Chasing Oysters Aboard Skipjack Sigsbee

Rare Print by John Barber

26 x 14"

ONLY ONE AVAILABLE!

Skipjack Sigsbee was built at Deal Island, Maryland, in 1901. She spent decades commercially dredging for oysters and racing local regattas, however most accounts noted her continuous losses. 

in 1984 sold to Richard Royer, owner and publisher of Chesapeake Bay Magazine. He donated her to the Skipjack Heritage Foundation, which he had helped found. In 1985, Sigsbee was included in a group of skipjacks listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

In the mid-1980s, Sigsbee earned the distinction of being the first skipjack run for a time by a female captain, Leigh Hunteman of St. Michaels, and an all-women crew. By the late 1980s, the boat had been bought by Douglas Darby West for $24,000. He put more money into her to get her ready for the 1990-91 oyster season, but her history of bad luck with the races continued.

After sinking two miles north of Sandy Point light ahead of the Chesapeake Appreciation Days race Sigsbee was towed to shallow water and the Lady Maryland Foundation sent a barge to  transport her to Baltimore to undergo repairs at Lady Maryland's shipyard.

Sigsbee continues to sail for the Living Classrooms Foundation, providing onboard environmental education opportunities for students, sailing out of Baltimore. She is seen occasionally in the annual races.

See More By John M. Barber

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