Skipjacks – The Official State Boat Of Maryland

Skipjacks – The Official State Boat of Maryland

The skipjack was created by Chesapeake watermen to serve a specific need. They needed a stable boat that they could sail in shallow waters as they searched for oysters. The watermen didn’t have many crew members, so they also needed a boat that could almost sail itself.

From these needs, the skipjack was born. It has a flat or V-shaped bottom and is fairly wide. This makes it possible for these boats to sail into shallower waters where the oysters grow. In addition, it has low sides, so that watermen could easily pull in dredges or hand tongs full of oysters.

Traditional skipjacks have two sails. One is called a jib. It is a small sail toward the front of the boat. The jib basically takes care of itself. No one has to tend to it once it is up. The other sail is called a mainsail. This working sail is large and shaped like a triangle. The mast on which the mainsail is raised is usually slanted, or raked. With only one sail to put up and down, skipjacks could be sailed by a few people.

All these characteristics made skipjacks easy to sail and easy to build.

No one really knows how the term “skipjack” began. “Skipjacks” are also the name sailors call fish that jump out of the water, like skipjack mackerel or skipjack tuna. Some people think these boats were called skipjacks because they could turn quickly and easily, like a jumping fish.

The first skipjacks sailed the Bay during the late 1800s, when Chesapeake oystering was at its peak. There once were more than 1000 skipjacks working the Bay. Now there are fewer than 30 surviving skipjacks. Only about 10 of them are still used for oystering. These few skipjacks are some of the only sailboats in the U.S. that are used for commercial fishing.

The boat you will travel on in this interactive is the Stanley Norman. This skipjack is the teaching boat of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. It was built over 100 years ago in Salisbury. In 1985, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places because it is so important to Maryland’s past.

Go to these sites to look at other pictures of the last few remaining skipjacks.  Dee of St. Mary’s  F. C. Lewis, Jr.  Ida May

What’s it like to sail aboard the Stanley Norman? Find out with this photo essay from a group of Montgomery County middle school students.

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