Historic skipjack vessel to be out of commission for repairs

BALTIMORE (Map, News) - The skipjack Martha Lewis will be hoisted out of the waters it has plied for 50 years as an oyster dredger next month to undergo $30,000 worth of repairs in Baltimore.

The Chesapeake Heritage Conservancy, which operates tours and educational cruises aboard the Martha Lewis out of Havre de Grace, announced the vessel will begin a refit and repair parts of its hull and framework Dec. 4 at the Tidewater Yacht Service Center in Baltimore.

A crane will hoist the 50-foot vessel onto a concrete pad, where a veteran carpenter and Capt. Gregory Shinn will remove planks on the starboard side of the hull to determine how much work needs to be done, Shinn said.

“It’s sort of nebulous because we don’t know how deep we’re going to have to go, but we’re probably looking at about a month out of the water,” he said. Because the Martha Lewis is considered a historic vessel by the state, materials and methods for the repair must be similar to those used in 1955 when it was built.

Once every four years, the Martha Lewis must pass an out-of-water inspection by the U.S. Coast Guard to keep its certification for carrying more than six passengers at a time, Shinn said.

In October, Havre de Grace approved the transfer of $5,000 to the Conservancy to help pay for the repairs, and private donors have helped raise about $10,000, said President Cindy Beane. The rest has to be raised before the vessel can be re-launched.

“It’s ‘no cash, no splash,’ ” she said.

More than 8,000 people a year come to Havre de Grace to take the cruises aboard the Martha Lewis, not including those who rent it for special events, said city Tourism Director Bridget Layton.

Oysters dredged from the Bay by the skipjack — the last sail-powered vessel to do so — are often sold to local restaurant Aquatica, Layton said.

The last oyster-dredging cruise takes place Monday, and the skipjack will sails back south to Baltimore Dec. 1, Shinn said.

msantoni@baltimoreexaminer.com

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