Annapolis Maritime Museum

In the 20th century, overharvesting, disease, pollution and the dramatic growth of the Bay region's human population led to the decline in commercial fishing for oysters, crabs and other seafood species. As a result, the number of wooden boats working the Bay dwindled. In the 1950s and '60s, the introduction of fiberglass hulls and synthetic sails and rigging made boating more affordable and accessible and led to an explosion of recreational powerboats and sailboats.

Today Annapolis is home to a thriving boating industry, with more boating-related businesses than anywhere else between Newport, Rhode Island, and Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. These amenities attracted international professional racing events like the Whitbread Round-the-World Race in 1998 and its successor, the Volvo Ocean Race, in 2002 and 2006. Look around and you'll see why Annapolis is called "America's Sailing Capital."

Bruce Farr, the prestigious international naval architect based in Eastport, designed eight of the nine Whitbread 60s in the round-the-world race fleet, including the local entry, Chessie Racing.

Key
1. A huge fleet of spectator boats viewed the start of Leg 8 from just south of the Bay Bridge. The first Whitbread 60s arrived in La Rochelle, France, about 13 days later.
2. The first



Chesapeake Bay Bridge, spanning the Bay's narrowest point at 4.3 miles, was built in 1952. The second span was erected in 1973. The center span is 186 feet above the water, providing plenty of clearance for freighters and tall ships to pass underneath.
3. The large commercial ships you might see at anchor in the middle of the bay are waiting to load or unload cargo at the Port of Baltimore, about 35 miles north of here.
4. A few watermen still work the waters of the Bay, harvesting crabs in the summer and oysters in the winter. This workboat, Wild Country, owned and operated by Pat Mahoney, Jr., is equipped with a patent-tong rig.
5. Cap'n Dick Hartge built dozens of Chesapeake 20s in Galesville in the 1930s and 40s. Many of these boats are still racing today.
6. The Gemini Catamaran is one of the few boats still built in Annapolis.
7. A large Herring Gull rests on a piling.

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Show me all markers in:  Annapolis, MD  |  Anne Arundel County  |  21403  |  Maryland  |  United States of America

Oysters: Vital to Nature. Vital to Our Future.
Oysters: Vital to Commerce. Vital to Culture.
Oysters: Vital to the Lifeline of the Chesapeake
From this spot, you can see 1919 - Oysters: The Bay's "White Gold"
From this spot, you can see 1887 - The Age of Steam
From this spot, you can see 1608 - Captain John Smith's Chesapeake Voyages
From this spot, you can see 1672 - Providence: Settlement on the Severn
From this spot, you can see 1774 - The "Annapolis Tea Party"
Welcome to Eastport
Harvesting the Bay

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