Last treasure of the Chesapeake
By Ken Ringle, Sunday, December 13, 2009, The Washington Post
"For those of us who love the Chesapeake -- and others merely curious -- the ultimate Bay sourcebook remains the late William W. Warner's wonderfully readable "Beautiful Swimmers," which chronicles the biology of the blue crab and the culture of the watermen who pursue them. Surprisingly, little has been written about the Bay's other edible treasure -- the Chesapeake oyster -- or about the sail-powered wooden workboats that harvested them for more than a century.
The skipjacks are all but vanished today. Last winter only a single one hoisted its sails, and its captain was 88 years old. But 10 years ago as the 20th century drew to a close, author Christopher White moved to Tilghman Island for two years to document the twilight of oystering under sail and the cantankerous captains struggling to keep their imperiled way of life alive.
"Skipjack" is his story. And if White is no Warner, either as a reporter or a stylist, he comes touchingly close at times with this evocative portrait of the nation's most beautiful and poignant vocational anachronism. It's an action-packed tale, complete with waterborne grudge matches, on-deck shootouts, fierce winter storms and suspenseful escapes. The long-boomed skipjacks, with names like City of Crisfield, Lady Katie and Hilda M. Willing -- some date from the 19th century -- are as encrusted with history as with barnacles beneath their fading paint. They emerge as characters themselves -- some sick, some noble, all stubbornly battling to stay afloat. ... "
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In Skipjack, Christopher White spends a pivotal year with three memorable captains as they battle man and nature to control the fate of their island villages and oyster fleet. Through these lively characters, White paints a vivid picture of life on a skip - jack, a wooden oystering sailboat as they dredge for oysters—a favorite staple of iconic American seafood cuisine for over a hundred years. But this last vestige of American sailing culture is rapidly dying. State officials have mismanaged the waters, putting sport above business, and modernization above tradition. These captains must set aside their rivalry to fight for their very livelihood. With so many obstacles, it is not certain the fleet will survive the season. Hinging on its success, the viability of the nation’s premiere estuary and the survival of a classic American town hang dangerously in the balance.
"[An] evocative portrait of the nation's most beautiful and poignant vocational anachronism. It's an action-packed tale, complete with waterborne grudge matches, on-deck shootouts, fierce winter storms and suspenseful escapes."--The Washington Post
"Exciting, frustrating and poignant as a few aging men and boats struggle to keep a remarkable way of life alive just a little longer." --Chesapeake Bay Magazine
"As powerful as The Perfect Storm . . . [a] vividly written book with superb, vernacular dialogue." --The Working Waterfront
"Move over William Warner, author of the ultimate Chesapeake Bay book, Beautiful Swimmers, the ode to blue crabs. Make room for a shared reign with Christopher White and his new book Skipjack, an elegiac hymn to the beautiful sailboats, the last sailing watermen who skipper them and the vanishing oyster harvest. . . . Don't miss this book, readers. It's a wonderful account of a miracle right under our noses. Run, do not walk, to buy a copy." --The Star Democrat
"The world has almost run out of fish, as modern technology strips our oceans bare. Christopher White's Skipjack is a compelling story about how the wisdom of the past can help us protect the future of our fisheries. If you savor seafood, White's chronicle of the gritty life aboard America's last sailboat fishing fleet is a tale you need to hear." --Trevor Corson, author of The Secret Life of Lobsters andThe Story of Sushi
"[A] skipjack tale like no other.... a book to be enjoyed for its detail, authenticity and writing style. It’s local lore at its best, a worthy addition to any library." --Bay Weekly
"Christopher White's Skipjack is not only a powerful elegy for a great American fishery, it's an act of defiance against all that has conspired to empty the dredges of these beautiful boats. White's prose is like the oystermen he portrays: tough, lyrical, and soaked to the bone in the waters of [the] Chesapeake Bay. I've still got a lump in my throat from the last page." --Richard Adams Carey, author of Against the Tide and Philosopher Fish
"Rarely does an adopted son capture the cadanced ebb and flow of watermen's speech. Herman Melville did it for New England whalers; Christopher White has now done it for the oystermen of Maryland's Eastern Shore. . . . Skipjack is a masterpiece." --George Reiger, author of Wanderer on My Native Shore
"Well written and carefully researched . . . Chris White's brilliant use of the waterman's vernacular and his intimate knowledge of multiple generations of watermen combine to make this an excellend treatise on a culture that is clearly disappearing." --Gilbert M. Grosvenor, chairman of the National Geographic Society and former editor of National Geographic magazine
