Watermen

In 1965 on the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay there was the last operating fleet of sailing work boats in the United States Fortyodd Skipjacks were still used by Maryland watermen to dredge up oysters from the Bay At that time the fleet had survived because of a Maryland conservation law which prohibits the use of motor power for oyster dredging The watermen traditionally marked the opening of each oystering season with a skipjack race which the Maryland State Tourist Board incorporated into its annual Chesapeake Bay Appreciation Day