The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum’s Shipyard is the place to be this summer with a variety of hands-on workshops on tap to share traditional skills.
Whether you’re looking to learn something new or grow your experience in the workshop, CBMM’s Apprentice for a Day Program can help with upcoming offerings that highlight marlinspike seamanship, woodworking, half-hull modeling, leatherworking, and decoy carving.
These limited-capacity programs are led by Shipyard staff and experienced guest instructors and offer discounted pricing for CBMM members. To register and get more information about Apprentice for a Day programming, visit cbmm.org/AFAD.
Participant scholarships are available for these workshops through CBMM’s Regional Folklife Center under the Maryland Traditions program of the Maryland State Arts Council. Email Vessel Conservation Manager Sam Hilgartner at [email protected] for more information on scholarship opportunities.
“We’ve worked to put together a diverse schedule of programs that are equal parts challenging, approachable, useful, and fun,” Hilgartner said. “We look forward to a busy and productive summer in our Education Workshop, sharing these programs with our community. If you’ve been considering signing up for your first AFAD workshop, it is a great time to pick a program and join us.”
Up first, Hilgartner will lead an advanced marlinspike seamanship course on the weekend of June 6-8. Participants will construct a wood-bottom, canvas ditty bag, a project requires a range of skills in canvas and rope work that make it an excellent test of competence in marlinspike seamanship and sailmaking.
This class is perfect for those who have attended CBMM’s introductory marlinspike seamanship course, yet accessible enough for beginner students who are up for a challenge. All tools and materials are provided in the cost of registration, which is $300 with a 20% discount for CBMM members.
Jenn Kuhn, CBMM’s former Shipyard Education Programs Manager, will lead a pair of women’s wood-working workshops this summer. In the introductory course on June 28-29, participants will construct a custom mallet while learning how to make a cut list, buy lumber, measure lengths and angles, and safely use a variety of hand and power tools. The cost is $300, with a 20% discount for CBMM members.
The advanced course, held across two weekends in late August, will expand on these workshop skills as participants build their own Adirondack chair. The cost is $650, with a 20% discount for CBMM members.
Coming on July 11-13, the Half-Hull Modeling Workshop, led by Master Shipwright Thom Price, blends artistry, history, and hands-on creation.
For centuries, shipwrights and boatbuilders have relied on half-models to visualize and perfect their designs. During this workshop, participants will carve their own half-hull model of a vessel of their choice. The cost is $600, with a 20% discount for CBMM members.
Led by Hilgartner, the Leatherworking Workshop on July 26-27 is designed to share the basics of leatherworking.
Participants will craft a leather tool sheath for a rigging knife and marlinspike, also known as a rig kit. The tools and skills required to create the sheath are perfect for beginning to build a foundational knowledge in leatherworking. The cost is $200, with a 20% discount for CBMM members.
On Aug. 8-10, CBMM’s Shipyard is proud to present Introduction to Decoy Carving with guest instructor Jeff Coats of Pitboss Waterfowl. Over the three days, participants will carve a contemporary flat bottom, hollow high-density cork body with a northern white cedar head, with the option to choose a black duck, green-winged teal, or canvasback. All supplies and materials are included in the registration fee, which is $450 with a 20% discount for CBMM members.
The Apprentice for a Day Program is also hosting a visit from Roger Barnes, who is President of the Dinghy Cruising Association, author of “The Dinghy Cruising Companion,” and star of a popular YouTube channel highlighting his adventures and vast sailing knowledge.
As part of his first North American tour, Barnes will share a lecture, titled “Escaping the Everyday,” followed by a Q-and-A and book signing, in the Van Lennep Auditorium on Saturday, June 21, at 4pm.
Registration is also open to learn how to trotline for crabs on the Miles River in a historic vessel on from 5-9am on Fridays in August and September.
Early risers will learn the history of crabbing on the Chesapeake Bay, its importance to the culture and economy, how the fishery has defined various traditional vessel forms, and how to bait, set, and work a trotline. It’s a chance to experience sunrise on the Miles River while collecting a day’s catch of crabs to take home. The cost is $60 per day, with a 20% discount for CBMM members.
And, there’s plenty more to explore daily in CBMM’s working Shipyard. Get the latest on all that’s happening in the Shipyard at Coffee & Wood Chips with Hilgartner on the first Friday of each month. This program is free for CBMM members and $10 for non-members. Learn more at cbmm.org/Shipyard.
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