Stock .................. CALL 41’ 2016 Beneteau 41 Platinum .................... $230,000 40’ 2013 Marlow Hunter 40 ............................ $172,000

SOLOMONS 443.906.0321

Featured Brokerage

40’ 1998 Pacific Seacraft 40 ............................ $295,000 40’ 1998 J Boat - J / 120 .......................................$90,000 40’ 1977 Gulfstar Hood 40 ............................... $119,000 40’ 1998 Pacific Seacraft 40 ............................ $195,000 40’ 1987 Tartan 40 - MD .................................... $114,500 40’ 1997 Pacific Seacraft 40 ............................ $229,000 40’ 1977 Gulfstar Custom Hood 40 .................$82,500 40’ 2000 Caliber 40 LRC .................................... $164,900 40’ 1988 Canadian Sailcraft CS40 .....................$65,000 39’ 2021 Excess 12 Catamaran - IN Stock .......... CALL 38’ 1994 Beneteau 38s5 .......................................$54,900 38’ 2006 C&C 115 ................................................ $139,000 38’ 1985 Wilbur 38 Dwoneast Fly .....................$79,500 38’ 1984 CT 38 TA CHIAO .................................. $135,000 38’ 1986 Vagabond 38 ..........................................$75,000 38’ 1984 Irwin 38 CC .............................................$59,900 38’ 2000 X-Yachts 382 ........................................ $130,000 38’ 2000 Lagoon 380 ........................................ $215,000 37’ 2006 Beneteau 373 ........................................$94,500 37’ 2005 Island Packet 370 ............................. $229,000 37’ 1998 Pacific Seacraft - Clealock 37 ........ $109,000 37’ 2007 Tartan 3700 CCR ................................ $249,000

CRUSADERYACHTS.COM

37’ 1979 Tartan 37c ...............................................$39,000 37’ 2021 Excess 11 Catamaran - In Stock ........... CALL 37’ 2000 Jeanneau SO 37 ...................................$80,000 37’ 2006 Tartan 3700 .......................................... $210,000 36’ 2008 Hunter 36 ...............................................$79,500 36’ 2005 Bavaria 36 ..............................................$80,000 36’ 2019 Legacy 36 # 8 - Annapolis ............. $565,000 36’ 2003 Bavaria 36 ..............................................$74,900 36’ 2003 PDQ 36 .................................................. $159,900 35’ 1984 Wauquiez Pretorien .............................$39,000 35’ 1986 Baltic 35 ........................................................ CALL 34’ 1990 Pacific Seacraft Crealock 34 ..............$89,000 34’ 2009 X-Yachts 34 .......................................... $145,000 34’ 2021 Jeanneau SO 349 - In Stock .................. CALL 33’ 2013 Marlow Hunter 33 ..................................... CALL 33’ 2015 Tartan 101 ............................................ $139,000 28’ 2003 Alerion Express 28 .............................$59,000 27’ 1992 Nor’Sea 27 .............................................$43,000 27’ 2018 Chris-Craft 27 Launch ...................... $112,500 26’ 2007 Everglades 260 CC ...............................$74,500 24’ 1989 Dana 24 - on Way .................................$49,000 21’ 1971 Crosby - Launch ....................................$57,000

Worldwide Yacht Sales | Yacht Charters | New Yacht Construction

1982 50’ Hinckley - $279,500 Curtis Stokes - 410.919.4900

2004 48’ Sea Ray - $325,000 Ed Pickering - 410.708.0633

1987 48’ CHB - $115,000 Lin Earley - 757.672.2778

2001 47’ Catalina - $198,000 Jason Hinsch - 410.507.1259

1988 46’ Sea Ranger - $149,500 Lin Earley - 757.672.2778

1988 46’ Grand Banks - $255,000 David Robinson - 410.310.8855

2014 45’ Beneteau - $297,500 Jason Hinsch - 410.507.1259

1966 41’ Rhodes - $125,000 Bill Boos - 410.200.9295

2004 40’ Regal - $199,000 Ed Pickering - 410.708.0633

1981 36’ Grand Banks - $78,500 Jason Hinsch - 410.507.1259

1982 28’ Herreshoff - $29,000 David Robinson - 410.310.8855

2003 20’ Cherubini - $39,900 Bill Boos - 410.200.9295

To see more details about these

and all o ther yac hts arou n

d the glo

be, please vis

it our website below.

Annapolis, MD • St. Michaels, MD • Delaware City, DE • Deltaville, VA • Woodbridge, VA Telephone: 410.919.4900 • Email: info@curtisstokes.net

www.curtisstokes.net

877.269.3021 Maryland

BLUEWATERYACHTSALES.COM Virginia

North Carolina

Florida

EST. 1968

70' Viking Princess 2007 - Call Clark: 919.669.1304

70' Marlow 2019 - Call Scott or Chris Jr: 757.723.0793

65' Princess 2020 - Call Today: 877.269.3021

60' Princess 2016 - Call Chuck: 703.999.7696

58' Grand Banks 2004 - Call Mark: 757.406.1673

58' Hampton 2010 - Call Jud: 757.846.7909

54' Grand Banks 2005 - Call Chris Jr: 757.509.0742

52' Sabre 2009 - Call Chris Jr: 757.509.0742

52' Grand Banks 2003 - Call Joe: 252.241.1316

49' Grand Banks 2006 - Call Daryl: 252.259.0235

49' Grand Banks 2005 - Call Mark: 757.406.1673

48' Sabre 2016 - Call Chris Jr: 757.509.0742

46' Wesmac 2004 - Call Joe: 252.241.1316

45' Cruisers 2016 - Call Scott: 757.570.3944

45' Formula 2009 - Call Scott: 757.570.3944

45' Sabre 2021 - Call Today: 877.269.3021

44' Fountaine Pajot 2020 - Call Roger: 410.456.3659

43' Azimut 2006 - Call Chuck: 703.999.7696

43' Grand Banks 2014 - Call Chuck: 703.999.7696

42' Sabre 2016 - Call Chuck: 703.999.7696

42' Sabre 2013 - Call Chuck: 703.999.7696

40’ Reliant 2016 - Call Peter: 910.262.3218

38’ Sabre 2005 - Call Mark: 757.406.1673

IN

125' Westport 2020 - Call Clark: 919.669.1304

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stern lines

Oyster Cards

B

altimore oyster packers in the late 1800s used cartoon trade cards to advertise their wares. Lithography printing led to a boom in trade cards that could be printed with a colorful illustration on one side and an ad on the other for anything from tobacco to ocean liners to Baltimore oysters. Victorian trade cards are highly collectible today, some fetching hundreds of dollars on eBay. from Smithsonian National Museum of American History

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ChesapeakeBayMagazine.com

November/December 2020

UNBROKEN Although we have been burdened, our wanderlust spirits cannot be broken. With new sanitization and safety measures in place, and better days on the horizon, we invite you to return to pure bliss paradise and make new memories with the ones that matter most.

VACATION WITH US AT MOORINGS.COM/CBM | 800.669.6529

WHERE THE SEA FEELS LIKE HOME

F-Line / 420 - 460 - 520 - 590 - 630 - NEW 690 S-Line / NEW 420S - 460S - 520S - Sportfly / 590S - 630S - NEW 690S X-Line / NEW X70

410-823-BOAT

ChesapeakeYachtCenter.com

RGB Values:

CMYK Values: 33/40/66

173/215/222

90/81/45/49

30/3/11/0