We're launching our first Chesapeake Bay Cruise following the St. Michaels Boat Show. We'll depart from St. Michaels on Monday morning (June 20), boating down the Eastern Bay into the Chesapeake, through the Knapps Narrows, and on to Oxford for lunch and a tour of the Cutts & Case Shipyard. 

On Monday afternoon we will boat over to Cambridge, stay the night there and, time permitting, visit the highlights of Cambridge.  

On Tuesday morning we will cruise up the Choptank River to Denton, passing through the Dover Swing Bridge (Rt. 331), docking at the Choptank River Heritage Center in Denton. The Caroline County tourism bureau will provide a brief tour.  Lunch will be a short walk into the town of Denton.  

Tuesday afternoon we'll boat back down the Choptank, returning Tuesday night to Cambridge. Wednesday morning we depart Cambridge for the ride back to St. Michaels.

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The Choptank River is quite scenic, typically being 20 to 30 feet deep. The shallowest depth on our route is 5 ½ feet.  It is also narrow so that wind and wave action is not a problem. We encourage smaller boats that prefer not to venture into the Bay to trailer down to Cambridge and cruise the river portion with us. There are numerous launch sites in Cambridge and along the Choptank; specific data will be provided with the registration package.  

A word about the Chesapeake Bay waters: in general at this time of year, the Chesapeake Bay wave/wind action is not a problem for boats 20' and larger. But it is also common for storms and winds to come up, so that a safety conscious captain may not want to venture out into the Bay. If these conditions do occur those that desire can trailer their boats down to Cambridge.

Each attendee & their guests will be responsible for their own meals and for making their own reservations. A head count is required in order to save a block of rooms at a favorable rate and reserve a sufficient number of marina slips. Hotel & Marina information will be provided with the registration package. 

To receive more information and registration material,

contact: RAY GLENN at 410-867-7853 or  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

As part of our continued support to introduce and teach youth about vintage boating, our Chesapeake Bay Chapter is pleased to announce that we'll have two fun kids' programs at this year's Antique & Classic Boat Festival in St. Michaels, MD. 

 
There is nothing more rewarding than the smile of a child launching his or her own boat.

The "Boats for Kids Program", is being sponsored by our friends at Hagerty Insurance & Antique Boat America. On Friday, Saturday and Sunday, all children attending the festival can build their own kit sailboat and launch it in our own "CBC Pool Lake".   This activity is FREE to all and the kids get to keep their boats.   Make sure you stop by and enjoy the fun.  The pool and kid's boat building activity will be located directly across from the Lighthouse.

Youth Judges to select winning boat for award 
Our  second youth activity this coming weeeknd is the "Marine Youth Judging Program", which is sponsored by Hagerty Insurance.   Do you have any children, grandchildren or friends with kids who you'd like to see develop the antique boating bug?  We're looking for those children who want to have fun and learn about antique boats.  The youth judging event will be held on Saturday, June 18, starting at 10:30am, with the official award winning boat selected by this panel of Youth Judges announced on Sunday, June 19 at our awards picnic.  This year we'll have 6 boats for the kids to judge.   Judging categories will include the Horn, Interior, Paint, Boat Name & Engine. Eacxh participating youth judge will receive a Hagerty hat, a youth judging T-shirt, and an official judge's badge.  They can also help present the award to the lucky winner on Sunday. 

So if you know any children who will be attending the festival this Saturday and would like to join in the fun, please contact me by e-mail at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , or by phone at 570-441-4467.  Or stop by the kid's pool area on Friday of the festival (June 17) to sign up.

A special thank you to our volunteers who help with the kid's program, and  to our youth sponsors, Hagerty Insurance and Antique Boat America. Without your help none of this would be possible! 

We look forward to seeing you this weekend in St. Michaels.

Diana Shotwell
Boat Festival Chair, Kid's Program

Our thanks to PropTalk and Chesapeake Bay magazine for great advance coverage of our 24th Classic Boat Festival. This year we're proud to have Gar Wood's award-winning Miss America IX, the first boat to break 100MPH at our show.

You can pick up free copies of PropTalk's June issue —which focuses on classic boats and gear — at a variety of waterfront locations around the Bay. Or you can check out this online edition. You'll find lots of details about our festival featured in the article on page 14.

Chesapeake Bay gave us nice coverage in its Cruisers Calendar this month, also on page 14 of their issue. Chesapeake Bay can be purchased as a subscription or in a variety of local stores and bookstores around the area.

In the Spring Issue of our Chesapeake Bay Chapter's Stuffing Box newsletter you'll discover a new column called "Fresh Boats".  In each issue, this column will feature a restoration project with one of the several local restorers who are also CBC members. Stuffing Box Editor Marcia Auth attributes the idea for this new feature to past-president Linda Nagle Warner.

Our thanks to George Hazzard of Wooden Boat Restoration for his insights about this current project: restoring a 21’, 1951 Chris-Craft Sportsman kit boat. You'll find the story of Dottie D on page 7 of the Spring 2011 issue.

Avoid a late fee and register now if you want your boat judged in our June 17-19 Antique & Classic Boat Festival in St. Michaels over Fathers' Day weekend. Registration is due by June 4. Our online registration gives you immediate confirmation, or you can do it "the old-fashioned way" and mail it in if you prefer.

As you can see in the image below, our 24th Annual Boat Festival's mini-websitehas extensive information about our event, including show registration, special event sign-ups, having your boat judged, selling a boat, "The Arts at Navy Point" maritime artists & vendors, area acommodations, and more. Check it out...