Ida May (skipjack)
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Ida May | |
 The Ida May in 2013 | |
   | |
| Location | Upper thorofare, Chance, Maryland |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 38°10′10″N 75°56′49″W / 38.16944°N 75.94694°W |
| Built | 1906 |
| Architectural style | Skipjack |
| Website | idamayskipjack |
| MPS | Chesapeake Bay Skipjack Fleet TR |
| NRHP reference No. | 85001077[1] |
| Added to NRHP | May 16, 1985 |
The Ida May is a Chesapeake Bay skipjack, built in 1906 at Urbanna or Deep Creek, Virginia. She is a 42.2-foot-long (12.9 m), two-sail bateau, or "V"-bottomed deadrise type of centerboard sloop. She has a beam of 14.4 feet (4.4 m), a depth of 3.3 feet (1 m), and a net register tonnage of 7. She is one of the 35 surviving traditional Chesapeake Bay skipjacks and a member of the last commercial sailing fleet in the United States. She is located at Chance, Somerset County, Maryland.[2]
She was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.[1] She is assigned Maryland dredge number 41.[3]
Ida May was constructed in 1906, but details of her early years are scarce. In 1929, she was captained by R. W. W. Parks and was based in Wingate, Maryland. By the early 1950s, the boat was brought to Chance, Maryland, by Melvin Beauchamp and Melvin "Fish" Bivens.[4]
Ownership by Elbert Gladden Sr.
Elbert Gladden Sr., also known as "Ebb Tide," acquired Ida May in 1954, although some sources suggest the purchase occurred as late as 1968. Upon acquisition, the boat was reportedly in excellent condition following a significant rebuild. Her first major restoration took place at Krentz Shipyard in Harryhogan, Virginia, around 1955. During this period, she received a new Georgia pine mast from the ram Levin J. Marvil, which had sunk during Hurricane Connie. Gladden also purchased two masts from the ram, one for Ida May and one for Mamie A. Mister, another skipjack he owned.[4]
Gladden’s Fleet and Operations
Elbert Gladden was a prominent figure in the skipjack community, owning a total of twelve skipjacks, as well as a bugeye and other workboats. His fleet operated out of various locations, including Annapolis, Kent Island, Cambridge, and Deal Island, with Ida May primarily associated with Deal Island. Notable captains of Ida May included Orville Parks, Mervin Christy, and Clyde Webster, among others.[4]
