Saying Farewell to the Dove

For almost three years, the Maryland Dove has been very much a part of our Mid-Shore life. Beginning in 2019, when the Spy first began coverage of this remarkable reconstruction project of one of two ships that brought the first English settlers to what is now called the state of Maryland, the Dove project at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum has captivated locals and visitors alike as the 84-foot vessel came to life.

During this three-year love affair, The CBMM leadership went out of their way to remind the community that the Dove would one day actually leave St. Michaels and eventually dock at the state’s Historic St. Mary’s, which commissioned the replica and its permanent owner. But that didn’t stop a collective sense that the new Dove would always be intertwined with the Mid-Shore. Nonetheless, reality set in a few weeks ago when the Dove finally crossed the Chesapeake Bay and sailed into its new home.

The Spy was one of those that found it hard to say goodbye after several feature stories on the Dove’s historical significance and the mastery of the CBMM shipwrights. And our solution was to send Spy agent Cecile Storm on the final practice runs with Maryland Dove’s Captain Will Gates.

This video is approximately five minutes in length. For more information about the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum please go here.  For Historic St. Mary’s please go here.