Wooden and fiberglass classics, vintage racers, and other antique and Chesapeake Bay-related boats are returning to the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum beginning Friday, June 17, for the 34th Antique & Classic Boat Festival and the Arts at Navy Point in St. Michaels, Md.
Hosted by the Chesapeake Bay Chapter of the Antique & Classic Boat Society, this Father’s Day tradition brings a sense of nostalgia to the Miles River and CBMM’s docks and campus, drawing some of the area’s finest classic boats, nautical and maritime treasures, and entertainment to the waterfront festival.
This year’s festival celebrates a theme of “Built on the Chesapeake,” with organizers planning to highlight Bay-built boats like Trumpy, Owens, Ancarrow, and Carlisle, as well as other marque classic boats, including cruisers, runabouts, and racers. Wooden, as well as pre-1997 fiberglass and metal boats, will be on display both in water and on land, and there will be a Field of Dreams for those who are looking to own one of these beauties.
The show attracts everything from the finest runabouts to yachts, and includes race boats, work boats, launches, hydroplanes, and utilities. Chris-Craft, Gar Wood, Donzi, and Lyman are among some of the names represented with sizes ranging from a 9-foot hydroplane to 70-foot plus cruisers. Several Jersey Speed Skiffs—a crowd favorite—will be displaying their aptly named strengths throughout the show.
“With a juried competition among entrants for best restored and preserved boats, this festival attracts the best of the best when it comes to classic and antique boats,” said ACBS-Chesapeake Bay Chapter Festival Chairman Alicia Boardman. “We’re thrilled the festival is able to return to CBMM’s beautiful campus this summer and can’t wait to see the public there.”
From Friday, June 17, through Sunday, June 19, the festival’s signature Arts at Navy Point pavilion brings juried fine artists, craftspeople, and vendors to CBMM’s waterfront campus, offering nautical and maritime-themed items for boat and home. Festival hours are 10am–5pm Friday and Saturday, with the Arts at Navy Point and limited displays continuing on Sunday from 10am–3pm.
Admission to the Antique & Classic Boat Festival, which is good for two days, is $18 for adults; $15 for seniors (65+) and college students with ID; $14 for retired military with ID; $6 for active military with ID, CBMM members, and children 6–17; and free for children 5 and younger.
For advance tickets and more information, visit cbmm.org/antiqueandclassic. For information on the Antique & Classic Boat Society’s Chesapeake Bay Chapter, or to register as a vendor, visit chesapeakebayacbs.org.
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~ Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum