Oystermen of Chesapeake Bay

• NeverSayGoodBye

  19 Jan 14, 14:08

  Around the turn of the 20th century, the skipjack was the vessel of choice for oystermen who made their living on the Chesapeake Bay. However, today only a handful of the sailboats are used for commercial dredging during Maryland's oyster season, which runs November through March.
  
  The owner of one is Capt. David Whitelock, who says commercial fishing runs deep in his family. Two members aboard his skipjack, a 109-year-old sailboat named Hilda M. Willing, are cousins. And only after buying the vessel from another family of watermen did Whitelock discover that it once belonged to his great-great grandfather.

  Capt. David Whitelock stands under the mainsail as he guides the skipjack Hilda M. Willing in Tangier Sound near Deal Island, Md. Whitelock, who comes from a long line of commercial commercial oystermen, started working on the water at age 12 during his summer vacations

  

  Ted Williams Daniels, back center, adjusts the mainsail on the skipjack Hilda M. Willing in Tangier Sound near Deal Island, Md

  

  Crew members Danny Benton, from left, Shawn Sturgis, Ted Williams Daniels and Kurt Pittman prepare the skipjack Hilda M. Willing for a day of oyster dredging in Tangier Sound near Deal Island, Md.

  

  Crew members pull a dredge full of oysters aboard the skipjack Hilda M. Willing in Tangier Sound near Deal Island, Md

  

  Wooden hoops hold the mainsail to the mast aboard the skipjack Hilda M. Willing in Tangier Sound near Deal Island,

  

  Capt. David Whitelock, center, Kurt Pittman and Danny Benton adjust a line on the skipjack Hilda M. Willing in Tangier Sound near Deal Island, Md.

  

   

• NeverSayGoodBye

  19 Jan 14, 14:15

  Capt. David Whitelock stands under the mainsail as he guides the skipjack Hilda M. Willing in Tangier Sound near Deal Island, Md. Whitelock, who comes from a long line of commercial commercial oystermen, started working on the water at age 12 during his summer vacations. 

  

  Crew members Danny Benton, back left, and Ted Williams Daniels dump a dredge full of oysters onto the deck

  

  Wooden hoops attached to the mainsail rest on the mast of the skipjack Hilda M. Willing as Shawn Sturgis, back left, and Danny Benton prepare for a day of oyster dredging in Tangier Sound near Deal Island, Md. While the skipjack was the vessel of choice for oystermen who made their living on the Chesapeake Bay around the turn of the 20th century, today only a handful are used for commercial dredging during Maryland’s oyster season

  

  Crew members Shawn Sturgis, from bottom left, Danny Benton and Ted Williams Daniels pull an oyster dredge aboard the skipjack Hilda M. Willing as Capt. David Whitelock, top center, guides his boat in Tangier Sound near Deal Island, Md

  

  Capt. David Whitelock prepares for a day of oyster dredging on the skipjack Hilda M. Willing as the sun begins to rise over Deal Island, Md. Only after buying the 109-year-old vessel from another family of watermen did Whitelock discover that it once belonged to his great-great grandfather.

  

  Danny Benton eats breakfast before a day of oyster dredging aboard the skipjack Hilda M. Willing in Tangier Sound near Deal Island

  

  Crew members pull a dredge full of oysters aboard the skipjack Hilda M. Willing in Tangier Sound near Deal Island, Md.

  

   

  1. Capt. David Whitelock, center, Kurt Pittman and Danny Benton adjust a line on the skipjack Hilda M. Willing in Tangier Sound near Deal Island, Md. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

  2. Danny Benton, right, and Ted Williams Daniels sort through oysters on the deck of the skipjack Hilda M. Willing in Tangier Sound near Deal Island, Md. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

  3. Crew members Danny Benton, back left, and Ted Williams Daniels dump a dredge full of oysters onto the deck of the skipjack Hilda M. Willing in Tangier Sound near Deal Island, Md. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

   

   

  1. Crew members Danny Benton, from left, Shawn Sturgis, Ted Williams Daniels and Kurt Pittman prepare the skipjack Hilda M. Willing for a day of oyster dredging in Tangier Sound near Deal Island, Md. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

  2. Crew members pull a dredge full of oysters aboard the skipjack Hilda M. Willing in Tangier Sound near Deal Island, Md. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

  3. Wooden hoops hold the mainsail to the mast aboard the skipjack Hilda M. Willing in Tangier Sound near Deal Island, Md. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

  4. Capt. David Whitelock, center, Kurt Pittman and Danny Benton adjust a line on the skipjack Hilda M. Willing in Tangier Sound near Deal Island, Md. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

  5. Danny Benton, right, and Ted Williams Daniels sort through oysters on the deck of the skipjack Hilda M. Willing in Tangier Sound near Deal Island, Md