A Historical Cruise of Chesapeake Bay
Boaters who charter with diverse groups, especially with kids, know that it’s not all about the sailing and that it’s a good idea to mix up the activities for peace to reign aboard. Putting maritime museums on the cruising itinerary is a great way to combine historical education with on-the-water fun. Sailing out of Annapolis is easy with numerous charter companies available and it gives a history-packed departure point from which to explore a good chunk of Chesapeake Bay.
Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum
First stop is St. Michaels – about 26 nautical miles from Annapolis. Here, the spectacular 18-acre Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum stretches across multiple buildings with outdoor examples of typical Chesapeake boats including the bugeye Edna Lockwood, the skipjack Rosa Parks, and the buy boat Mr. Jim.
The museum is made up of exhibits dedicated to the maritime heritage of the area, waterfowl hunting, boatbuilding and seafood processing. Activities include touring a lighthouse or learning about oyster tonging—digging oysters off the bottom with long-handled tongs.
The Hooper Strait Lighthouse is a typical Chesapeake screw-pile lighthouse that was decommissioned after 75 years of service on Tangier Sound. It was transferred in 1966 to its present location. Lighthouse keepers once lived in these cottage-style buildings that were anchored to the muddy bottom of the bay on pilings that were “screwed” in.
Anchor out and dinghy to the dock near the Crab Claw restaurant which will also give you a great place for dinner.
Calvert Marine Museum
The next leg to Solomons Island is long, about 45 miles, so get an early start. Once anchored, dinghy to the Calvert Museum with its mini estuary, extensive permanent exhibits and another screw-pile lighthouse. The main facility houses nearly 30,000 square feet of exhibits about bay boats, fishing equipment and old-time outboard engines.
A 6,000-square-foot outbuilding houses a small craft collection that puts the various styles of bay boats in perspective and would qualify to be a museum in its own right. Afterward, it’s time for some dinner and a glass of wine on a waterfront dock at Stoney’s Kingfishers Seafood House.
Reedville Fisherman’s Museum
Cruisers should pray for a north wind today as they head another 36 miles south to Reedville, which falls on the Maryland/Virginia border. Reedville’s Fisherman’s Museum is a short walk from the Crazy Crab restaurant where boaters can leave a dinghy and walk up Millionaire’s Row, a mile-long designated National Historic District with a collection of ornate Victorian homes.
The museum campus includes the main building and the 1875 William Walker House that you can tour to see how a well-to-do family lived just over a century ago. Two vessels are moored at the docks; the skipjack Claud W. Somers and the deck boat Elva C, both of which are in the National Register of Historic Places.
The museum also hosts a number of activities including the annual blessing of the fleet in May, the Antique and Classic Boat Show in September, and an oyster roast in November. Boaters who got an early start may be able to do the museum by closing time and be ready to head north the next day.
J. Millard Tawes Historical Museum in Crisfield
Head back up and cross the Bay to the eastern shore to Crisfield and its tiny two-room museum that is surprisingly informative and engaging. It has simple, photocopied pamphlets full of information on the life of the local blue crab, data on the size of the Chesapeake, and fun facts about Maryland, such as details of the state dance (square dance) and sport (jousting). Outdoor exhibits include crab cages and oyster tongs and gear. Reading every exhibit takes an hour but that leaves time to find some Smith Island Ten-Layer cake at the Sweet Shop bakery up the street.
The distance from Crisfield to Annapolis is about 90 nautical miles – so it’s time to focus on sailing and reeling off the knots for the next few days, ducking into great anchorages on either side of the Bay. Yes, this is an ambitious itinerary and sailors may want to pick one or two of the destinations on a weeklong charter, but definitely put a couple on the to-do list because they make the cruising grounds come to life.
To round out your cruise, add two more Annapolis-based institutions to your itinerary. Before departure and to set the historical mood, visit the Annapolis Maritime Museum. Afterward, book a tour of the U.S. Naval Academy on the Annapolis waterfront because sailing while learning is a combination that can’t be beat for kids and adult history geeks alike.
Fact Box
Charter Companies
What to Watch For
Crab pots. Usually strung out in lines, once a boater sees one crab pot, it’s a safe bet there are others and no one wants to wrap a warp on the prop.
Anchoring & Mooring
There's plenty of free anchoring available everywhere but it is usually in muddy bottoms – so a washdown on the bow will be helpful.
Museum Websites