Chesapeake Bay Skipjacks by Pat Vojtech (English) Hardcover Book

Description: Chesapeake Bay Skipjacks by Pat Vojtech Estimated delivery 3-12 business days Format Hardcover Condition Brand New Description In the 1900s, skipjacks were a familiar fixture in every port on the Chesapeake. Their captains and crews were tough, hardy souls who earned a living in the harsh conditions of the wintertime Bay, dredging for oysters under sail. It was a dangerous but rewarding occupation; boys as young as twelve years old left school to follow their fathers and grandfathers onto the water in an age-old tradition of independence from the farms and factories that were the lot of men in the towns and cities of the region. The author has gone among skipjack captains, gathering stories of exciting events in their lives and reminiscences of how it was in the good times when oysters were healthy and plentiful. They told, too, about the bad times, when storms endangered their lives, or ice threatened their boats, the times when harvests were meager or the price they could get for oysters was too low to cover expenses. Throughout this absorbing book Vojtech has threaded the history of the skipjack, from its beginnings in the late nineteenth century when dredging by sail was the only legal method, to the present when the twin scourges of disease and water quality threaten to put an end to the country's last commercial sailing fleet. Publisher Description Chesapeake Bay Skipjacks documents the skipjack and its role in the oyster dredging industry, describing the natural and manmade disasters that affected the trade, including the August storm of 1933 that swept vessels into pastures; ice-locked harbors that led to the idea of dredging through the ice with sleighs, cars, and trucks; and the Great Depression that crushed the oyster market overnight and forced many to abandon their vessels and way of life. _x000D_The history of the skipjack, a vessel type that has only existed for about a hundred years, is seen here primarily through the eyes of the men who lived it. Author Vojtech interviewed some thirty captains, former captains, crew members, and relatives of those who worked the boats, to recreate the events that took place between 1917 and 1993. The early years were reconstructed through research into Marylands dredging records and contemporary newspapers accounts. _x000D_Today, disease and other environmental hazards affecting the oyster have made the commercial future of the skipjacks on the bay extremely uncertain, underscoring the need to record the lore of those who manned this diminishing fleet and to emphasize the vessels place in the history of the Chesapeake region. In this readable account, skipjack captains and crews vividly recall their personal troubles and near disasters as well as more widespread hardships that watermen have faced: storms that swept vessels into pastures, long cold spells when they were forced to dredge through the ice with sleighs (and later automobiles), and the Great Depression that crushed the oyster market overnight. _x000D_More than anything, though, this is a story of men who loved to sail and who often risked their lives, balanced on the edge of danger, to harvest the Chesapeakes most valuable crop-the oyster. AUTHOR: Details ISBN 0870334514 ISBN-13 9780870334511 Title Chesapeake Bay Skipjacks Author Pat Vojtech Format Hardcover Year 2009 Pages 154 Publisher Schiffer Publishing Ltd GE_Item_ID:136569839; About Us Grand Eagle Retail is the ideal place for all your shopping needs! With fast shipping, low prices, friendly service and over 1,000,000 in stock items - you're bound to find what you want, at a price you'll love! Shipping & Delivery Times Shipping is FREE to any address in USA. Please view eBay estimated delivery times at the top of the listing. Deliveries are made by either USPS or Courier. We are unable to deliver faster than stated. International deliveries will take 1-6 weeks. NOTE: We are unable to offer combined shipping for multiple items purchased. This is because our items are shipped from different locations. Returns If you wish to return an item, please consult our Returns Policy as below: Please contact Customer Services and request "Return Authorisation" before you send your item back to us. Unauthorised returns will not be accepted. Returns must be postmarked within 4 business days of authorisation and must be in resellable condition. Returns are shipped at the customer's risk. We cannot take responsibility for items which are lost or damaged in transit. For purchases where a shipping charge was paid, there will be no refund of the original shipping charge. Additional Questions If you have any questions please feel free to Contact Us. Categories Baby Books Electronics Fashion Games Health & Beauty Home, Garden & Pets Movies Music Sports & Outdoors Toys

Price: 28.78 USD

Location: Fairfield, Ohio

End Time: 2025-01-19T03:51:19.000Z

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