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.
