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.