Workin' With the Wind captures the survival and endurance of the living traditions of the Watermen of the Bay.
Dr. Alice Bahr, Dean of Libraries, Salisbury University, Salisbury, MD
This book is important for everyone who loves tradition, history, boats, and the water. It belongs on every library shelf.
Book Description
One hundred years ago, Chesapeake Bay swarmed with one thousand unique vessels. They were called Skipjacks, powered by the wind and used to harvest as many as ten million oysters in a single season. The harvest today has fallen to less than one-tenth of that. And the Skipjack is almost extinct, with no more than ten still used in dredging for oysters.
The history of the Skipjacks, the men who sailed them, and the
Chesapeake oyster industry are documented in this large 142-page
coffee table book with more than 170 color and many black-and-white
photographs, perhaps the largest private collection of Skipjack photos
in existence.
About the Author
In 1983, the annual Skipjack races took place at Sandy Point State
Park, near Annapolis, MD, Doug Stephens attended the races for the
first time--as a crew member aboard the Caleb. Although the vessel and
its crew didn't win, the experience affected Stephens profoundly. He
began photographing the vessels, the watermen who sailed in them,
their owners, the surrounding rivers, marshes, marinas, wildlife.
