The August 14 Watermen’s Appreciation Day hosted by the Talbot Watermen Association at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum brings the F/V Cornelia Marie’s Josh Harris and Casey McManus to St. Michaels, Md. for this festival that celebrates the men and women who work the Chesapeake Bay. The event features a boat docking contest, steamed crabs and other foods, beer, family activities, and more.
This year, Watermen’s Day also offers the opportunity to see and board a collection of historic buyboats from around the mid-Atlantic region along CBMM’s docks and waterways, as CBMM hosts the 12th Annual Chesapeake Bay Buyboat Association’s reunion.
The festival’s “watermen’s rodeo” boat docking contest returns to the Miles River under the 1879 Hooper Strait Lighthouse, with bleacher seating provided for spectators and plenty of food, live music, and family activities to round out the festival.
The event is hosted by TWA in cooperation with CBMM, with proceeds benefiting both organizations.
Beginning at 11:00 a.m., the spirited boat docking contest begins, with crabs being served starting at noon. Served by watermen from “Bay to table,” steamed crabs will be available at $25 per dozen while they last, in addition to beer, water, soda, hot dogs, hamburgers, ice cream, and more. Guests can pre-pay for crabs from 10:00 a.m. to noon on August 14th at either of the two crab tents at CBMM. Later in the day, children’s on-the-water activities include a Pot Pie skiff rowing competition, with prizes awarded.
Also beginning at noon, live music from the Bird Dog & the Road Kings will be performed from the historic Tolchester Beach Bandstand. Children and families can enjoy games and activities and the buyboats that are at CBMM throughout the day.
The buyboats and their owners will be at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum August 12-14, with dockside tours offered to CBMM guests to stand on the decks, chat with their owners, and understand the boats’ importance in history.
Admission to the 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. event includes the Buyboat reunion, boat docking contest, celebrity appearances, and live music at $18 for adults, and $8 for children 6-17, with all children five years of age and under admitted free. CBMM members along with licensed watermen and their immediate families get discounted admission at $10 per adult, and $6 per children ages 6-17. Advanced admission can be purchased online at bit.ly/WAD2016, with tickets also sold at the door the day of the event. Steamed crabs, beer, and additional food and beverages will be available for purchase the day of the event.
Event parking will be available at St. Michaels High School, with free shuttle service to CBMM running throughout the day. For safety reasons, non-service dogs need to be kept home during Watermen’s Appreciation Day. Carry-on alcohol by boat or land is prohibited. For more information, visit www.cbmm.org or call 410-745-2916.