Peggy update from the Mar. 2017 newsletter, "The Broadside"
Peggy’s Chesapeake Bay Marathon...
by George Pongonis
Can you imagine running a marathon after passing your ninetieth birthday? How about
the events that our ninety-one year old flagship,
the PEGGY of NEW POINT participated in during the previous year? After her annual haul-out
at Keith Ruse’s Deltaville Boatyard, she was fitted with her summer awning and headed for
Cape Charles to join her peers. This occasion
marked the kick-off of the 12th Annual Chesa-
peake Buy Boat Tour. Captain Kerry Hall along
with Bob Gammisch, his faithful bayman-in-
training, piloted Mathews County’s Maritime
Ambassador from one waterfront festival to another through the first two weeks of August.
After three days of meeting crowds in
Cape Charles that numbered in the thousands,
PEGGY headed up the Bay with the rest of the
Buy Boat fleet to Tangier Island for a casual reception. This event was truly a highlight for
many of the Island’s residents who personally
recall several of these work boats from the past.
Then, we were off to the Calvert Marine Museum
in Solomons, Maryland. This museum maintains and operates their iconic, nine-log, sailing
bugeye Wm. B. Tennison. This vessel was built
in 1899 and is in such fine condition that the
U.S. Coast Guard certifies her to carry 40 passengers for hire. The museum folks hosted a fine
reception to honor the crews of these traveling
deck boats.
Next, the Buy Boat Tour traveled from
Solomons to St. Michaels, Maryland. Here, a
three-day celebration unfolded. Crowds in excess of ten thousand were witness to quite a festival. The docking contest was the main crowd
pleaser. Watermen from all corners of the Bay
compete in what might best be described as a
“work boat rodeo”.
To get a sense of how enjoyable this festival was
for the public, visit this website: https://www.flickr.com/photos/cbmmphotos/sets/72157672221113226/with/28632279630/
January 2017
After an especially pleasant voyage down
the Bay to her Gwynn's Island home, our flag-
ship/ambassador was due for some R&R. She
received a fresh coat of paint on her decks and
some fine-tuning of her running gear. Then it
was away for Urbanna and the Education Day
activities held annually prior to the Oyster Festival. This was PEGGY’s third year of participation with school children from Middlesex County,
and beyond. We always have enthusiastic responses from the students to our “chores of
pound net-fisherman” activity. Over the following weekend, numerous visitors to this end-of-
season classic took time to inquire about the
missions and the goals of the Mathews Maritime
Foundation. To learn more about the PEGGY of
NEW POINT, and what kind of marathon this
venerable old girl will be up to as 2017 unfolds,
be sure to check our MMF web page or visit with
us on Facebook.
Would you enjoy an opportunity to participate in activities such as these? PEGGY is in
need of more volunteers to help with her mission. Please know that you are very welcome to
join the crew. We are planning now for 2017 and
would like to include you in the fun. Contact
George Pongonis (article author) at 757 898 4364.
