Buy an affordable boat and support a good cause at the annual Charity Boat Auction held on Saturday, August 31 at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum (CBMM) in St. Michaels. The live auction begins at 1pm along the museum’s waterfront campus, with all the proceeds benefiting the children and adults served by CBMM.
For 16 years, Labor Day weekend has meant great deals on boats for boating aficionados and first-time boat buyers alike. This year more than 90 boats––ranging in size and performance from sailing dinghies to cabin cruisers and everything in between, will be auctioned off to the highest bidders until all boats are sold. Beer and barbeque will also be on sale throughout this lively event.
CBMM’s Boat Donations Program Manager Lad Mills takes donations and resells boats throughout the year, holding aside some of his inventory for the annual auction. Mills travels up and down the east coast working with boat owners and potential buyers wishing to support the museum through boat donations and sales. “The revenue generated by the auction goes directly to help the museum do work like maintaining its fleet of historic vessels,” says Mills. “Let us take an unused or unwanted boat off your hands, and you can receive a nice tax deduction. Each donated boat helps the museum do great things for the people we serve.”
Returning to the auction this year is a flea market-style tag sale, to be held on the Fogg’s Cove side of the CBMM campus from 9am to 1pm. Visitors will be able to purchase a variety of boating gear, including ground tackle, electrical equipment, hardware, rope or chain, ladders, fishing tackle, motors, and more.
A selection of the boats to be auctioned by the museum can be viewed by following the “Donate or Buy a Boat” link at www.cbmm.org. Boat sales are on-going throughout the year, with all auction boats subject to sale prior to the auction. The vessels will also be available for inspection at the museum several days prior to the auction.
Advance bids can be called in to 410-745-4941 until 12noon on August 30. On August 31, the campus gates will open at 8am, with early admission at $5 per person until 1:30pm. After 1:30pm, admission returns to the regular daily rates of $13 for adults, $10 for seniors, and $6 for children between the ages of 6 and 17. Children under 6 and museum members are admitted free. To donate a boat or items for the tag sale, or for a fully updated listing of the boats up for auction, please contact Lad Mills at 410-745-4942 or at [email protected].