ST MICHAELS, MD – Edna E. Lockwood, the last historic sailing bugeye in the world and queen of the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum’s floating fleet, will embark this May on a National Park Service partly-funded heritage tour around the Chesapeake Bay.
Edna Lockwood recently underwent a two-year restoration of her nine-log hull at CBMM. She was re-launched into the Miles River in St. Michaels, Md., in the fall of 2018. This May through September, Edna is traveling to ports around the Bay, bringing free, experiential programming and interpretation of traditional Chesapeake Bay boatbuilding techniques and the oystering industry.
The tour starts at the annual Chestertown Tea Party Festival in Chestertown, Md. from May 24–27, and includes 16 other ports, with pop-up stops to be announced along the way. All ports of call are weather dependent, with the full schedule at cbmmshipyard.org/ednalockwood.
During Edna’s stay at each port, CBMM staff members will offer free deck tours, giving guests a chance to explore the bugeye while docked. For this tour, Edna will be sailed by Capt. Rose DiMatteo, a graduate of Brevard College in North Carolina who holds a Bachelor of Arts in wilderness leadership and experiential education and a U.S. Coast Guard 100-Ton Master’s License with an Auxiliary Sailing Endorsement. DiMatteo has wide-ranging experience both in education and aboard boats, with a work history that includes serving as the assistant director of paddling programs for the Sultana Education Foundation in Chestertown, Md.; an educator and deck hand for the Lynx Educational Foundation in Nantucket, Mass; and an activity counselor for Camp Highlander in Mills River, N.C. She’s also been a crew member on tall ships like Sultana (where she served as first mate), Lynx, Coaster II, and Spirit of Independence.
Built in 1889 by John B. Harrison on Tilghman Island for Daniel W. Haddaway, Edna Lockwood dredged for oysters on the Chesapeake Bay through winter, and carried freight—such as lumber, grain, and produce—after the dredging season ended. She worked faithfully for many owners, mainly out of Cambridge, Md., until she stopped “drudging” in 1967. In 1973, Edna was donated to the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum by John R. Kimberly. Recognized as the last working oyster boat of her kind, Edna Lockwood was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1994.
To learn more about Edna Lockwood and the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, including the full list of stops on Edna’s heritage tour, visit cbmmshipyard.org/ednalockwood.
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~ Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum