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The ''Helen Virginia'' is a Skipjack boat built in Crisfield, Maryland in 1948. Having fallen into disrepair after decades of use, she underwent restoration beginning in 2013 in Chance, Maryland. The work was completed just in time to enter the 55th Annual Deal Island Skipjack Race, where maritime history was made on Sep 1, 2014 as the first-ever all-female skipjack crew, captained by Katarina Ennerfelt, sailed her to victory. ==The vessel== The ''Helen Virginia'' is a Skipjack, built during the post-WWII revival of skipjack building on the Chesapeake Bay. Designed by Caroll Bozman and built by Gus Forbush of Crisfield, MD,〔(【引用サイトリンク】date=Winter 2013 )〕 Helen Virginia sailed out of Deal Island, dredging oysters under Capt. Carroll Bozman and later, Capt. Jack Parkinson. She has a beam of and an overall length of .〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://forum.woodenboat.com/showthread.php?159088-Save-a-skipjack )〕 A 1987 entry in the Maryland State Archives notes that "''Helen Virginia'' is a 43.2' long two-sail bateau, or v-bottomed deadrise type of centerboard sloop, commonly referred to as a skipjack... She carries a typical skipjack rig of jib-headed mainsail and a single large jib with a club on its foot. Built in 1948 in Crisfield, Maryland following traditional Bay design and construction methods, ''Helen Virginia'' is significant as one of the 35 surviving traditional Chesapeake Bay skipjacks and a member of the last commercial sailing fleet in the United States." In 1996 the family of Captain Charles Todd, Sr. purchased ''Helen Virginia'' from Jack Parkinson. Todd had been a long-time captain and co-owner with his brother of the skipjack ''Anna Mae Rich''. According to the family, ''Helen Virginia'' was sunk at the time, but they wanted to save her. After a two-year restoration effort, including a new mast, ''Helen Virginia'' was returned to work dredging oysters. She was sold to Robert Wilson following the passing of Captain Todd in 2006. She underwent a refitting by Robert Wilson in 2006. By December 2008, she was listed for sale in ("Boneyard Boats" ) and eventually sold to a consortium of four partners, Stoney Whitelock, Katarina Ennerfelt, Richard Long & Frank Antes, in 2013.〔 ''Helen Virginia'' had, by that time, been sitting on dry land for at least two years and had fallen into disrepair. She was patched up with boards covering the major leaks, placed in the water, and pumped out for three days until her wood had swollen enough to stay afloat while being towed from Ruark's Boatyard in Cambridge, MD to Deal Island for a restoration.〔 Witnesses at the start of the trip said later that they doubted she would make it without sinking. During the trip, the pumps were running the entire distance and by the time they arrived, her sides were beginning to break apart. She arrived after the 12 hour trip to Scott’s Cove Marina in Chance, MD, and full restoration work began in May 2013. The effort was completed on August 22, 2014.〔 ''Helen Virginia'' has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1985.〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://www.nationalregisterofhistoricplaces.com/md/somerset/state.html )〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Helen Virginia (Skipjack boat)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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