Dreaming of a shiny new boat with cutting-edge technology is fun, but nothing beats the classic lines of an antique. Of course, the maintenance cost and extensive time involved is not for everyone—these boats may be more fun to look at than to own.
Enter the Antique & Classic Boat Festival in St. Michaels, running June 18–21 at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum’s (CBMM) Navy Point. CBMM calls the event, hosted by the Chesapeake Bay Chapter of the Antique & Classic Boat Society, a nostalgic Father’s Day tradition.
This will be the event’s 33rd year. It had to be canceled last year due to the pandemic forcing the entire CBMM campus to close to the public.
This year’s festival theme is “Cruising on the Chesapeake”, so cabin cruisers and sport fishing boats are expected to be on hand, and the event offers boating history seminars on June 18 and 19.
While bow-to-stern teak immediately comes to mind when we hear “antique and classic boats”, the festival includes fiberglass classics, race boats, work boats. launches, and hydroplanes—all entrants in a juried competition that ensures the best boats show up. Jersey Speed Skiffs will put their strengths on display.
In addition to as many as 100 invited boats, nautical products and home décor will also be displayed across the festival’s 17 acres.
“We’re thrilled the festival is able to return to CBMM’s beautiful campus this summer and can’t wait to see the public there,” says ACBS-Chesapeake Bay Chapter Festival Chairman Bob Hamilton.
For advance tickets and more information, visit cbmm.org/antiqueandclassic.
