Cambridge in Dorchester County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

The Last Skipjack to Be Built

Oyster-dredging sailboat celebrates local maritime history and culture

— Skipjack Nathan of Dorchester —

The Last Skipjack to Be Built Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), June 6, 2026

1. The Last Skipjack to Be Built Marker

Inscription.

The Last Skipjack to Be Built. Oyster-dredging sailboat celebrates local maritime history and culture. , Floating ambassador , The Nathan of Dorchester was built to dredge for oysters, but the oyster fishery collapse led Nathan to a new mission, serving as the floating ambassador for Cambridge and Dorchester County. A U.S. Coast Guard-certified passenger carrying vessel, Nathan sails every weekend from May through October. Passengers experience sailing, hear local stories, and watch dredging for oysters, often under sail the traditional way., How the Nathan was built , The Nathan of Dorchester was the last skipjack built in the 20th century, and likely the last ever to be built as a working dredge boat. Nathan was built by volunteers from the Dorchester Skipjack Committee and was commissioned on July 4, 1994. The Nathan Foundation provided major funding and the skipjack was named for the Nathan family and our home Dorchester County. Scarce old-growth loblolly pine from Dorchester County provided the trees for the keelson, mast, and boom. The rest of the oak and pine lumber was donated and cut by Spicer’s lumber mill. Construction took place at Generation III Marina at the head of Cambridge Creek from 1992 to 1994. Volunteers still own, maintain, and sail the Skipjack Nathan of Dorchester., A one-of-a-kind plan , Skipjacks were usually built without architectural plans. Instead, boatbuilders relied on formulas, such as the height of the mast should equal the length on deck plus the beam. But when the Skipjack Nathan was constructed, master boatbuilder Harold L. Ruark created the plan shown here, the only skipjack plan known to exist., By the numbers

Length Overall: 63 ft. , Length on Deck: 45 ft. , Beam: 16 ft. , Draft, board up: 3 ft. , Displacement: ~30 tons , Cargo Net Weight: 13 tons , Sail Area: 1,875 sq. ft. , Mast Height: 61 ft. , Boom Length: 45 ft. , Bowsprit: 16 ft. 3 in. , Capacity: 30 persons, including crew

, [Caption:] , The Nathan was designed by Harold Ruark and built under the direction of master boatbuilder Bobby Ruark.

Floating ambassador
The Nathan of Dorchester was built to dredge for oysters, but the oyster fishery collapse led Nathan to a new mission—serving as the floating ambassador for Cambridge and Dorchester County. A U.S. Coast Guard-certified passenger carrying vessel, Nathan sails every weekend from May through October. Passengers experience sailing, hear local stories, and watch dredging for oysters, often under sail the traditional way.

How the Nathan was built
The Nathan of Dorchester was the last skipjack built in the 20th century, and likely the last ever to be built as a working dredge boat. Nathan was built by volunteers from the Dorchester Skipjack Committee and was commissioned on July 4, 1994. The Nathan Foundation provided major funding and the skipjack was named for the Nathan family and our home Dorchester County. Scarce old-growth loblolly pine from Dorchester County provided the trees for the keelson, mast, and boom. The rest of the oak and pine lumber was donated and cut by Spicer’s lumber mill. Construction took place at Generation III Marina at the head of Cambridge Creek from 1992 to 1994. Volunteers still own, maintain, and sail the Skipjack Nathan of Dorchester.

A one-of-a-kind plan
Skipjacks were usually built without

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architectural plans. Instead, boatbuilders relied on formulas, such as the height of the mast should equal the length on deck plus the beam. But when the Skipjack Nathan was constructed, master boatbuilder Harold L. Ruark created the plan shown here—the only skipjack plan known to exist.

By the numbers

Length Overall: 63 ft.
Length on Deck: 45 ft.
Beam: 16 ft.
Draft, board up: 3 ft.
Displacement: ~30 tons
Cargo Net Weight: 13 tons
Sail Area: 1,875 sq. ft.
Mast Height: 61 ft.
Boom Length: 45 ft.
Bowsprit: 16 ft. 3 in.
Capacity: 30 persons, including crew

[Caption:]
The Nathan was designed by Harold Ruark and built under the direction of master boatbuilder Bobby Ruark.

Erected by Heart of the Chesapeake Country Heritage Area, Maryland Heritage Areas Authority; Dorchester Skipjack Committee.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Animals • Education • Industry & Commerce • Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical date for this entry is July 4, 1994.

Location. 38° 34.493′ N, 76° 4.306′ W. Marker is in Cambridge, Maryland, in Dorchester County

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), June 6, 2026

2. The Last Skipjack to Be Built Marker

. It is on High Street north of Water Street, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 100 High St, Cambridge MD 21613, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is on the Eastern Shore.

It is also in the American Mid-Atlantic,

on the Delmarva Peninsula,

in the Tidewater,

and in the Chesapeake Bay Region.

Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once one of the original Thirteen Colonies

and also the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: The Waterman's Way of Life (here, next to this marker); The River (within shouting distance of this marker); Distinguished Service Cross (within shouting distance of this marker); World War I Memorial (within shouting distance of this marker); To the memory of Franklin Delano Roosevelt (within shouting distance of this marker); Long Wharf (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); World War II (about 500 feet away); The Launch Boat (about 700 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Cambridge.

The <i>Nathan of Dorchester</i> image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), June 6, 2026

3. The Nathan of Dorchester

Credits. This page was last revised on June 6, 2026. It was originally submitted on June 6, 2026, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 4 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on June 6, 2026, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.