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Kayak demo at Reedville Fishermen’s Museum, Reedville, VA |
A fast and fun road-trip bash through maritime museums and boatshops in Virginia and Southern Maryland closed out Nicky and Jay’s 2024 Community Boatbuilding Tour. Their earlier marathon trips to New England and Wisconsin shined a light on how CLC boats are being used in community boating organizations. Nicky and Jay once again hooked up the Teardrop, loaded four kayaks, and explored ways CLC could bring more boatbuilding opportunities to these regions.
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Drum Point Lighthouse at Calvert Marine Museum, Solomons, MD |
Like museums in other parts of the country, these organizations are interested in building community by teaching carpentry and boatbuilding skills, and getting more people out on the water. At least one of them relies on these activities to improve the lives of young adults in their city.
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Intro to Epoxy Seminar at Calvert Marine Museum, Solomons, MD |
In the Calvert Marine Museum’s lovely shop, Jay presented an Introduction to Epoxy Seminar. There, and at Reedville Fishermen’s Museum, we conducted kayak demos with several of CLC’s popular models: Great Auk, Wood Duck, Petrel Play, and the Shearwater Sport. Getting the opportunity to paddle one of these beauties certainly increases the desire to build one.
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Kayak demo at Reedville Fishermen’s Museum, Reedville, VA |
Community Rowing was, as on our previous trips, a big topic with both the Whitby Gig and Team Dory as possible options. The Whitby Gig, at 32’ long, takes six rowers and is a lighter, more easily built version of a traditional pilot gig. Gigs are so fast and sleek they are being raced in over 100 rowing clubs worldwide. The Team Dory is less well known, but it is smaller and easier to transport than the gig, and requires just four rowers.
Family Boatbuilding also came up. A few of the organizations had already built some Bevin’s Skiffs. The Peace Canoe, Ganymede and Jupiter Io kayaks, and Kaholo SUPs were discussed as other possible family projects. Scale Model Kits were suggested to museums with limited space and an interest in small projects. For more experienced builders, we highlighted strip-built kayaks and canoes to bridge the gap between traditional and modern construction methods.
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Wendell G. Haynie Pavilion at Reedville Fishermen’s Museum, Reedville, VA |
Some of the locations we visited are members of the Teaching with Small Boats Alliance (TWSBA) and/or the Traditional Small Craft Association (TSCA). If you are a school, youth group, maritime museum, or other organization looking to build a community through boats, we highly recommend both of these organizations as a way to share ideas, and to learn about regional races, shows, classes, and other events.
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A map of the Chesapeake Bay region and organizations discussed in the article |
Trip Recap:
Calvert Marine Museum and Patuxent Small Craft Guild (a TSCA Chapter and TWSBA Organization) - Solomons, Maryland
The Calvert Marine Museum has been sharing area history and a love of boats since 1970. Today, the museum boasts a variety of exhibits from paleontology, boats of the Chesapeake Bay, and estuarine biology which includes their otter exhibit. In our opinion, the highlight of the museum is the Patuxent Small Craft Center where an inclusive group of volunteers work with the museum’s shipwright to maintain the museum’s fleet of historic boats, preserve the art of wooden boatbuilding, and encourage folks to get out on the water.
Tidewater Wooden Boat Workshop (TWSBA Organization) - Norfolk, Virginia
The Tidewater Wooden Boat Workshop is a charitable organization that works with youth from ages 12-24. This incredible group of volunteers led by Tom Brandl has taught wooden boatbuilding skills to 1,800 boys and girls since 2014. The workshop provides a number of offerings to meet the varying needs of their clients. These offerings include their Homeschool Program, After-School Program, Pre-Apprentice Program, Summer Camps, and Adult Boatbuilding Classes.
Reedville Fishermen’s Museum (TWSBA Organization) - Reedville, Virginia
The Reedville Fishermen’s Museum is located on land once owned by Captain Elijah Reed who sailed to the Chesapeake Bay from Maine. Reed introduced the area to the methods of extracting large amounts of oil from fish for lighting and leftover bones and meat for meal and fertilizer. The museum houses a boat shop, model shop, pilot house, and several vessel exhibits. Throughout the year, the museum hosts Family Boatbuilding events, as well as education through boatbuilding in connection with the Teaching with Small Boats Alliance.
Reedville Marine Railway - Reedville, Virginia
If you happen to find yourself in Reedville be sure to stop by the Reedville Marine Railway. Once known as the Davis & Butler Railway, this timeless spot was once home to a classic wooden boat shop owned by the Butler family. In 2021, the Railway was purchased by Matt Smith of Reedville and owner of the website, WoodyBoater. Matt will assure you that the Railway is not a business! Instead, it is a haven for folks who want to work on their own projects or just hang out.
Steamboat Era Museum - Irvington, Virginia
Irvington, home to the Steamboat Era Museum, is a cozy town on the Rappahannock River. The museum opened in 2004 and tells the story of the golden age of steamboats on the Chesapeake Bay. The museum offers educational events such as steam engine workshops as well as social events like their children’s movie nights and a Crab Festival.
Deltaville Maritime Museum - Deltaville, Virginia
The mission of the Deltaville Maritime Museum is to celebrate artifacts and activities that are historically important to Middlesex County, Virginia, and the lower Chesapeake Bay. The museum offers interactive events, such as Family Boatbuilding Week, to pass on the tradition of boatbuilding to future generations.
The Mariners’ Museum and Park - Newport News, Virginia
This museum and its 550-acre park offers a variety of galleries that feature a Small Craft Center, Model Ship Gallery, and the USS MONITOR Center where visitors can view the preservation of the MONITOR’s turret. Jay and Nicky were especially intrigued by the 167-acre Mariners’ Lake which has a boathouse where kayaks and rowboats are available to rent. This could be a great venue for community rowing.
