Up on the rail of the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in St. Michaels, MD for maintenance work, the Skipjack Thomas Clyde gets its bottom power-washed by Jimmy Murphy in preparation for this year’s oyster harvest and the September 6 Skipjack Races on Deal Island. The Thomas Clyde was built in Oriole, MD in 1911 and is owned by Captain Lawrence Murphy of Tilghman Island, MD. The Thomas Clyde is one of the few remaining skipjacks working as an oyster dredge boat.
The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum has a working boat yard, including rail facilities to haul historic boats in and out of the waters. For visitors interested in trying their hand at building a boat, CBMM offers Apprentice for a Day programs on weekends. For more information, visit www.cbmm.org or call 410-745-2916.