# Steam up at St. Michaels



## Charles (Jan 2, 2008)

Our annual gathering at St. Michaels on the grounds of the Chesapeake Maritime Museum for the Regatta, good food and live music. The weather once again was beautiful (a bit of a wind) especially enjoyable after a week of rain. The Museum’s floating fleet of historic Chesapeake Bay watercraft is the largest in existence and its small boat collection includes crabbing skiffs, workboats, and log canoes. The Museum’s working boatyard highlights restoration of the Bay’s traditional vessels. A few photos of the event and others to come of the facilities:









The famous lighthouse, symbol of the Chesapeake Bay and the vessels that were the back bone of the fishing industry










Work boats










Symbols of the bay in the hayday of waterways and fishing










Live music throughout the day



As I wrote early on about the winds coming off the bay. The building in the background seems to have a sail on it and our boat, Fung Shuey, did not need its sails...blow off the masts!











Historic boats (fiction and non-fiction) with the Spanish American war torpedo boat and the Nautilus










Torpedo boats, on the other hand, were specialized ships -- narrow, lightly built and fast. Their main weapon was the torpedo, which made it possible for smaller ships to defeat much larger ones under the right circumstances. The U.S. Navy's torpedo boats also acted as tactical scouts and dispatch vessels. During the Spanish-American War, the U.S. Navy actively employed seventeen gunboats and ten torpedo boats.











In keeping with the "railroad" based website of MLS:

NYC tugboat









More photos will be post on:

Boats

Short video of the event


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## Jim Overland (Jan 3, 2008)

Hi Charles and Ryan, 
Looks like fun. Reminds me when I lived on the South River, south of Annapolis, and would sail over to the eastern shore.... 

jim


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## Charles (Jan 2, 2008)

Jim
Small world, my brother lived on the South river but moved to the eastern shore...


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## tacfoley (Jan 3, 2008)

Great day, great boats and great scenery, too. 

mrs tac and I have decided that we'd like to live in the lighthouse. 

tac 
www.ovgrs.org


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## Charles (Jan 2, 2008)

Terry
The lighthouse is fascinating with all the original equipment, living quarter furnishing and work areas fully equipment as it was out on the bay.

If you check out their history on the website you will see a photo of the lighthouse being lifted from its duty point:

Hooper Strait Lighthouse 


Found this posted on the facebook link to the website: Ryan working with "Coal burner" Bob in preparation for the NYC tug regatta run


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## Britstrains (Feb 24, 2008)

Looks like a great time. We vacationed to St. Michaels last summer and went to the Maritime Museum. The scenery there is great.


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## Charles (Jan 2, 2008)

Brit
The town is a quaint town with a character to match history from those who have make it a stop over or call it home.

Seems I forgot to use the old embedded coding for video so


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## tacfoley (Jan 3, 2008)

I just looked at the lighthouse on Google Earth - what a fascinating structure! I have a great affection for wooden houses and structures like this one, and I've often been tempted to build one in my backyard. 

tac 
www.ovgrs.org 
Supporter of the Cape Meares Lighthouse Restoration Fund


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## Dave Meashey (Jan 2, 2008)

Charles;

We have a replica of that style of lighthouse here in Roanoke, VA. The owners of Parkers Seafood and Restaurant liked that style of lighthouse so much that they built a replica of it for their business. The restaurant is located on Peters Creek Road, and like the saying goes: "You can't miss it." Our local lighthouse/restaurant is painted red, though.

Yours,
David Meashey


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## Charles (Jan 2, 2008)

David
Thanks, next time we are at the museum checking out the J611 we will he over for a bit to eat.


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## Phippsburg Eric (Jan 10, 2008)

I enjoyed seeing the fun you had in St Micheals. I was in Annapolis and the Kent Island for a wooden Kayak meet two weeks ago!

I am also A steam tug guy and have been since before I go into trains.

I have a web page showing some of my work and selling plans http://www.shearwater-boats.com/opermodl.html

--Eric


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## Jim Overland (Jan 3, 2008)

Charles, 

But the real question is how many crabs did you eat? 


jim


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## Charles (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By Jim Overland on 24 May 2011 09:24 AM 
Charles, 

But the real question is how many crabs did you eat? 


jim Jim
During my youth I can recall many trips out to the bay and collecting from our crab pots bushels at a time.  Bringing them home into the steamer along with the wonder spices. Then it was onto the brown paper on the table, to which one would crack open the shell getting much of the spice on one's hands thus enhancing the favor to go along with fresh crab meat. The feast would continue long into the late hours then we would bag up the remainder to take home for another meal during the week of crab cakes (enjoy eating but not picking).

A couple of dozen per...


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## Charles (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By Phippsburg Eric on 24 May 2011 09:21 AM 
I enjoyed seeing the fun you had in St Micheals. I was in Annapolis and the Kent Island for a wooden Kayak meet two weeks ago!

I am also A steam tug guy and have been since before I go into trains.

I have a web page showing some of my work and selling plans http://www.shearwater-boats.com/opermodl.html

--Eric

Eric
A good friend and fellow steam, Roman, was there and we were chatting about the wooden canoes that were raced back in the day. One is on exhibit at the museum. I understand that type of boat and racing was not only fast but complex and required much team work. Have you ever been acquaint with this particular type of wooden boat racing?


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## Phippsburg Eric (Jan 10, 2008)

Sailing canoes were quite the sport in the day! They were pretty extreme with huge sail areas and little skinny hulls. I think one of the areas where they were popular was the Chesapeake, another was the Thousand Islands area. 

Ive never gotten into that sport but do enjoy seeing it.


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## Pete Thornton (Jan 2, 2008)

A good friend and fellow steam, Roman, was there and we were chatting about the wooden canoes that were raced back in the day. One is on exhibit at the museum. I understand that type of boat and racing was not only fast but complex and required much team work. Have you ever been acquaint with this particular type of wooden boat racing? 
I am - they keep getting in the way when I'm cruising down the Miles River to St Michaels. They are still fast. 

They are actually log canoes - made from 5 or 7 hollow logs glued together. It takes a rugby team to keep them upright, as they carry a lot of sails. 

See http://www.blogcanoe.com/gallery/.


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## GaugeOneLines (Feb 23, 2008)

I love steam engines as well as boats (wooden) Charles, but to my mind it's worth the drive from Canada to St Michaels just for a table top full of Maryland Blue Crab at the Crab Claw right next to the Maritime Museum. This with a pitcher of Crab Claw Ale brewed by the St Michaels micro brewery is about as good as it gets, followed a close second by Hank's place near Diamondhead, the Jourdan River Steamer at Kiln, succulent Gulf Red Shrimp and local Magnolia Ale........those two places with good company are the icing on the cake. 

David M-K 
Ottawa


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## Charles (Jan 2, 2008)

David
When you get there next year there will be a dinner plate awaiting you.... we would be glad to treat you for the good company is well worth it!


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## iceclimber (Aug 8, 2010)

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Jim
During my youth I can recall many trips out to the bay and collecting from our crab pots bushels at a time. Bringing them home into the steamer along with the wonder spices. Then it was onto the brown paper on the table, to which one would crack open the shell getting much of the spice on one's hands thus enhancing the favor to go along with fresh crab meat. The feast would continue long into the late hours then we would bag up the remainder to take home for another meal during the week of crab cakes (enjoy eating but not picking).

A couple of dozen per...




That sounds delicious. I may have to hit Joe's Crab shack this week.


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