Chesapeake Bay skipjack Kathryn relaunched in St. Michaels Md after maintenance

St. Michaels, Md.—The Kathryn, a Chesapeake Bay skipjack built at Crisfield, Maryland in 1901, was launched back in the waters on August 18, 2010 after two weeks of maintenance work at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in St. Michaels, Maryland. Noted as one of the fastest skipjacks on the Bay, Kathryn is designated a maritime National Historic Landmark and is currently owned by Capt. Harold "Stoney" Whitelock of Dames Quarter, Maryland.

The Kathryn is 50 feet long, 15.67 feet wide and draws 4.17 feet of water. With an unusual "soft" chine, she is fore-and-aft-planked, unlike most skipjacks, which are cross-planked. The Kathryn carries the standard skipjack rig with a raked mast, 64 feet tall and 12 inches in diameter, carrying a clubbed jib and a jib-headed mainsail.

The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum has a working boat yard, including rail facilities to haul historic boats in and out of the waters. For visitors interested in trying their hand at building a boat, CBMM offers Apprentice for a Day programs on weekends. For more information, visit www.cbmm.org or call 410-745-2916.

Find photos of the launch on the CBMM Facebook pages.

New museum set to open Sept. 18 on historic Puget Sound waterfront

Gig Harbor, Wash.—The Harbor History Museum has scheduled the grand opening of its new facility on the Gig Harbor waterfront for September 18. The old facility closed in 2008 while the new one was constructed on Gig Harbor's historic waterfront. The community is located on Puget Sound in Washington State north of Tacoma. The new museum showcases the history of local Native Americans, area settlers, water transportation, early industries, commercial fishing, the three Tacoma Narrows Bridges (including the famed "Galloping Gertie"), and the growth of the Kitsap Peninsula. One of the premier artifacts is a dry-berth exhibit of the purse-seiner Shenandoah, built by the Gig Harbor-based Skansie Shipbuilding Company in 1925. The Shenandoah is undergoing a long-term restoration.

The Harbor History Museum will hold a public grand opening on Saturday, Sept. 18 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The new facility is located at 4121 Harborview Drive. The first major traveling exhibit at the musem will be "Stars and Stripes," a large collection of U.S. flag images and memorabilia. Admission to the grand opening celebration is free. For more information, call 253-858-6722 or visit the museum website at www.harborhistorymuseum.org.

Tahoe Maritime Museum names interim director, director search continues

Homewood, Calif.—The Tahoe Maritime Museum board has named Richard Lashbrook, a long volunteer and museum member, as interim director until a new permanent director is named. In a news release, museum board president Tom Bredt said the museum will work to maintain a high-quality visitor experience while it continues to evaluate and fulfill staffing needs.  “With the departure of Heather Leonard, director of operations, who will relocate to Houston Texas in September, we welcome new leadership at the museum," Bredt said.

According to the news release, Lashbrook will work on a volunteer basis with the staff and the board of directors to conceptualize and implement effective strategies for the organization for up to one year. “Richard is excited by the challenge of continuing to develop the museum's programs and community relations to preserve Lake Tahoe's rich maritime history,” Bredt said. The museum formed a search committee in April and continues to work toward identifying a qualified candidate to fill the director position.

Read more: Tahoe Maritime Museum names interim director, director search continues

Chesapeake Bay museum's apprentice program shows 60-year-old new career path

St. Michaels, Md. (PR.com)—On any given day you can wander into the Cheseapeake Bay Maritime Museum’s Boat Yard and learn something new. Caulking, varnishing, replacing planks or steam bending frames are just some of the maritime skills being used at the Museum through two unique apprentice programs. Shipwrights and apprentices working in the Boat Yard are exposed to a broad array of historic vessels and their associated required restoration and maintenance projects.

For apprentice Bud McIntire of Winston-Salem, NC, working in the museum’s Shipwright Apprentice and Apprentice for the Day programs since January 2010 has lead him to a new career and passion in his life – something at age 60 he never dreamed he would be doing. “I knew I wanted to work with my hands and with wood – I wanted to do something more intuitive and that had more of an aesthetic sense – boat building definitely offers that,” he said.

Read more: Chesapeake Bay museum's apprentice program shows 60-year-old new career path