Sailing Articles

Research for my recently published book, Skipjack: The Story of America’s Last Sailing Oystermen, required going into the trenches, into the ship’s galley if you will, getting my feet wetter than expected. Skipjack celebrates and critiques the lives and legacy of the only commercial fishermen in North America still to employ wind power. The book features a handful of captains in the Chesapeake Bay who dredge for oysters with historic wooden sailboats, called “skipjacks.” These boats are an honored piece of Maryland history; the skippers are keepers of a rich sailing tradition; and sail dredging, itself, is a surprising success for fisheries conservation. The captains, called “watermen,” are known to be shy, independent, and wary of outsiders. So, when I set out to chronicle their livelihood and traditions, I anticipated some resistance. And perhaps occasional rejection. Remarkably, my...