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Participants invited to help loft 1912 river tug Delaware at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum

The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in St. Michaels, Md., is offering two chances to get involved with its restoration of Delaware this December.

From 10am–4pm Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 1–2 and Dec. 8–9, participants are invited to join Shipyard Programs Manager Jenn Kuhn in lofting the 1912 river tug. Guests can take part in one or both sessions of the workshop, which will be held in CBMM’s Bay History Building.

Lofting is the art of taking a set of offsets or measurements and drawing the boat to scale. It is from the loft that shipwrights pick up the necessary information needed to begin constructing the building molds.

Built in Bethel, Del. by William H. Smith, Delaware once hauled scows on Broad Creek—often laden with lumber—and towed ram schooners to and from Laurel, Del. Occasionally, she carried parties of young people to Sandy Hill for day trips on the Nanticoke River. Donated to CBMM by Bailey Marine Construction in 1991, Delaware is now a floating exhibition along CBMM’s waterfront campus. A full stem-to-stern restoration of the tug will begin this fall, with the project anticipated to take two years. All work will be done in full public view in CBMM’s Shipyard.

Participants are encouraged to bring a lunch. The cost for the workshop is $85 for one weekend, or $150 for both, with a 20% discount for CBMM members. Registration is required to cbmm.org/shipyardprograms