Skipjack Nathan of Dorchester

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Cambridge, MD
Skipjack Nathan of Dorchester

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An authentic Chesapeake Bay oyster dredge boat who carries passengers and shares the maritime history of skipjacks and the ecology of oysters.

Designed by marine architect Harold Ruark and built by volunteers under guidance of master shipwright Robert S "Bobby" Ruark from 1992 to 1994 consuming 10,000 man-hours. The Nathan is 45' on deck with a beam of 16'. The mast is 60', boom 45', bowsprit 19'-3". The draft is 3' (board up)

Some parts and equipment were salvaged or donated from old skipjacks.
-Wheel and gearbox - Wilma Lee (1940)
-Rollers and Davits - Susan May (1901)
-Windlass - Clarence Crockett (1908)
-Rigging and Blocks - Nellie Byrd(1911)

10/31/2026

Tomorrow starts oyster season! Wishing our hardworking watermen a safe and prosperous season! Skipjack Heritage, Inc.Skipjack Heritage, Skipjack Races Cris Neish

10/30/2026

End of season for Claude Somers as well!

10/30/2026

This is such a great recap of a recent sail on Nathan by some of our local friends. It really captures our spirit and mission. This weekend is our last sail and downrigging is November 7. Catch the Wind, Dresge the Bay, Savor the Story! Skipjack Heritage, Inc.The Last Skipjacks Project@highlight

10/30/2026

Always an adventure!

10/23/2026

Did you realize the value of an oyster?

We used to have this everywhere.

Not in tanks. In the ocean.

A single oyster filters up to 50 gallons a day. Not with a motor. Just by eating. It sucks in murky water — algae, sediment, toxins — and breathes out clear water.

In Hong Kong, researchers proved it with two tanks from the same bay. One empty. One with oysters.

After 90 minutes, you could see through the oyster tank. The other was still soup.

That was just 30 oysters.

Imagine what 300 million oysters did — the number that used to live in New York Harbor before we ate them all. They filtered the entire harbor every 3 days.

We removed 85% of the world's oyster reefs in 100 years.

The water didn't just get dirtier because we polluted it.

It got dirtier because we removed the thing that cleaned it.

This photo isn't about oysters cleaning a tank.

It's about what we lost when we removed them from the sea.

Address

Long Wharf
Cambridge, MD
21613

Telephone

+14102287141

Website

http://www.skipjack-nathan.org/

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