Skipjacks

Five Skipjacks moored at Deal Point, Deal Island, Maryland (click to enlarge)
Nikon Z7; 70-200mm f/4 F mount lens @ 120mm; 1/160th sec. @ f/11; ISO 64

As I mentioned in my last post, I took a few days and drove over to the Eastern Shore of Virginia then up to the Eastern Shore of Maryland.  I needed to get out, wander, photograph and re-energize from the effects the long, dreary winter was having upon me.  During February in southeastern Virginia, it rained on average every other day.  Did I mention rain?  Almost every other day?  

When I saw that the weather prediction for last Tuesday through Thursday was for mostly sunny skies, moderate temperatures and gentle winds, I made up my mind to go somewhere.  The nice weather was a perfect prescription to get out of the house and find some interesting subjects to photograph.

A little closer crop so you can get a better idea of one of the vessel (click to enlarge)
Nikon Z7; 70-200mm f/4 F mount lens @ 200mm; 1/200th sec. @ f/11; ISO 72

One of the places to which I wanted to return was to Deal Island, Maryland.  Deal Island is an out of the way island on the Chesapeake Bay.  It is a small, go-back-in-time type of place where life is simple, not particularly easy and, I'm sure, everyone knows everyone else.  Visiting twice in the past, I knew that there were a number of Skipjacks (sail powered commercial oystering boats) based out of Deal Island.  What I wanted to do was to see if they were still there and photograph the ones I could find, if possible.

(click to enlarge)
Nikon Z7; 24-70mm f/4 S mount lens @ 24mm; 1/80th sec. @ f/11; ISO 64

Skipjacks are the last sail powered commercial fishing vessels in the U.S., according to what I have read.  Also, they are the official state vessel of Maryland.  They mostly harvest oysters with a sort of a dredge that scrapes the bay floor, however, some skipjacks now engage in tourist type activities.  

While on the island, I spoke with a worker at one of the oyster processing businesses where I found 5 skipjacks moored.  I asked him how many were still in existence.  He thought there might be 12 to 13 still active.  I found and photographed nine.  

I find the skipjacks fascinating from a visual as well as historical point of view.  I love documenting these 'relicts' of past ways of life.  

I've posted a number of images to give you a good sense of how these boats look.  If you have further interest in skipjacks you can find more information here and here.

(click to enlarge)
Nikon Z7; 24-70mm f/4 S mount lens @ 39mm; 1/125th sec. @ f/10; ISO 64

(click to enlarge)
Nikon Z7; 24-70mm f/4 S mount lens @ 32mm; 1/200th sec. @ f/10; ISO 64

All of the skipjacks pull a small motorized boat behind. I suspect it is just some auxiliary power in case there is no wind.  (click to enlarge)
Nikon Z7; 24-70mm f/4 S mount lens @ 26mm; 1/60th sec. @ f/11; ISO 64

(click to enlarge)
Nikon Z7; 70-200mm f/4 F mount lens @ 200mm; 1/250th sec. @ f/8; ISO 64

These mechanical winches lower these dredges to the bay's bottom
and then scape the floor for oysters. (click to enlarge)
Nikon Z7; 24-70mm f/4 S mount lens @ 26mm; 1/40th sec. @ f/11; ISO 64

These are real workboats.  Here you can see oyster shells strewn upon the crude
plywood decking. No fancy teak here. (click to enlarge)
Nikon Z7; 24-70mm f/4 S mount lens @ 34mm; 1/100th sec. @ f/10; ISO 64

In case you live or one day travel near the Eastern Shore of Maryland, I've included a series of images from Google Maps to show exactly where I found the skipjacks moored.

Deal Island on Maryland's Eastern Shore.  The Chesapeake Bay is to the
west as marked. (click to enlarge)

The red circles show where the seven of the nine skipjacks were moored.  The 
lower circle, Deal Point, had five and the upper circle, Scott's Cove, housed two.
I made the first two posted images from on the bridge.  I walked up onto
the bridge from both sides to get the best vantage points.  I don't recommend
you walking up onto the bridge but the morning I was there, there was road work
and most traffic was stopped.  Only an occasional vehicle passed and
only in a single direction.  (click to enlarge)

Two more skipjacks were found on the extreme southern end of the island shown here in the red
circle.  It is the Wenona section of Deal Island.  One skipjack can be seen in this Google Maps
aerial image. (click to enlarge)

If you have any other questions about where I made these images or anything photographic, don't hesitate to ask.

Join me over at my website, https://www.dennismook.com.  

Thanks for looking. Enjoy!  

Dennis A. Mook  

All content on this blog is © 2013-2021 Dennis A. Mook. All Rights Reserved. Feel free to point to this blog from your website with full attribution. Permission may be granted for commercial use. Please contact Mr. Mook to discuss permission to reproduce the blog posts and/or images.