Nathan News & Stories

By Charles Rouse Around 1870, near the height of the oyster dredging industry, Meyer Nathan arrived in Cambridge, Maryland.   Meyer travelled around the county as an itinerant tinkerer (one who fixed pots and pans), while 800 skipjacks travelled around the Choptank River and Chesapeake Bay fixated on dredging for oysters.  Meyer Nathan was never a skipjack captain, and chances are he never set foot on a skipjack; yet he and his son, Milford, would, over a century later, have a profound influence on preserving the culture, history, and heritage of Maryland’s (Cambridge) skipjacks. Meyer Nathan personifies an American ‘rags-to-riches’ story.  […]

  ABOUT US The Skipjack Nathan of Dorchester, was commissioned on July 4, 1994 and celebrated our 25th  anniversary in 2019! Throughout its lifetime, this historic vessel has offered a comprehensive tourist experience in the traditions and culture of the Chesapeake Bay. Completely crewed and maintained by volunteers, it is a labor of love as they preserve the Nathan, while offering a maritime heritage experience to visitors and the community. The Nathan relies on donations, charters, and public sails to maintain its recreational and educational mission, and we invite you to help us keep it going. In the past 25 […]