Skipjack: The Story of America's Last Sailing Oystermen
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.40 (777 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 1442210885 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 384 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2016-06-04 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
Christopher White has written several books and has had articles appear in National Geographic, Exploration, and many other publications.
In order to preserve the oyster population, an 1865 Maryland law limited the dredging of oysters to sail-powered ships; for over 140 years, this "enforced obsolescence" approach worked; now, however, the oyster population of the Bay (once "king of the American oyster") is plummeting for reasons not entirely clear, though pollution, disease and more efficient fishing methods have all contributed. Ruark, a "skipjack" that was "among the last sailboats still employed in commercial fishing in North America." Renting a cottage in Tilghman, a village then untouched by development and tourism, White spent the next year chronicling the lives and community of the oystermen. From Publishers Weekly In late March 1978, biologist and science writer White (Chesapeake Bay) joined the crew of the sailing ship Rebecca T. Naturally, what's at stake is not just an important sea creatur
Finest Book on the Subject I am a transplanted resident of the Tilghman Island area and have long had an interest in the history of the "Eastern Shore". I have been fortunate enough to personally know several of the Skipjack Captains mentioned in this book.Well, I thought I knew a fair amount about watermen and such before I picked up this book. Boy, was I wrong.Skipjack is an excellent account of the l. Down to the Bay in Skipjacks It is heartbreaking in many ways to read this book - if you love the water and nature, but especially the endangered treasure that is the Chesapeake Bay. Skipjacks are handsome working boats, but to work on them is to know bloody blistered hands and the dangers of running on a body of water than can be just as hazardous as the open ocean.Christopher White writes of these boats. "Beautiful, funny, and moving - wonderfully written" according to R. T. Potts. I bought this book during the Thanksgiving Holiday weekend and read it while a storm raged outside. The book was a very pleasant surprise! I had never heard of Christopher White, but he has written an exceptional book, one that I have placed on my bookshelf beside William W. Warner's Beautiful Swimmers and Varley Lang's Follow the Water; my favorite books about the Eastern Sho
In Skipjack, Christopher White spends a pivotal year with three memorable captains as they battle man and nature to control the fate of their island villages and oyster fleet. But this last vestige of American sailing culture is rapidly dying. These captains must set aside their rivalry to fight for their very livelihood. With so many obstacles, it is not certain the fleet will survive the season. Through these lively characters, White paints a vivid picture of life on a skipjack, a wooden oystering sailboat. Hinging on its success, the viability of the nation's premiere estuary and the survival of a classic American town hang dangerously in the balance.