The ''Island Blossom'' is a three-log

Chesapeake Bay The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The Bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula (including the parts: the Eastern Shore of Maryland / ...

log canoe The log canoe is a type of sailboat developed in the Chesapeake Bay region. Based on the dugout, it was the principal traditional fishing boat of the bay until superseded by the bugeye and the skipjack. However, it is most famous as a racing sa ...

, built between 1892 and 1895 by William Sidney Covington in

Tilghman, Maryland Tilghman Island is an island in the Chesapeake Bay. It is part of Talbot County, Maryland, United States. History Initially known as Great Choptank Island, the island became identified with a series of local families. It was owned by Matthew T ...

for William H. Myers, Jr. of

Oxford, Maryland Oxford is a waterfront town and former colonial port in Talbot County, Maryland, United States. The population was 651 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. History Oxford is one of the oldest towns in Maryland. While Oxford officially ma ...

. She is a sailing log canoe with a beam of . Double-ended, her bow is sharp with a straight, slightly raking stem and a longhead, and she has a sharp stern. The canoe is privately owned by the family John C. North II, descendants of Mr. Covington, and races under No. 9. She is one of the last 22 surviving traditional Chesapeake Bay log canoes, carrying on a tradition of racing on the Eastern Shore of Maryland that has existed since the 1840s. ''Island Blossom'' followed two of Covington's slightly larger canoes, ''Island Bride'' and ''Island Belle'', both of which were raced for Baltimore athletic clubs and were well documented champions on the Chesapeake. Steered in her early years by John Gibson and Buck Richardson, ''Blossom'' was built to race and has had an illustrious career that continues to this day. Skippered since 1999 by Corbin Penwell of St. Michaels, Maryland, with a crew that includes several members from his first three campaigns, ''Island Blossom'' has won a record 14 consecutive High Point trophies for the fleet's overall season winner, finishing first overall from 2009–2023 (the fleet skipped the 2020 season due to COVID-19). This streak topped the previous mark of six in a row originally set by Doug Hanks Sr., also aboard ''Blossom'', between 1981-1986 and matched by Tyler Johnson on ''Persistence'' from 1998-2003 and ''Blossom'' under Penwell from 2009-2014. ''Island Blossom'' has won 28 High Point trophies overall since the award was established in 1969, including 17 under Penwell. She is located at St. Michaels,

Talbot County, Maryland Talbot County is located in the heart of the Eastern Shore of Maryland in the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 census, the population was 37,526. Its county seat is Easton. The county was named for Lady Grace Talbot, the wife of Sir Rob ...

. She was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 1985.

References

External links

*, including photo in 1984, at Maryland Historical Trust Ships in Talbot County, Maryland Ships on the National Register of Historic Places in Maryland National Register of Historic Places in Talbot County, Maryland {{TalbotCountyMD-NRHP-stub