At 2pm on Wednesday, Sept. 30, the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the launch of the historic buyboat Winnie Estelle with an illustrated talk.
After shipping fish and oysters purchased from watermen to city markets or seafood packing houses for decades, Winnie Estelle moved south to the Caribbean as a cargo boat and later a dive boat, before returning to the Chesapeake in 2012. In the virtual session, Chief Curator Pete Lesher will explore the boat’s many-layered history, as well as the role of buyboats in the traditional industries of the Chesapeake.
Winnie Estelle is pictured with a deckload of oysters in Annapolis, Md., c. 1968.
The cost for the workshop is $7.50 for non-members and $6 for CBMM members, with registration needed at cbmm.org/Winnie100.
CBMM members play a critical role in supporting CBMM’s rich legacy of educational programs, fascinating and ever-changing exhibitions, and maintenance of the largest collection of Chesapeake watercraft in the world, including access to exclusive discounts, perks, and programming. To learn more about becoming a CBMM member, visit cbmm.org/membership.
Pat says
How about who brought it back to the Chesapeake? Pat and Michael Whitehill
Mara says
I would love to know if you were able to use any of the photos I sent of the rebuilding of the Winnie Estelle in Belize.
Mara Pollero
George Bowie says
I remember when my friend Roberto Smith in Belize thought it would take maybe a year or two to repair the boat. It took no less than five years in the Arthur Hoare Boat yard on Haulover Creek in the heart of Belize city.
My hats off to Captain Roberto for his incredible patience and attention to detail ever since the day I inspired he and friend Russell Pollero to swim out to the Winnie Estelle after it had been gutted of most everything. It wasn’t until it had drifted and run ashore on its side that they decided to salvage the boat, pull it if the shore with a big gaping hole patched and was precariously towed the roughly 36 miles from Ambergris Caye to Belize City where she went a very extensive transformation using some of the best tried and true old shipwright methods of breathing life into this elegant and noble vessel of the sea.
I have many good memories of being on the Winnie Estelle during my many years of residing in Belize.
May she proudly display her lines and long history
George Bowie
Saltspring Island, BC
Canada
Neil Huff says
Mr. Hoare built a 17 foot run about for me in 1973. It took him about a month as most of his yard was busy building a large tug for BE & PC. It served me and my successors well for many years. Mr. Hoare was a very smart, hard working man, which is why he died a millionaire.