Deal Island Skipjacks

Deal Island, Maryland is one of the last refuges for some of the Chesapeake Bay‘s remaining skipjack fleet. The skipjacks are the last commercial sailing powered fishing fleet in North America and have been designated as Maryland’s official state boat because of their historic, economic and cultural importance. Skipjacks were introduced in the late 1890’s and were designed for dredging oysters and navigating the Chesapeake Bay’s shallow waters. Now very few of the skipjacks are operational and many are in very poor condition as the maintenance and repair costs are astronomical and the oyster harvests are diminishing. Once under sail, however, these sturdy working vessels are a beautiful testament to the Chesapeake waterman tradition.