Skipjack, ca 1960
F.W. Brueckmann is credited with the photograph on this unused postcard. The card was distributed by Tingle Printing Co., Pittsville, Maryland. The picture was reproduced using Plastichrome by Colour Picture of Boston, MA. Plastichrome reproduction began around 1939 and still used today. The code P72374 is found at the upper center on the reverse. There is also an information blurb on the reverse that says: “A Skipjack at anchor in the harbor at Ewell, Smith Island, Maryland. This famous style of sailing vessel has plied the waters of the Chesapeake Bay country for over a century. It is a work boat used in the seafood industry and is also a popular entry in annual sailboat races in the Bay Area.”
The skipjack is wooden hulled with a square stern and a V-shaped bow. It has a long boom, about the same length of the deck of the boat, and is sloop-rigged. The mainsail is usually triangular. There are rollers and bumpers mounted on either side to guide the dredge line and protect the hull. The design, sail shape, and rigging provides the power needed to pull the dredge in light wind with a minimal number of crew members. This is a traditional fishing boat used on Chesapeake Bay for oyster dredging.
At one time there were approximately 2,000 skipjacks produced. Only about 40 exist today with about half that number still in active use. Due to laws restricting the use of power boats in the Maryland oyster fishery this type of boat has used since the late 1800s. In 1985 the Skipjack was named the state boat of Maryland.
For additional information, see:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skipjack_(boat)
https://www.oldpostcards.com/Oldpostcards-History-of-Postcards-Page.html
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