History

Children's, History, Science, Specialized

The skipjack Nathan of Dorchester was built by volunteers in Cambridge, Maryland, in 1994, the last skipjack on the Chesapeake Bay built to be a dredge boat. It quickly became apparent that her true mission was in keeping the Bay's unique skipjack heritage alive through educational and recreational sails.
Our volunteer crew members are a crucial asset to our organization. They are extensively trained in all facets of operating these traditional wooden vessels. They also participate in the all-important and never-ending maintenance of the Nathan.

On each sail, we give visitors a glimpse of life on a waterman's oyster dredge boat. Each sail is unique, depending on wind, weather, captain and crew.

Culture, History, Specialized

Based in historic Cambridge, the Museum is in the heart of Chesapeake country and captures the unique combination of wood, water and craftsmen that came together here to make the area one of the major centers of wooden shipbuilding on the Bay. Vessels built along these shores changed the course of the nation's military and economic history.