A lesson in Chesapeake Buyboats

  Our month was up, doctors appointments for the nut and I were done and it was time to move on. We said our goodbyes but it wasn't to be. The wind whipped around to the North and thunderstorms were expected. We could mosey down to the mouth of the river but then what. Lets see, anchor with nothing around for 2-3 days or stay in Urbanna and enjoy the Founders Day celebration and the Buyboat reunion. Kind of a no brainer don't ya think? Plus a few more days visiting with our great neighbors Janie and Syd and our fishing/crabbing buddies Brendan and T.  Staying also gave me an opportunity to attend a line dancing class, although my ankle was not happy with me the next day.
    The Founders Day celebration was low key but enjoyable. Pirates in the park demonstrating weaponry of that era, a town crier announcing the days activities a play that reenacted a portion of history, and music.  The highlight of the weekend for me was the Chesapeake buyboat reunion. Standing on the dock watching each of the 15 boats come in one by one. These wooden boats are the last of their kind, lovingly restored by those who have purchased them to preserve a little Chesapeake history. No shiny fiberglass, fancy tinted windows and sleek modern design. Instead beautifully built wooden boats with love and perfection, all by hand. The teak wood that makes up their doors, window frames and railings is polished to perfection.
    Back in 1925 oystermen harvested an estimated 6 million to 8 million bushels of oysters from Chesapeake Bay. That year, the buyboats Nellie Crockett and Agnes Sterling were launched on opposite sides of the Bay. About 5000 of these boats, deckboats that transferred oysters from smaller boats to wholesalers ashore were built. They purchased oysters directly from the watermen so the watermen didn't need to stop oystering. These boats once took as many as 2700 bushels of oysters to shore. They also hauled everything from fuel oil and muskrat pelts to watermelons and mail.  I spoke to a gentleman that told me they were even used to move people from one town to another before roads were worth traveling on. There are only about 50 of these magnificent boats of history left out of the original 5000.

                                        Winding stairway into the sleeping area.

                      These kitchen cabinets look just like the ones my dad built in our house in Gary.
           He even did the ornate top over the window on our just like this one.

                           The woodwork in these is amazing and to think these present day owners lovingly
                          refurbished it all.

                                                                   The town crier

                                                         Weapons demonstration

                                                                    Historical play

                                    model boat builder who builds exact replicas of the buyboats
                                        and skipjacks.