The Maryland Dove, a floating exhibit of Historic St. Mary’s City, Maryland, will pay a visit to Deltaville during the John Smith Shallop Rendezvous scheduled for the weekend of August 25 & 26. The replica of a 50-ton 16th century British merchant ship will moor alongside the pier at the Fishing Bay Yacht Club to conduct free tours from 10 AM to 4 PM during both days of Rendezvous activities taking place on club grounds that weekend.

Named after the pinnace Dove that served colonists in Maryland’s first capitol in 1634, the 76-feet LOA Maryland Dove is a 3-masted bark spreading 1,965 square feet of sail area. An active sail-training program is part of her mission. She has a permanent crew of four: Captain, Boatswain/Carpenter, Interpretive Supervisor and Assistant and a hardworking dedicated volunteer crew who assist with maintenance and ship’s operations.

NOTE: full copy of Press Release available as Word document Attached.

The upcoming Shallop Rendezvous is a public celebration designed to bring together three shallop replicas that have been built by the Deltaville Maritime Museum, the Reedville Fisherman’s Museum, and the John Smith Four Hundred Project/Sultana Projects of Chestertown, MD. In conjunction with National Geographic Magazine, these three institutions will host interactive displays explaining their interpretation of the shallops that have been constructed.

The John Smith Four Hundred/Sultana Projects shallop has been retracing the route of Captain John Smith’s 1608 historic voyage of discovery around the Chesapeake Bay. The shallop is scheduled to leave Maryland waters early this month for visits to Virginia ports where she will stop at Tappahannock August 12 and Fredericksburg August 18-19 before arriving in Deltaville August 25-26 during the reenactment of Smith’s exploration of the Piankatank River and nearby Stingray Point where he was wounded by a stingray.

Everyone is welcome at the Rendezvous, and there is no charge for any of the public activities held at the Fishing Bay Yacht Club, 1525 Fishing Bay Road, Deltaville. Parking will be located at Ruark’s field near Ruark’s Marina on Fishing Bay Road with a short shuttle ride to the event. There will be limited parking for the handicapped, elderly, and families with young children at Fishing Bay Yacht Club. There will also be parking available at Deltaville Marina on Buck’s View Lane with a boat shuttle to the club pier that departs from the travel lift area of the marina, a wonderful opportunity to take a short cruise on Jackson Creek and enjoy the festival.

For more information about Historic St. Mary’s City and the Maryland Dove, please contact Susan Wilkinson at 240-895-4967 or sgwilkinson@smcm.edu. To learn more about the Rendezvous, contact Bob Kates, at 804-776-6950, call the Deltaville Maritime Museum at 804-776-7200, or click on www.fbyc.net.