The Omarsea crew board the Rebecca Rourk,  one of America's last surviving Skipjack sailing vessels. Our friend Jack Dunham who is a good friend of Captain Wade "Wadey" Murphy arranged a ride aboard the Rebecca as she is know here on the island yesterday morning. Wade had the kids raising the sails and Jack showed them how to steer the boat while Captain Wade explained the plight of the bay's oystering industry and the events that have lead to it's decline.
Our friend had lent me a copy of the book entitled "SKIPJACK" . It is an account of three of the remaining skippers of these remarkable vessels( Including Captain Murphy). In 1886 when the Rebecca was built there were over 1000 skipjacks on the bay. Today there are only 6 active vessels.
The Rebecca made National News in 2003 when the Hurricane came up the bay and sunk her at the dock. National Geo did a big story on her and the remaining skipjacks the next year.
As Captain Murphy puts it. " The ayster business is facing a complete disaster. Both my son's tried and failed to make a living on the water. It's just not possible to support a family dredging aysters anymore".
  White's book details the flavor and strength of the Chesapeake bay Waterman, their wives and their sailing ships. I recommend it as a great read.
http://www.amazon.com/Skipjack-Story-Americas-Sailing-Oystermen/dp/B0085SG33W