All Blog Posts Tagged 'boat' - IDA MAY2024-03-29T11:30:10Zhttp://idamayskipjack.ning.com/profiles/blog/feed?tag=boat&xn_auth=no9/24/2023 Ida May wins Choptank Heritage Race in Cambridge, MDtag:idamayskipjack.ning.com,2023-09-24:4467033:BlogPost:666262023-09-24T22:18:14.000Zida mayhttp://idamayskipjack.ning.com/profile/idamay
<p>Today, September 24, 2023, Captain Shawn Ridgley and the Ida May once again won the Choptank Heritage Race in Cambridge MD. We had an able crew of Charles, Lee, and Claire, from the Chesapeake Bay Foundation/the Sigsbee, as well as first mate, Keith Whitelock, Megan on the jib sail, and David, Tara, and Missy as ballast. </p>
<p>Because of Tropical Storm Ophelia, only four skipjacks entered the race, and remarkably, three of them sailed into Cambridge from Deal Island: the Ida May, the Han…</p>
<p>Today, September 24, 2023, Captain Shawn Ridgley and the Ida May once again won the Choptank Heritage Race in Cambridge MD. We had an able crew of Charles, Lee, and Claire, from the Chesapeake Bay Foundation/the Sigsbee, as well as first mate, Keith Whitelock, Megan on the jib sail, and David, Tara, and Missy as ballast. </p>
<p>Because of Tropical Storm Ophelia, only four skipjacks entered the race, and remarkably, three of them sailed into Cambridge from Deal Island: the Ida May, the Han Em Harv, and the Messenger. The Messenger calls Onancock home, but she has been in Deal Island since the Labor Day race, so all three boats traveled up in tandem. The Nathan of Dorchester, whose home is here in Cambridge, was the fourth of the racing skipjacks. </p>
<p>The Tropical Storm was still blowing gusts and showers for the race. The wind was steady, but with strong puffs of wind that were visible as dark patches on the water. Capt. Ridgley decided to reef the sails for safety. We were the only boat to do so. Everyone else carried full sail.</p>
<p>The Ida May got a good start to the race, but so did the Messenger. In fact, the Messenger beat the Ida May to the first buoy, but we had a strategy. Capt. Ridgley made his tack so we fell off behind the Messenger. Then he made another tack that took us on a course for the first buoy. We bore down on that buoy with such a tremendous amount of speed that as the Messenger was tacking around it, we shot right past her. Because the Messenger lost momentum from the turn, the Ida May was able to retake the lead on our way to the north shore and the next buoy. We had sailed to Messenger's starboard side, and covered her wind. Still, though, the Messenger stayed right there with us, neck and neck. Eventually, the Messenger took the starboard position, trying to cut off our wind, just as we had done to her earlier. </p>
<p>It was foggy on the water and rainy, and we could not find the next buoy, which was basically an oversized bright orange beach ball floating on the river. No one from either boat could see it and we were both getting close to the north shore. We were so close to the Messenger, that we were having easy conversations with them.</p>
<p>Finally, the Messenger achieved what she was after, covered us, and stole our wind, but that was also when Capt. Ridgley decided to tack and head west. We couldn't find the buoy to the north, so we decided it must be to the west. And we noticed that the Nathan of Dorchester had been heading in that direction, so we figured that the local boat must know something. </p>
<p>We hoped we made the right call and luckily we did! Finally, on our western heading, we saw the next buoy: a little patch of yellow orange on the water. We jibed around that buoy, sailed towards the shore a little, and then tacked toward the bridge and the open water. Two more tacks and we were at the finish line, first place!!! Congratulations to Capt. Shawn Ridgley and owner Gordon Gladden! </p>9/4/2023: Ida May Wins the 64th Annual Deal Island-Chance Lion's Club Skipjack Race Again!!!!tag:idamayskipjack.ning.com,2023-09-04:4467033:BlogPost:667142023-09-04T19:00:00.000Zida mayhttp://idamayskipjack.ning.com/profile/idamay
<p>The skipjack Ida May, captained by Shawn Ridgley and owned by Gordon Gladden, won the 64th Annual Deal Island-Chance Lion's Club Labor Day Skipjack Race again for the second year in a row and the 6th time in 7 years. We had the able crew of Lee, Jenny, Meghan, Ella, Robert, Keith, Bill, David, Tara, Mike, and Tom helping out.</p>
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<p>The day was perfect for sailing! There was a light breeze, and on the water, it wasn't too hot. Twelve skipjacks came to Deal Island for the race.…</p>
<p>The skipjack Ida May, captained by Shawn Ridgley and owned by Gordon Gladden, won the 64th Annual Deal Island-Chance Lion's Club Labor Day Skipjack Race again for the second year in a row and the 6th time in 7 years. We had the able crew of Lee, Jenny, Meghan, Ella, Robert, Keith, Bill, David, Tara, Mike, and Tom helping out.</p>
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<p>The day was perfect for sailing! There was a light breeze, and on the water, it wasn't too hot. Twelve skipjacks came to Deal Island for the race. </p>
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<p>The Ida May didn't have her best start; she was third to last over the starting line, but Capt. Ridgley made sure to stay on the port side of the starting line, which gave our boat the best chance to overtake the rest of the pack. By hugging the port starting line buoy, we ensured that no other boat could steal our wind. We could, however, steal their wind, and that's just what we proceeded to do! We passed by the Somerset first, and then quickly passed most of the other boats headed up to the first buoy. </p>
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<p>The Rebecca Ruark was in first for most of the first leg of the trip, but she was not pointed directly to the first buoy like we were. She was going to have to cover a lot more of the water than the Ida May to get around the first buoy. We also were faster than the Rebecca on this tack and steadily gained on her and finally overtook her. We tacked around the first buoy well ahead of Capt. Wade Murphy and the Rebecca Ruark.</p>
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<p>This next tack took us down the Tangier Sound south towards Wenona. Although we kept the lead in the race, the Rebecca Ruark steadily gained on us and closed the gap considerably. If he'd had another quarter mile to race down the Tangier Sound, he probably would've caught us, but luckily, we jibed around the second buoy before he did. </p>
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<p>On this tack, back to the starting/finishing line, the Ida May was faster than the Rebecca, and we actually put some distance between us. This was our second win in a row and other than 2021, when we were unable to race due to repairs, we have the race in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022, and now 2023. That's 6 of the last 7 races!!! Congratulations Capt. Shawn Ridgley and owner Gordon Gladden</p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12217112870?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img/></a></p>
<div dir="auto">Deal Island Race results:</div>
<div dir="auto">First place - Ida May</div>
<div dir="auto">Second place - Rebecca T. Ruark</div>
<div dir="auto">Third place - Messenger</div>
<div dir="auto">Fourth place - Fannie L. Daugherty</div>
<div dir="auto">Fifth place - Somerset</div>
<div dir="auto">Sixth place - Han Em Harv</div>9/24/2022: Ida May wins the Choptank Heritage Race in Cambridge MDtag:idamayskipjack.ning.com,2022-09-24:4467033:BlogPost:653112022-09-24T23:30:00.000Zida mayhttp://idamayskipjack.ning.com/profile/idamay
<p>With Captain Shawn Ridgley at the helm, the Ida May won the Choptank Heritage Race in Cambridge MD on September 24, 2022. It was an exciting race and a perfect day to sail: just enough wind but not too much; 5 to 10 knots. Our start was not very good and we began in last place. The wind died on us when we were trying to make our tack towards the starting line. All our momentum was lost and we were unable to turn. We had to build up momentum again, but again we didn't have enough speed…</p>
<p>With Captain Shawn Ridgley at the helm, the Ida May won the Choptank Heritage Race in Cambridge MD on September 24, 2022. It was an exciting race and a perfect day to sail: just enough wind but not too much; 5 to 10 knots. Our start was not very good and we began in last place. The wind died on us when we were trying to make our tack towards the starting line. All our momentum was lost and we were unable to turn. We had to build up momentum again, but again we didn't have enough speed to turn, so we had to try a third time. Meanwhile, the starting gun had gone off and the other boats were headed toward the starting line. The HM Krentz was the first to cross the line and built a commanding lead early on. We, on the Ida May, were getting perilously close to the rocks, but the third try tacking worked, and we made our turn towards the starting line. We built up speed, put our centerboard down, and made it just inside the starting buoy on our starboard side. We were in last place and if we were going to win today we would have to pass them all. We quickly began to catch up to the fleet, steal their wind, and sail by them. We caught the Nathan, then the Messenger, then the Wilma Lee, then the Rebecca Ruark, and finally, the HM Krentz. It seemed like the Ida May could point better than the other boats and they had to do much more tacking than we did to reach the same buoys. Shawn is also an amazing sailor and captain. The race committee expanded the course, thinking that with the amount of wind there was today, that the race would go by quick, but unfortunately, the Ida May was the only one able to finish the race. We started at 10 am and finished just a few minutes after noon. The rest of the boats were still far behind and it looked like there was a race for second between the HM Krentz and the Rebecca Ruark. The race stopped after we finished the course and wherever the boats were in the race when it stopped was where they placed. Boththe Krentz and the Rebecca thought they got second but it was the Krentz that got the official recognition. Rebecca Ruark had to settle for third. Another great race by the Ida May and Capt. Shawn Ridgley! </p>
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<div dir="auto"></div>9/04/2022: Ida May wins 63rd Annual Deal Island-Chance Lion's Club Skipjack Racetag:idamayskipjack.ning.com,2022-09-05:4467033:BlogPost:651062022-09-05T22:00:00.000Zida mayhttp://idamayskipjack.ning.com/profile/idamay
<p>On Labor Day 2022, the skipjack, Ida May, again has won the 63rd Annual Deal Island-Chance Lion's Club Skipjack Race with the legendary, Shawn Ridgley, as Captain. This continues her unbeaten streak of four races from 2017-2020 that was only interrupted in 2021 by repairs that left her unable to race that year. Shawn Ridgley is the captain to beat on the Bay, and the Ida May and Shawn will continue on to Cambridge for the race on the 24th of September, where they also have an unbeaten…</p>
<p>On Labor Day 2022, the skipjack, Ida May, again has won the 63rd Annual Deal Island-Chance Lion's Club Skipjack Race with the legendary, Shawn Ridgley, as Captain. This continues her unbeaten streak of four races from 2017-2020 that was only interrupted in 2021 by repairs that left her unable to race that year. Shawn Ridgley is the captain to beat on the Bay, and the Ida May and Shawn will continue on to Cambridge for the race on the 24th of September, where they also have an unbeaten streak of four races to defend. </p>
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<p>The Deal Island Race was a perfect sailing day on the Tangier Sound. The wind was 10-15 knots and Capt. Shawn had the Ida May moving up to 7 knots at some points of the race. The Ida May was not the first to cross the starting line when the gun sounded at 9:30AM. The Somerset crossed first and the Ida May followed her all the way to the first red buoy near Sharkfin Shoal. The Somerset was also the first boat to round that first buoy, but the Ida May soon caught her on the long second leg of the course south and never relinquished the lead. The race was shortened during the race and the new finish line was the red buoy in between South Marsh and Little Deal Island. The Ida May pulled away from the rest of the boats and won without any close competitors. Somerset came in second and the Nathan in third. The owners and crew of the Ida May congratulate Captain Shawn Ridgley on another historic win and wish him many more to come. </p>1/13/2022: Ida May at Scott's Cove in the shoptag:idamayskipjack.ning.com,2022-01-12:4467033:BlogPost:648042022-01-12T01:00:00.000Zida mayhttp://idamayskipjack.ning.com/profile/idamay
<p>shots of the Ida May at the shop in Scott's Cove. We're hoping to be back in the water and ready for the races soon!…</p>
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<p>shots of the Ida May at the shop in Scott's Cove. We're hoping to be back in the water and ready for the races soon!</p>
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<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/10364847096?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><br/> <img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/10364847096?profile=RESIZE_710x" class="align-full"/></a></p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/10364851273?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/10364851273?profile=RESIZE_710x" class="align-full"/></a></p>8/20/2021: Ida May will not be racing in 2021tag:idamayskipjack.ning.com,2021-08-20:4467033:BlogPost:643022021-08-20T11:46:32.000Zida mayhttp://idamayskipjack.ning.com/profile/idamay
<p>Sadly, the Ida May will not be defending her racing titles this year. She is on the bank in Scott's Cove Marina in Chance, MD, awaiting repairs, and the repairs will not be completed in time for this year's race. Hopefully we'll see you next year for the races.</p>
<p>Sadly, the Ida May will not be defending her racing titles this year. She is on the bank in Scott's Cove Marina in Chance, MD, awaiting repairs, and the repairs will not be completed in time for this year's race. Hopefully we'll see you next year for the races.</p>9/7/2020: Ida May wins the DEAL ISLAND/CHANCE LIONS CLUB ANNUAL SKIPJACK RACE for the 4th year in a row!!!tag:idamayskipjack.ning.com,2020-09-07:4467033:BlogPost:242982020-09-07T22:00:00.000Zida mayhttp://idamayskipjack.ning.com/profile/idamay
<p>On September 4, 2020, labor day, the skipjack, Ida May, wins the DEAL ISLAND/CHANCE LIONS CLUB ANNUAL SKIPJACK RACE for the 4th year in a row!!! Congratulations to Captain Shawn Ridgley and his crew of Mike Oh and Keith Whitelock.</p>
<p>On September 4, 2020, labor day, the skipjack, Ida May, wins the DEAL ISLAND/CHANCE LIONS CLUB ANNUAL SKIPJACK RACE for the 4th year in a row!!! Congratulations to Captain Shawn Ridgley and his crew of Mike Oh and Keith Whitelock.</p>9/3/2020: Photo of the Skipjack, Ida May, getting ready for racing in the Salisbury Independenttag:idamayskipjack.ning.com,2020-09-04:4467033:BlogPost:242962020-09-04T17:14:43.000Zida mayhttp://idamayskipjack.ning.com/profile/idamay
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/7829464053?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/7829464053?profile=RESIZE_710x" class="align-full"/></a></p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/7829464053?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/7829464053?profile=RESIZE_710x" class="align-full"/></a></p>9/3/2020: Skipjacks and Ida May highlighted on WBOC's DelmarvaLifetag:idamayskipjack.ning.com,2020-09-03:4467033:BlogPost:243872020-09-03T18:30:00.000Zida mayhttp://idamayskipjack.ning.com/profile/idamay
<p><a href="http://www.delmarvalife.com/delmarvalife/previewing-the-deal-island-skipjack-races/?fbclid=IwAR13Qs39xaBw-up53pu_4ssSZkLRwp8lBAoF6n3mEXqk6GERVuGrZSt73zQ">http://www.delmarvalife.com/delmarvalife/previewing-the-deal-island-skipjack-races/?fbclid=IwAR13Qs39xaBw-up53pu_4ssSZkLRwp8lBAoF6n3mEXqk6GERVuGrZSt73zQ</a></p>
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<p><a href="http://www.delmarvalife.com/delmarvalife/previewing-the-deal-island-skipjack-races/?fbclid=IwAR13Qs39xaBw-up53pu_4ssSZkLRwp8lBAoF6n3mEXqk6GERVuGrZSt73zQ">http://www.delmarvalife.com/delmarvalife/previewing-the-deal-island-skipjack-races/?fbclid=IwAR13Qs39xaBw-up53pu_4ssSZkLRwp8lBAoF6n3mEXqk6GERVuGrZSt73zQ</a></p>
<p></p>August 2020: 2020 Labor Day Race is Back On!!!!tag:idamayskipjack.ning.com,2020-08-20:4467033:BlogPost:242012020-08-20T14:13:28.000Zida mayhttp://idamayskipjack.ning.com/profile/idamay
<p>2020 Labor Day Race is Back On!!!! We will see you there, ready to race! Hooray!!!</p>
<p>2020 Labor Day Race is Back On!!!! We will see you there, ready to race! Hooray!!!</p>5/13/20: Deal Island Skipjack Heritage Race Cancelled for 2020tag:idamayskipjack.ning.com,2020-05-14:4467033:BlogPost:238022020-05-14T00:00:00.000Zida mayhttp://idamayskipjack.ning.com/profile/idamay
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<p>Just got word that the Deal Island Skipjack Heritage Race has been Cancelled for 2020. :-(</p>
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<p>Just got word that the Deal Island Skipjack Heritage Race has been Cancelled for 2020. :-(</p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/5375959489?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/5375959489?profile=RESIZE_710x" class="align-full"/></a></p>Elbert Gladden entered his heavenly home on Thursday, December 19, 2019tag:idamayskipjack.ning.com,2019-12-20:4467033:BlogPost:236022019-12-20T13:00:00.000Zida mayhttp://idamayskipjack.ning.com/profile/idamay
<div class="ObitTextContent" id="ctl00_MainContentPlaceholder_Text">Elbert Edmond Gladden<br></br><br></br>Eden - Elbert Edmond Gladden, 85, of Eden, MD, entered his heavenly home on Thursday, December 19, 2019 from Coastal Hospice At The Lake in Salisbury. He was born in Mt. Vernon, MD, on October 13, 1934, to the late Elbert Windsor Gladden and Chlora Blanche Causey Gladden.<br></br><br></br>He is survived by his loving wife of 63 years, Drusilla "Dru" Conley Gladden; a son, Dean Edmond Gladden and his wife…</div>
<div id="ctl00_MainContentPlaceholder_Text" class="ObitTextContent">Elbert Edmond Gladden<br/><br/>Eden - Elbert Edmond Gladden, 85, of Eden, MD, entered his heavenly home on Thursday, December 19, 2019 from Coastal Hospice At The Lake in Salisbury. He was born in Mt. Vernon, MD, on October 13, 1934, to the late Elbert Windsor Gladden and Chlora Blanche Causey Gladden.<br/><br/>He is survived by his loving wife of 63 years, Drusilla "Dru" Conley Gladden; a son, Dean Edmond Gladden and his wife Melanie; two daughters, Denise Gladden Donalds and Sandy Conley Gladden; four grandchildren, Jamie Gladden and his wife Mandy, Lauren Freyder and her husband Drew, Stacey Hilton and her husband Wayne, Cody Donalds and his wife Liz & their first child this coming May; 12 great grandchildren, Grace, Liam, & Jude Gladden, Bella, Amia, & Giana Freyder, Trent, Dylan, Chris, Peighton, Colton, & Jaxon Hilton; a brother Gordon Gladden, his wife Mary Sue and their two children, Missy & David (Tara); a brother in law, Alonzo Conley. He was preceded in death by his infant son, Chris James Gladden. To those who knew Elbert knew that his most cherished loves on earth were his wife, children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren.<br/><br/>His love for construction prompted him to establish Gladden Construction in 1961, building a legacy for his son, Dean and grandson, Jamie to continue. Through his hard work and dedication to his business, Gladden Construction remains to this day one of the most respected construction companies on The Eastern Shore. He voluntarily served in the U.S <a href="http://www.legacy.com/memorial-sites/army/" id="InlineMicrositeLink_U.S._Army" class="MicrositeKeyword" title="Visit U.S. Army Memorial Site to see similar profiles" target="_blank" rel="noopener" name="InlineMicrositeLink_U.S._Army">Army</a> and completed tours in both Texas and Germany where he was the barrack ping pong champion and was an excellent sharpshooter and marksman.<br/><br/>Elbert was also a volunteer to numerous nonprofits. He was a 54 year member of the Fruitland Lions Club, where he served three Times as President and received the Melvin Jones Fellow Award in 2005. In addition, he was President of The Fruitland Little League for ten years, President of the Wicomico County Fast Pitch League, and also served as a representative of the American Softball Association. Elbert was a proud lifetime member of the Skip Jack Heritage Museum in Chance, MD. He and his brother Gordon, masterfully rebuilt the family Skip Jack, "Ida May" over a six year period. The "Ida May" has since won six races in both Deal Island and Cambridge.<br/><br/>Probably best known for his sports achievements, Elbert was an outstanding athlete at Deal Island School where he graduated in 1953. He played Bi-County baseball and softball for various teams in the area being named an All Star many times. For over two decades he played travel softball across the country for primarily Jacks Sanitary Service. "The Big E", as he was affectionately referred to, was voted into the Eastern Shore Baseball Hall of Fame in 1990, and the Maryland Fast Pitch Hall of Fame in 1996. He finished his softball career at the age of 75 in a Men's Modified over 45 league where he played with his son Dean.<br/><br/>He was a faithful member of Delmarva Evangelistic Church since 1986 when he gave his heart to the Lord. He served the church as an Usher, Deacon, and Trustee.<br/><br/>A funeral service with military honors will be held at Delmarva Evangelistic Church on Monday, December 23, 2019 at 11:00 am with Pastor Buzz Gregory officiating, assisted by Pastor Drew Freyder. Visitations at the church will be held on Sunday from 4:00 - 6:00 pm and also one hour prior to the service on Monday. Interment will follow the service at Wicomico Memorial Park in Salisbury.<br/><br/>In lieu of flowers the family requests donations be made to Delmarva Evangelistic Church, 407 East Gordy Road, Salisbury MD 21804, and or Lift Church, 801-C East Naylor Mill Road, Salisbury MD 21804, and or Coastal Hospice, P.O. Box 1733, Salisbury, MD 21802.<br/><br/>Arrangements are in the care of Holloway Funeral Home, PA, 501 Snow Hill Road, Salisbury, MD 21804. Please visit <a href="http://www.hollowayfh.com/" target="_new" rel="nofollow">www.hollowayfh.com</a> to express condolences to the family.</div>
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<p><span id="ctl00_MainContentPlaceholder_PublishedLineOnline" class="PublishedLine">Published in The Daily Times from Dec. 20 to Dec. 21, 2019</span></p>The Ida May and Gordon Gladden are featured in the Salisbury Independent on 9/25/2019tag:idamayskipjack.ning.com,2019-09-26:4467033:BlogPost:235012019-09-26T01:00:00.000Zida mayhttp://idamayskipjack.ning.com/profile/idamay
<p><a href="https://salisburyindependent.net/living/shes-gordon-gladdens-total-devotion-the-ida-may/">https://salisburyindependent.net/living/shes-gordon-gladdens-total-devotion-the-ida-may/</a></p>
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<h1 class="entry-title">She’s Gordon Gladden’s devotion: The Ida May</h1>
<div class="entry-meta"><span class="entry-date">Sep 25th, 2019</span> · by <a href="https://salisburyindependent.net/byline/brice-stump/" rel="tag">Brice Stump</a> · <span class="entry-comment">Comments:…</span></div>
<p><a href="https://salisburyindependent.net/living/shes-gordon-gladdens-total-devotion-the-ida-may/">https://salisburyindependent.net/living/shes-gordon-gladdens-total-devotion-the-ida-may/</a></p>
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<h1 class="entry-title">She’s Gordon Gladden’s devotion: The Ida May</h1>
<div class="entry-meta"><span class="entry-date">Sep 25th, 2019</span> · by <a href="https://salisburyindependent.net/byline/brice-stump/" rel="tag">Brice Stump</a> · <span class="entry-comment">Comments: <span class="fb_comments_count">0</span></span></div>
<div class="entry-content"><img src="https://salisburyindependent.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/bs-IDA-MAY-3253.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-20406"/>https://salisburyindependent.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/bs-IDA-MAY-3253-300x173.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" />
<em>The skipjack Ida May. (Brice Stump Photo.)</em><br />
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<p>Water trickled from the seam between the bottom planks and the keel of the skipjack Ida May. Owner Gordon Gladden, 79, of Salisbury, hammered the sharp chisel into the wood, forcing out pieces of caulking that had been applied last year to make a watertight seam.</p>
<p>But the seam failed in several places allowing water, and a lot of it, to inch its way up the hold when the skipjack was put overboard just a week earlier.</p>
<p>The dripping water ate into the sand as it dripped into a growing puddle, soaking Gladden’s pants cuff and wetting the side of his leg.</p>
<p>With just days to go before the annual Labor Day Skipjack Race off Deal Island, Gladden was dedicated to the task at hand.</p>
<p>Every summer, since the death of his father, Elbert Gladden, in 1992, Gordon and his brother Elbert, both of Salisbury, have made repairs to the skipjack. Now Gladden is working alone. His brother is weeks away from turning 85 and can no longer work on the Ida May.</p>
<p>The Ida May and the eight or so vintage skipjacks are the precious few survivors of a fleet that once numbered in the hundreds.</p>
<p>The reality of today is far removed from the days of old, when there were dozens of skipjacks working the bay under sail. Even Gladden’s father owned 12, for which he hired seasoned captains to dredge oysters under sail.</p>
<p>It’s been 20 years since skipjacks routinely used sail power.</p>
<p>“He also owned a little bugeye, the Clarence and Eva, that blew up in the Chance-Deal Island harbor,” Gladden recalled.</p>
<p>“The captain and the cook went down one morning and were going to have breakfast before they went out dredging. They lit the propane stove and leaking propane had escaped into the hold, and she blew up into a thousand pieces.</p>
<p>“Fortunately the explosion was away from them, which protected them,” he said. “One of them broke his leg and that was the worst thing that happened to them. Daddy had been offered a fairly large amount of money to buy it from a man in Annapolis, and he turned him down. So he got nothing out of that deal.”</p>
<p>The Ida May was the last skipjack his late father owned among his fleet. “That’s why my brother and I decided to rebuild her, and we spent five and a half years doing so and launched her July 30, 2011. Tommy Daniels, and his brother, Earl, had rebuilt her years earlier in our father’s back yard,” Gladden said.</p>
<p> “It wasn’t a major rebuild, just rotten wood and regular repairs. My father was wheeled out there every day and he sat in his wheelchair and watched them work on her. It was a great summer for him.” The elder Gladden died in 1992 at 84.</p>
<p>“He had boats in Rock Hall, Tilghman Island, Annapolis and here, but the Ida May was the last that he didn’t sell or let die,” he said.</p>
<p>As long as the Ida May lives, a special connection with their father lives, too.</p>
<p>It was spiritually comforting, Gladden said, working on this wooden link to his father. Under the deep reddish “copper” painted bottom, in an aging beach chair that provided back support as he moved his way, inch by inch, along the keel, the former insurance executive and banker was a boy again.</p>
<p>“When I was a boy we had a specialist who caulked all these boats, a jolly man named Rob James. Whenever a leak was found in a boat, they went over to Deal Island to get him.</p>
<p>“Then there was another guy, Marvin Jones, who was good at scraping the masts and booms. He was hoisted to the top in a swing seat with block and tackle and scraped the mast as he slowly let himself down. He took the old wood down to new wood, made them look like yachts. But we don’t have those people any more. That style of life didn’t attract many people; that’s why there was just two of them then,” Gladden said.</p>
<p>“I was 10 years old at the time, and I just loved being around them, watching them. They never rushed, just one scrape at a time, and at the end of the day they had done their job.”</p>
<p>Under the bottom of the skipjack there was shade, and Gladden found a bit of relief from the burning sun. At least the water dripping from the hold, and the wet sand around him, was cool.</p>
<p>The thumping blows of his hammer on the chisel head mixed with the drone of passing planes, singing cicada, excited chirping of birds and squawking of irritated crows.</p>
<p>The Gladdens have been part of community life for generations. When his great-grandfather moved to Chance, he was George Washington Gladding, and it eventually transitioned to Gladden. “My grandfather never attended school,” Gladden said. “He could not read or write. My father quit school in the fifth grade to work on a boat up the bay.”</p>
<p>Gladden went to school here, remembers when he worked in his grandfather’s country store and his visits to the shipyard in his youth. Yes, Chance is home in his heart.</p>
<img src="https://salisburyindependent.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/bs-Gordon-6676.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-20405"/>https://salisburyindependent.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/bs-Gordon-6676-300x241.jpeg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /><br />
<em>Gordon Gladden at work. (Brice Stump Photo.)</em><br />
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<p>“Oh, I just love doing this,” he said. “It takes me back to my childhood, takes me back to my grandfather and all these old guys I loved. I remember them coming into the store every night before we got television, in 1954, and they’d talk about being out on the bay in bad times and capsizing boats and catching oysters,” he said above the loud pickups bouncing by with aging, growling mufflers, the grinding of sanders, pounding hammers, and the conversation, hollering and laughing of watermen.</p>
<p> “This kind of brings me back to all that. What a great feeling to have grown up in a small community like Chance, a place where I knew everybody, black or white. I knew their children, their grandchildren and their grandparents. Working down here now brings me back to all that. It was a heavenly place to grow up,” said the former president of Avery W. Hall Insurance Agency in Salisbury.</p>
<p>It has been commented on before by others who routinely come to Scott’s Cove Marina, that there really is something mystically special about the place. Long-term employee Bob Bradshaw said he can feel a calmness, a timelessness when he’s at work. “I don’t know what it is, but something here just makes you feel better about life in general, a safe feeling, like being at home as a kid again.”</p>
<p>The weak last summer breeze that found its way around the stern was heavy with humidity. In the trees across “the ditch,” the only waterway in and out of Scott’s Cove Marina, came the shrill singing of cicada which cut through the rigging of the four skipjacks here. Fall was in the air, with chilly early mornings, and warm afternoons. Just the way summer has always waned in Chance.</p>
<p>It’s in late summer and early autumn that repairs are finished up on skipjacks before the opening of the dredging season in November. The Ida May had some major repairs a few years ago when the white oak they had put in the skipjack years before turned out to be red oak, and it rotted. Truth is, the upkeep never stops.</p>
<p>Gladden tugged on a roll of tobacco-colored oakum beside the chair and near his knee. He tore pieces from the thick rope as he worked. He rubbed it between his palms, making it compact and uniform to pound in the leaking seam.</p>
<p>Tommy Daniels, working on the Helen Virginia, ambled over to talk to him. Daniels, who has been dredging aboard skipjacks for decades, talked about characters of the past above the sound of an annoying sander grinding off paint on a workboat, just feet away. It provided a loud and all-too-convincing impersonation of whining mosquitoes from the nearby salt marshes.</p>
<p>Over the years, Daniels has helped with repairs on the Ida May, and advised Gladden about the use of oakum in the leaking seams.</p>
<p>Daniels mentioned the upcoming race, noting the sails were already on the Ida May.</p>
<p>A set of custom-made sails for the skipjack rings up at about $10,000. There are no off the shelf one size fits all sails for a skipjack, Custom means just that, hand-crafted main sail and job for a specific skipjack.</p>
<p>Made of wood, metal, epoxy, stainless screws and ribbons of oakum, the Ida May is a living relic of the past. That’s what makes her so special to the Gladdens: She is living history, a direct connection to their father.</p>
<img src="https://salisburyindependent.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/70489374_10158131504936412_8336332149154119680_n.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-20408"/>https://salisburyindependent.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/70489374_10158131504936412_8336332149154119680_n-300x225.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /><br />
<em>The Thomas J., left, built in 1948, is a Chesapeake buyboat. Traditionally, buyboats met tongers and dredgers on the water to collect and haul oysters for sale. The Ida May, right, built in 1906, is a skipjack. Skipjacks were built specifically for dredging oysters in the Chesapeake. Owned by Gordon Gladden of Salisbury, the Ida May, captained by Shawn Ridgely and owned by the Gladden family, won the Choptank Heritage Skipjack Race, last weekend in Cambridge, for the third straight year. (Carrie Samis Photo.)</em><br />
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<p>Over the years, since his passing, the brothers have spent at least $150,000 keeping this spirit of the past alive. As the two age, the burden of what to do with the Ida May grows heavier.</p>
<p>She may be a wooden sailing craft to others, but to them, she is family.</p>
<p>So now the time is nearing, Gordon said, to make preparations for a transition. She will be given away to a non-profit organization.</p>
<p>Perhaps, Gordon hopes, the some entity will care for the aging queen. Ideally, they hope, she can stay in the Deal Island area and be used to educate and entertain generations of visitors.</p>
<p>Gordon and Elbert are preparing to have the bottom and deck fiberglassed, an expensive but trusted procedure that guarantees the new owner will have years of maintenance-free service from the skipjack. Over the years he has seen many of his father’s other skipjacks die, a fate he wants the Ida May to escape.</p>
<p>Surely, the two Gladden brothers couldn’t possibly let anything happened to their father’s beloved Ida May on their watch. They are looking forward to the transition.</p>
<p>As the years pass, more and more of the original Ida May has been lost. “There’s not wood piece left of the original 1906 skipjack,” he said, “not one piece. The wheel and the davits are genuine pieces, but the skipjack body that was, is now a ghost.”</p>
<p>Every year, two weeks before Labor Day, the Ida May is dry-docked at Scott’s Cove Marina in Chance, and Gordon performs repairs that he can do, or hire others. Problem is, he and the other skipjack owners, Delmas Benton of the Fannie Daugherty; David Whitelock of the Kathryn; David’s father, Harold “Stoney” Whitelock of the Minnie V, (and the recently restored Anna McGarvey); along with Art Benton of the Helen Virginia, rely heavily on marina co-owner Eldon Willing to keep their vessels and push boats in operating condition.</p>
<p>Should anything happen to Willing, Gladden explained, finding another highly skilled craftsman in the area would be almost impossible. Willing’s role in keeping the skipjacks going is so crucial, that, without him, some captains say, they could face losing their boats.</p>
<p>“Used to be a time when you could hire helpers down here, but now it’s really hard to get good workers. Consequently I’m doing a lot of things I’m really incapable of doing well, or things I don’t want to do, only because I can’t find anyone else to do it,” said.</p>
<p>With each passing year, it also gets harder to find volunteers wanting to work on the boat. There’s always something to repair on the 42-foot-long, 14-foot-wide icon of the bay.</p>
<p>“I only work on the Ida May now when it gets to be Labor Day time,” he said.</p>
<p>Gladden does what he can to keep costs down, and he says, because he loves it.</p>
<p>So, summer after summer, the former banker can expect to be drenched in sweat with August’s humidity for two weeks.</p>
<p>As they explore getting a new owner for the skipjack, the brothers keep the Ida May alive and well.</p>
<p>When the Ida May was named winner of this year’s Deal Island race, it marked the fifth time she consecutively had won top racing honors at home and in Cambridge. As expected, the Ida May sailed to victory in last week’s skipjack race in Cambridge.</p>
<p>Shawn Ridgley of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and captain of the skipjack Stanley Norman, which runs out of Annapolis, was at the wheel both times when the Ida May sailed into race history. She is a skipjack for the ages.</p>
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<p></p>9/21/2109: Ida May wins the Choptank Heritage Race in Cambridge MDtag:idamayskipjack.ning.com,2019-09-22:4467033:BlogPost:234022019-09-22T01:00:00.000Zida mayhttp://idamayskipjack.ning.com/profile/idamay
<p>The Ida May won the Choptank Heritage Race in Cambridge MD today on 9/21/2109. This is her third victory in a row at the Choptank Heritage Race and her sixth victory in a row, counting the Deal Island Race. </p>
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<p>The Ida May won the Choptank Heritage Race in Cambridge MD today on 9/21/2109. This is her third victory in a row at the Choptank Heritage Race and her sixth victory in a row, counting the Deal Island Race. </p>
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<p></p>9/2/2019: Ida May wins the Deal Island Skipjack Race for the Third Year in a Row!!!tag:idamayskipjack.ning.com,2019-09-02:4467033:BlogPost:232012019-09-02T22:30:00.000Zida mayhttp://idamayskipjack.ning.com/profile/idamay
<p>The Ida May won the Deal Island Skipjack Race for the Third Year in a Row!!! Here is the full article from the Daily Times of Salisbury by journalist Julia Rentsch. The article is entitled:</p>
<h1 class="asset-headline speakable-headline">Deal Island Skipjack Race revives historical sailing tradition</h1>
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<p>"With a sharp cannon blast, they were off. </p>
<p class="speakable-p-2 p-text">A fleet of skipjacks — traditional sailboats used in the Chesapeake Bay for oyster fishing —…</p>
<p>The Ida May won the Deal Island Skipjack Race for the Third Year in a Row!!! Here is the full article from the Daily Times of Salisbury by journalist Julia Rentsch. The article is entitled:</p>
<h1 class="asset-headline speakable-headline">Deal Island Skipjack Race revives historical sailing tradition</h1>
<p></p>
<p>"With a sharp cannon blast, they were off. </p>
<p class="speakable-p-2 p-text">A fleet of skipjacks — traditional sailboats used in the Chesapeake Bay for oyster fishing — took off with the shot. It was a bright morning with a blue sky of wispy clouds and a light breeze, and the sails filled gently, sending the boats on a slow, if dogged, glide forward. </p>
<p class="p-text">It was a calm start to what would become a nail-biting race, with two winning captains competing down to the wire for first place in the 60th annual Skipjack Race at Deal Island<span class="exclude-from-newsgate">, Maryland,</span> on Labor Day.</p>
<p class="p-text">Visitors come from far and wide to see these boats, with their full white sails, once again dot the bay's horizon line. One hundred years ago, a fleet of skipjacks oystering on the bay would have been a common sight, but the style of boat has become a rarity.</p>
<p class="p-text">Today, only about 20-25 skipjacks are working boats; more exist as pleasure boats. Almost all sailing skipjacks are restored and refurbished, as many originals were built around the turn of the 20th century.</p>
<p class="p-text">Aboard the skipjack Ida May on Monday, the foam hissed and waves splashed as the bow cut through the water, steered by Capt. Shawn Ridgley. </p>
<p class="p-text">"Slow and steady wins the race," said David Gladden, assistant professor at Salisbury University and son of the Ida May's owner, Gordon Gladden. </p>
<p class="p-text">The Ida May, originally built in 1906, is a lighter boat and easily moved to the front of the pack from the start. The boat is in good condition thanks to the Gladden family, despite having been rebuilt three times in its life.</p>
<p class="p-text">The Ida May has a history of wins — it came in first in 2017 and 2018 under Ridgley, and in 2013 under the captainship of John Price. But the crew weren't cocky; they kept an eye on the Rebecca T. Ruark, captained by the winningest captain in Deal Island Skipjack Race history, Wade Murphy.</p>
<p class="p-text">As the Ida May rounded the buoys marking the race course, the 14 people aboard acted as ballast, moving from one side of the boat to the other at Ridgley's order. Halfway through the roughly three-hour race, the Ida May was in front by a sizable margin. </p>
<p class="p-text">On the deck, Gordon Gladden reminisced about going out on the water with his father, a sailing enthusiast who at one time owned 12 skipjacks in addition to a host of other boats. The Gladden family has been involved with skipjacks for over 100 years, he said.</p>
<p class="p-text">The Ida May was his father's pride, Gordon Gladden said. </p>
<p class="p-text">"I feel almost a necessity to keep the tradition (of skipjack sailing) alive," he said, noting that while there once were a thousand of these boats in the Chesapeake, only a handful remain today. </p>
<div class="partner-placement partner-spike partner-placement-visible" id="ad-position-64"><div class="ad-slot" id="ad-slot-7103-md-salisbury-C1528-native-article_link-news-7"><div id="google_ads_iframe_7103/md-salisbury-C1528/native-article_link/news_1__container__">This far ahead of the competition, the skipjack race felt tranquil, and almost relaxed. But mishaps happen, Gordon Gladden said; sometimes, a boat's boom or mast will break under the strain. In 2013, during a race in Cambridge, the Ida May capsized just yards away from the finish line. </div>
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<p class="p-text">In other words, the race is never really in the bag until you've finished.</p>
<p class="p-text">As the Ida May sailed past its last buoy, the lead boat was in for a surprise: There was the Rebecca T. Ruark, neck-and-neck.</p>
<p class="p-text">Built in 1886 in Taylor's Island, the Ruark is older and heavier than the Ida May, but its bigger sails gave it a valuable speed boost. Briefly, the Ida May stole the Ruark's wind as the boats sailed closer and closer.</p>
<p class="p-text">The Ida May's crew watched Murphy's movements.</p>
<p class="p-text">"If he gets into the fresh air, we're toast," the Ida May's First Mate, Mike Oh, said.</p>
<p class="p-text">With a gust of wind, the Ida May pulled forward. </p>
<p class="p-text">"This is the most critical 300 yards we've had all day!" Ridgley said, as the people aboard crouched down on the port side to ensure they didn't create any drag.</p>
<p class="p-text">The crew's efforts paid off: The Ida May pulled ahead of the Ruark, and won the race handily. </p>
<p class="p-text">With the 60th annual Skipjack Race finished, the Ida May slowly returned to the Deal Island Marina, where its passengers and crew would head off to enjoy the Skipjack Festival, perhaps grabbing a classic soft crab sandwich for lunch. </p>
<p class="p-text">When asked about his secret to winning (aside from top-notch sailing), Ridgley pointed to the Ida May's great condition as a big help in clinching races. </p>
<p class="p-text">"The electric motor underneath doesn't hurt either," Ridgley joked."</p>
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<p></p>9/22/18: Ida May wins 2018 Choptank Heritage Race in Cambridge MD for 2nd year in a row!!!tag:idamayskipjack.ning.com,2018-09-22:4467033:BlogPost:225632018-09-22T19:30:00.000Zida mayhttp://idamayskipjack.ning.com/profile/idamay
<p>The skipjack, Ida May, won the 2018 Choptank Heritage Race for the second year in a row. Thanks again to <span>Capt. Shawn Ridgley and his able first mate and brother, Wes Ridgley! Congratulations also to owners Elbert and Gordon Gladden.</span></p>
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<p><span>We wondered how we would fare in today's race with much heavier winds than there were in Deal Island a couple of weeks ago. The experts said that the Ida May was just a small wind boat, but we proved them wrong after today's…</span></p>
<p>The skipjack, Ida May, won the 2018 Choptank Heritage Race for the second year in a row. Thanks again to <span>Capt. Shawn Ridgley and his able first mate and brother, Wes Ridgley! Congratulations also to owners Elbert and Gordon Gladden.</span></p>
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<p><span>We wondered how we would fare in today's race with much heavier winds than there were in Deal Island a couple of weeks ago. The experts said that the Ida May was just a small wind boat, but we proved them wrong after today's victory. The winds were light at the beginning of the race and they picked up steadily as the race progressed, gusting up to 15/20 knots. Capt. Ridgley had a plan from the start of the race and he followed that plan. We crossed the starting line in the back of the pack, but instead of sticking with the other boats, we went our own way. We took a long, lonely tack to the west, heading for the shoreline on the far side of the bridge from Cambridge. All of the other boats were headed down the river towards the first </span>buoy. They would all have to tack at some point; none of them could make the marker on a straight line. Once we started to hit shallower water, Caps. Ridgley turned the Ida May about and we marched down the river in pursuit of the other boats. The Ida May loves this tack and she sailed it so well. We thought that we might be able to make the marker without tacking, but we had to make one short tack to round the buoy. Our tactic worked like a charm, and we sailed ahead of the other boats when they had to make their turn. The only boat that could possibly have caught us was the Rebecca Ruark, but we actually put distance between us and her on the last legs of the race. The day was a perfect sailing day and we had a great time!!!! Unbelievable!!! I have to pinch myself.</p>
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<p>WBOC video about the 2018 Race: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/WBOCTV16/videos/276253863097984/">https://www.facebook.com/WBOCTV16/videos/276253863097984/</a></p>9/3/18: Ida May wins Deal Island Skipjack Race for the 2nd Year in a Row!!!tag:idamayskipjack.ning.com,2018-09-04:4467033:BlogPost:223042018-09-04T01:30:00.000Zida mayhttp://idamayskipjack.ning.com/profile/idamay
<p>The skipjack, Ida May, won the 59th Annual Deal Island Skipjack Race. This is the second year in a row for the Ida May to be the champion. Congratulations to Capt. Shawn Ridgley and his able first mate, Mike Oh!!! Congratulations as well to owners Elbert and Gordon Gladden.</p>
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<p>There was very little wind for the race. The Tangier Sound was glassy and the skipjacks' sails were slack, fluttery. The Ida May's yawl boat was having engine problems, so we decided to let someone tow…</p>
<p>The skipjack, Ida May, won the 59th Annual Deal Island Skipjack Race. This is the second year in a row for the Ida May to be the champion. Congratulations to Capt. Shawn Ridgley and his able first mate, Mike Oh!!! Congratulations as well to owners Elbert and Gordon Gladden.</p>
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<p>There was very little wind for the race. The Tangier Sound was glassy and the skipjacks' sails were slack, fluttery. The Ida May's yawl boat was having engine problems, so we decided to let someone tow us out of the harbor. We were dropped off near the starting line. Capt. Ridgley circled around and got us on a tack that enabled the Ida May to cross the starting line just as the gun sounded. The wind was coming from the south-west, blowing feebly towards the shore. We were on a straight-line that would allow us to round the first buoy without having to make a tack. The downside to this strategy was that the other boats were blocking our wind. The upside to this strategy (other than not having to make a tack) was that the current running against us was not as strong where we were, closer to the shore, in shallower water, as it was in the deeper Channel. The Fannie L. Daugherty was the closest boat to us and she was definitely blocking our wind. But because of the current, she could make no headway against us. The Somerset was also in the mix, even more in the Channel than the Fannie. We were the three lead boats. All the rest were bunched up or taking ill-advised tacks that set them back even further. After running neck and neck for a bit, the Ida May was finally able to break free from the Fannie L. Daugherty, and once we had some wind, we put considerable distance between us and the Fannie. The Somerset was on the Fannie's tail, no pun intended. We rounded the first buoy and took a nice tack out into the deeper waters of the Tangier Sound. We were in the shade and getting some wind!!! It felt great! The Fannie followed us but she couldn't keep up. We made a tack towards our next marker and the Fannie was unable to match our bee line to the next buoy. She had to fall off, while we surged ahead. The other boats were still flailing. Somehow the Somerset caught the Fannie for second place, but the Ida May won by at least 15-20 minutes. The committee called the race short because of the lack of wind. I believe the Ida May could've finished the course (maybe), but no other boat would've been able to. Capt. Ridgley and First Mate Oh are amazing!!! And the boat builders of Elbert Gladden, Gordon Gladden, David Gladden, Frank Antes, and Tom Evans will go down in history with the likes of Jim Richardson (ha!).</p>
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<p><a href="https://www.delmarvanow.com/story/news/local/maryland/2018/09/03/ida-may-dominates-59th-skipjack-race/1172744002/">https://www.delmarvanow.com/story/news/local/maryland/2018/09/03/ida-may-dominates-59th-skipjack-race/1172744002/</a></p>
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<p><a href="http://www.delmarvapublicradio.net/post/ida-may-wins-deal-islands-annual-skipjack-race">http://www.delmarvapublicradio.net/post/ida-may-wins-deal-islands-annual-skipjack-race</a></p>Ida May featured in May 2018 Chesapeake Bay Magazinetag:idamayskipjack.ning.com,2018-05-16:4467033:BlogPost:224032018-05-16T17:30:00.000Zida mayhttp://idamayskipjack.ning.com/profile/idamay
<p>The Ida May's victory in the 2017 Choptank Heritage Skipjack Race in Cambridge MD was highlighted in the May 2018 edition of the Chesapeake Bay Magazine. Here's the link to read the article.</p>
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<p><a href="https://www.chesapeakebaymagazine.com/features/2018/4/4/an-ida-may-day?rq=ida%20may">https://www.chesapeakebaymagazine.com/features/2018/4/4/an-ida-may-day?rq=ida%20may</a></p>
<p>The Ida May's victory in the 2017 Choptank Heritage Skipjack Race in Cambridge MD was highlighted in the May 2018 edition of the Chesapeake Bay Magazine. Here's the link to read the article.</p>
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<p><a href="https://www.chesapeakebaymagazine.com/features/2018/4/4/an-ida-may-day?rq=ida%20may">https://www.chesapeakebaymagazine.com/features/2018/4/4/an-ida-may-day?rq=ida%20may</a></p>9/25/17: Ida May is back home in Deal Island Harbortag:idamayskipjack.ning.com,2017-09-26:4467033:BlogPost:207082017-09-26T03:30:00.000Zida mayhttp://idamayskipjack.ning.com/profile/idamay
<p>The Ida May is back home in Deal Island Harbor. Keith Whitelock and Gordon Gladden brought her back home from Cambridge, fresh from her victory at the Choptank Heritage Skipjack Race. The Double Crown of skipjack racing belongs to the Ida May in 2017. This was a sure our year!</p>
<p>The Ida May is back home in Deal Island Harbor. Keith Whitelock and Gordon Gladden brought her back home from Cambridge, fresh from her victory at the Choptank Heritage Skipjack Race. The Double Crown of skipjack racing belongs to the Ida May in 2017. This was a sure our year!</p>9/24/17: Ida May wins the 2017 Choptank Heritage Skipjack Racetag:idamayskipjack.ning.com,2017-09-23:4467033:BlogPost:206012017-09-23T23:00:00.000Zida mayhttp://idamayskipjack.ning.com/profile/idamay
<p>The Ida May has pulled off the double crown of Skipjack racing by winning the 2017 Choptank Heritage Skipjack Race today, having already won the Labor Day race off Deal Island. Wow! We are ecstatic and so proud of the Captain, Shawn Ridgley, and his first mate, Michael Oh. The race was tight from the start with boats jockeying for prime position. We were sandwiched between the Rosie Parks on our starboard and the Lady Katie on our port. These boats were so close to us that I could've…</p>
<p>The Ida May has pulled off the double crown of Skipjack racing by winning the 2017 Choptank Heritage Skipjack Race today, having already won the Labor Day race off Deal Island. Wow! We are ecstatic and so proud of the Captain, Shawn Ridgley, and his first mate, Michael Oh. The race was tight from the start with boats jockeying for prime position. We were sandwiched between the Rosie Parks on our starboard and the Lady Katie on our port. These boats were so close to us that I could've jumped on either of her decks.... if I was a pirate. It was a nerve-racking experience but we had full confidence in Capt. Shawn. Once we cleared that danger and crossed the starting line cleanly, the Rosie Parks unexpectedly tacked and her bow sprit hit the back of our boom and momentarily caught our mainsail. Luckily we freed ourselves without damage, but we easily could've torn our sail to shreds and been tangled with the Rosie very near the wharf and lighthouse in Cambridge. That would not have been good, to say the least. We emerged from the scrum in first place and led the entire way. The Rebecca Ruark was our only competition and she almost caught us on the #21 buoy reach. Capt. Murphy of the Rebecca Ruark was attempting to make the buoy without having to tack. He was on a beeline for the buoy, and he had to really pinch it to try to make it. He had to close haul his sails in order to make for the direction of the #21 buoy, and for a moment, we thought he was going to be able to do it, but at the last minute, he was forced to tack behind us. We passed the last buoy and headed for home. The Rebecca was close behind us and we thought sure she was going to haul us down, but amazingly, we put distance between us and her and finished the race well in front. The weather conditions were perfect for us today. Light and steady. We are a light boat that responds well to light conditions. The heavy boats, like the Kathryn and the Rebecca Ruark, do better in the stronger winds and waves. We had a wonderful time and the owners, Gordon and Elbert, were overjoyed at their good fortune. We felt like we redeemed ourselves for the capsizing of 2013.</p>9/4/17: Ida May Wins 2017 Deal Island Labor Day Skipjack Racetag:idamayskipjack.ning.com,2017-09-04:4467033:BlogPost:204012017-09-04T19:30:00.000Zida mayhttp://idamayskipjack.ning.com/profile/idamay
<p>The Ida May came in first place in the 2017 Deal Island Labor Day Skipjack Race!!!!</p>
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<p>Thanks to Capt. Shawn Ridgley for sailing a great race!!! Amazing!!! What a great day. Elbert and Gordon Gladden are very proud. </p>
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<p>We blew away the competition, stealing the other boats' wind and passing the fleet on the way to the first buoy. We then kept our lead the entire race and put much distance in between us and our nearest competitor. It was a perfect day to sail,…</p>
<p>The Ida May came in first place in the 2017 Deal Island Labor Day Skipjack Race!!!!</p>
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<p>Thanks to Capt. Shawn Ridgley for sailing a great race!!! Amazing!!! What a great day. Elbert and Gordon Gladden are very proud. </p>
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<p>We blew away the competition, stealing the other boats' wind and passing the fleet on the way to the first buoy. We then kept our lead the entire race and put much distance in between us and our nearest competitor. It was a perfect day to sail, steady but light winds that increased as morning turned to midday. The Ida May did great on the long run to the #14 Buoy near Wenona. Shawn kept her nose pointed into the wind and we made the mark in one tack. We were so far ahead of the other boats that we met only one boat on our return to the starting/finish line. The rest of the fleet had either given up and gone back to harbor, or they were still negotiating the first buoy! To give you another example of how fast we were sailing, let me tell you this story. Three boats crossed the starting line early before the gun went off. The Rebecca Ruark turned around to start again, but the Somerset and the Helen Virginia sailed on. Those two boats didn't turn around, but decided to run the race anyway, even if they were disqualified. Well, we passed both of those boats, taking their wind and leaving them in our wake. Wow, what a day!</p>9/24/16: Choptank Heritage Race 2016tag:idamayskipjack.ning.com,2016-09-24:4467033:BlogPost:192092016-09-24T17:00:00.000Zida mayhttp://idamayskipjack.ning.com/profile/idamay
<p>Whew! We had lots of wind and two reef points in our sails for the Choptank Heritage Race 2016 in Cambridge MD. It was a day for the big boats and the Rosie Parks won by a long margin. The Ida May was in the middle of the pack. We finished the race with a 6th place finish. Great job, Shawn Ridgely!!!</p>
<p>Whew! We had lots of wind and two reef points in our sails for the Choptank Heritage Race 2016 in Cambridge MD. It was a day for the big boats and the Rosie Parks won by a long margin. The Ida May was in the middle of the pack. We finished the race with a 6th place finish. Great job, Shawn Ridgely!!!</p>9/5/2016: Ida May wins Third Place in the 2016 Deal Island Skipjack Racetag:idamayskipjack.ning.com,2016-09-05:4467033:BlogPost:191072016-09-05T20:00:00.000Zida mayhttp://idamayskipjack.ning.com/profile/idamay
<p><a href="http://www.delmarvanow.com/story/news/local/maryland/2016/09/05/murphy-skipjack-race-2016/89883448/">http://www.delmarvanow.com/story/news/local/maryland/2016/09/05/murphy-skipjack-race-2016/89883448/</a></p>
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<p>Congratulations to new captain, Sean Ridgely, who did an admirable job at the helm of the Ida May. It was a great race and a perfect day. The Hurricane blew by and left us with brisk but manageable winds.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.delmarvanow.com/story/news/local/maryland/2016/09/05/murphy-skipjack-race-2016/89883448/">http://www.delmarvanow.com/story/news/local/maryland/2016/09/05/murphy-skipjack-race-2016/89883448/</a></p>
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<p>Congratulations to new captain, Sean Ridgely, who did an admirable job at the helm of the Ida May. It was a great race and a perfect day. The Hurricane blew by and left us with brisk but manageable winds.</p>6/2/16: Ida May back home to Deal Island Harbortag:idamayskipjack.ning.com,2016-06-19:4467033:BlogPost:191012016-06-19T13:56:39.000Zida mayhttp://idamayskipjack.ning.com/profile/idamay
<p>The Ida May is back home to Deal Island Harbor. Thanks Keith Whitelock for helping out!!!</p>
<p>The Ida May is back home to Deal Island Harbor. Thanks Keith Whitelock for helping out!!!</p>12/31/15: The Ida May is in Salisbury for the Winter 2015tag:idamayskipjack.ning.com,2015-12-31:4467033:BlogPost:177112015-12-31T18:00:00.000Zida mayhttp://idamayskipjack.ning.com/profile/idamay
<p>The Ida May is in Salisbury, docked on the Wicomico River, for the Winter 2015.</p>
<p>The Ida May is in Salisbury, docked on the Wicomico River, for the Winter 2015.</p>9/26/15: Rosie Parks wins the Choptank Heritage Skipjack Race 2015tag:idamayskipjack.ning.com,2015-09-26:4467033:BlogPost:179082015-09-26T23:44:44.000Zida mayhttp://idamayskipjack.ning.com/profile/idamay
<p>Congratulations to the captain and crew of the Rosie Parks who won the 2015 Choptank Heritage Skipjack Race!!! It was a windy day and perfect for those big boats to fly. The Ida May didn't have a chance. The Rosie was faster with her jib down than the Ida May with full sail. We had a wonderful time and Capt. Jimmy Murphy did an admirable job in the rough conditions of the Chotank River. Thanks Jimmy!!!…</p>
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<p>Congratulations to the captain and crew of the Rosie Parks who won the 2015 Choptank Heritage Skipjack Race!!! It was a windy day and perfect for those big boats to fly. The Ida May didn't have a chance. The Rosie was faster with her jib down than the Ida May with full sail. We had a wonderful time and Capt. Jimmy Murphy did an admirable job in the rough conditions of the Chotank River. Thanks Jimmy!!!</p>
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<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2233684714?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="750" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2233684714?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" width="750" class="align-full"/></a></p>9/19/15: Ida May is in Cambridge MD and ready to race the Choptank Heritage Race on 9/26/15tag:idamayskipjack.ning.com,2015-09-21:4467033:BlogPost:179052015-09-21T03:31:11.000Zida mayhttp://idamayskipjack.ning.com/profile/idamay
<p>Thanks Jimmy Murphy, Frank Antes, and Keith Whitelock for bringing the boat up to Cambridge MD from her home harbor in Deal Island MD. The Choptank Heritage Race will be on 9/26/15. We didn't make it up last year, and the year before, well, let's not talk about the year before.</p>
<p>Thanks Jimmy Murphy, Frank Antes, and Keith Whitelock for bringing the boat up to Cambridge MD from her home harbor in Deal Island MD. The Choptank Heritage Race will be on 9/26/15. We didn't make it up last year, and the year before, well, let's not talk about the year before.</p>9/7/15: Ida May comes in 5th Place in the Deal Island Skipjack Races 2015tag:idamayskipjack.ning.com,2015-09-08:4467033:BlogPost:178052015-09-08T03:00:00.000Zida mayhttp://idamayskipjack.ning.com/profile/idamay
<p>The Ida May remembers Capt. John Price, who died just one month ago. We miss you John!!!</p>
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<p>Dickie Webster stepped up in our time of need and took the helm of the Ida May in this year's Deal Island Races. Thank you Dickie! </p>
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<p>There was no wind at all. It reminded me of those years in the 70's and 80's when we'd bake under the sun and drift in the tide. There was such little wind that the finish line became the first buoy, and only half the boats could even make…</p>
<p>The Ida May remembers Capt. John Price, who died just one month ago. We miss you John!!!</p>
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<p>Dickie Webster stepped up in our time of need and took the helm of the Ida May in this year's Deal Island Races. Thank you Dickie! </p>
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<p>There was no wind at all. It reminded me of those years in the 70's and 80's when we'd bake under the sun and drift in the tide. There was such little wind that the finish line became the first buoy, and only half the boats could even make that!!! Once the tide turned against us, we actually went backwards for over an hour. Somehow we got 5th place. The Virginia W (haven't seen her in awhile; welcome back) won the race. </p>7/30/15: Capt. John Price passed away todaytag:idamayskipjack.ning.com,2015-07-31:4467033:BlogPost:175072015-07-31T03:00:00.000Zida mayhttp://idamayskipjack.ning.com/profile/idamay
<p><span>With a heavy heart, we inform you that the Ida May's Captain John P. Price, Jr., passed away on Thursday, July 30, 2015, at Peninsula Regional Medical Center in Salisbury, Md. </span></p>
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<p><span>We love you, John, and we will miss you dearly!!!</span></p>
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<p><a href="http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/delmarvanow/obituary.aspx?n=john-price&pid=175414874">http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/delmarvanow/obituary.aspx?n=john-price&pid=175414874</a></p>
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<p><span>With a heavy heart, we inform you that the Ida May's Captain John P. Price, Jr., passed away on Thursday, July 30, 2015, at Peninsula Regional Medical Center in Salisbury, Md. </span></p>
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<p><span>We love you, John, and we will miss you dearly!!!</span></p>
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<p><a href="http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/delmarvanow/obituary.aspx?n=john-price&pid=175414874">http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/delmarvanow/obituary.aspx?n=john-price&pid=175414874</a></p>
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<p></p>6/29/15: Beautiful Swimmers Revisited-A Documentary Inspired by William W. Warner’s 1976 Exploration of Watermen, Crabs and the Chesapeake Bay.tag:idamayskipjack.ning.com,2015-06-30:4467033:BlogPost:174012015-06-30T02:28:28.000Zida mayhttp://idamayskipjack.ning.com/profile/idamay
<p>For four decades, William W. Warner's Pulitzer Prize-winning best-seller, Beautiful Swimmers, has delighted readers everywhere. Now, in a riveting new film, award-winning writer Tom Horton picks up where Warner left off with the story of Callinectes sapidus, the Atlantic blue crab.</p>
<p>The documentary film Beautiful Swimmers is an initiative of the Bay Journal, a publication of Chesapeake Media Service, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.</p>
<p>The Bay Journal has been delivering exceptional coverage…</p>
<p>For four decades, William W. Warner's Pulitzer Prize-winning best-seller, Beautiful Swimmers, has delighted readers everywhere. Now, in a riveting new film, award-winning writer Tom Horton picks up where Warner left off with the story of Callinectes sapidus, the Atlantic blue crab.</p>
<p>The documentary film Beautiful Swimmers is an initiative of the Bay Journal, a publication of Chesapeake Media Service, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.</p>
<p>The Bay Journal has been delivering exceptional coverage of environmental issues in the Chesapeake Bay region since 1991. Tom Horton and David Harp are regular contributors.</p>
<h3 id="film-h3">About the Production</h3>
<p>How have the culture, science and management of the Chesapeake Bay's iconic blue crab changed since William W. Warner's book, Beautiful Swimmers, appeared 40 years ago?</p>
<p>Tom Horton's film update of this pioneering chronicle of Chesapeake crabbing, with the endorsement of Warner's family, investigates the whys and wherefores of the changes in the Bay, the crab fishery and the industry in general, as it weaves a colorful tale that entertains, educates and enlightens.</p>
<p>Horton returns to many places Warner visited, including Smith, Tangier and Deal Islands, Crisfield and the Eastern Bay. He discovers that two watermen featured in Warner's book still catch crabs the way they caught them when Warner visited them in the mid 1970's.</p>
<p>While much of the culture of the watermen has not changed in four decades, there have been many developments in the science and management of crabs and the crab industry. Interviews with Chesapeake scientists and managers illuminate major advances in our understanding of crabs and the challenges facing the Bay.</p>
<p>The blue crab is more deeply embedded in the ecology and culture of the entire Chesapeake system than almost any other creature. It inhabits every niche from the deep channels of the Bay to the marshes, the ocean, and the limits of tide in fresh water miles up the rivers. Any long-term changes in crab populations would have major consequences for the whole ecosystem.</p>
<blockquote id="film-blockquote"><p>"Warner’s book has never been out of circulation. Nothing published since, including James Michener’s blockbuster, Chesapeake, has surpassed it. Today’s Chesapeake is not the same bay in which William Warner conducted his inquiries of crabs and crabbing during the 1960s and ’70s. Yet much remains. In remoter parts of the estuary, it is still possible to revisit Warner’s storied haunts, even to go crabbing with characters he introduced in Beautiful Swimmers."</p>
<p>— Tom Horton</p>
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<p><a href="http://www.bayjournal.com/beautiful-swimmers-revisited">http://www.bayjournal.com/beautiful-swimmers-revisited</a></p>