Title
Skipjack Wilma Lee - Docking Fee Waiver - For the purpose of waiving the fees for docking the Chesapeake Bay skipjack, Wilma Lee, at the Annapolis City Dock March 31-April 2, 2023, in celebration of “Maryland Day.”
Body
CITY COUNCIL OF THE
City of Annapolis
Resolution 4-23
Introduced by: Alderman Arnett
Referred to
Finance Committee
A RESOLUTION concerning
Skipjack Wilma Lee - Docking Fee Waiver
FOR the purpose of waiving the fees for docking the Chesapeake Bay skipjack, Wilma Lee, at the Annapolis City Dock March 31-April 2, 2023, in celebration of “Maryland Day.”
WHEREAS, the Annapolis-based Wilma Lee is one of only a few remaining Chesapeake Bay skipjacks out of an estimated 800 that once sailed the oyster-laden waters along the Maryland, Virginia and Carolina shores and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places; and
WHEREAS, skipjacks are the official State boat of Maryland (Maryland Code, General Provisions § 7-327), noted by the Maryland General Assembly at the time, "Nothing better represents the way of life of Maryland watermen than the historic Chesapeake Boat known as the Skipjack"; and
WHEREAS, the Wilma Lee is a member of the last commercial sailing fleet in the United States, built in Wingate, Maryland, in 1940 by the well-known boat builder Bronza Parks;
WHEREAS, the Wilma Lee was purchased by the Annapolis Maritime Museum from the non-profit Ocracoke Alive in June 2018 to preserve the maritime heritage of Annapolis and the Chesapeake Bay region; and
WHEREAS, the Wilma Lee dredged for nearly 55 years before running into the Tilghman Island drawbridge, which struck down her mast, and went through a five-year restoration in 1995, modernizing her with diesel engines, air-conditioning, a generator, and electric refrigeration, enabling her to continue oyster dredging along Eastern Seaboard, then was severely damaged again by Hurricane Arthur in 2014 and restored once again by the non-profit Ocracoke Alive in Ocracoke, North Carolina; and
WHEREAS, the Wilma Lee is a sloop-rigged 75-foot skipjack with a nearly 65-foot mast holding more than 1,500 square feet of sail, although she is also powered by a twin John Deere turbo-charged engines (150 hp).; and
WHEREAS, each season, the vessel visits many ports of call, welcoming people aboard for education programs, chartered cruises, and community events out of the Annapolis Maritime Museum; and
WHEREAS, the Wilma Lee will be visiting Annapolis at the City Dock from March 31-April 2, 2023, officially participating in the Maryland Day Weekend, and open for free deck tours Friday, Saturday and Sunday; and
WHEREAS, the Wilma Lee is owned and managed by the 501(c)3 non-profit Annapolis Maritime Museum, which relies on individual donations, corporate philanthropy, and grants to bridge the gap between earned income and operating expenses each year, and the museum has requested a waiver of docking fees while the skipjack is docked at Annapolis City Dock for Maryland Day activities; and
WHEREAS, the City of Annapolis, in recognition of the Annapolis Maritime Museum’s mission to promote historical maritime education, foster economic development and tourism, and represent the people of Maryland in every port the Wilma Lee visits, wishes to waive the fees for her to dock while visiting Annapolis March 31, 2023, through April 2, 2023.
NOW, THEREFORE,
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE ANNAPOLIS CITY COUNCIL that the fees for docking the Wilma Lee at the Annapolis City Dock March 31, 2023, through April 2, 2023, in celebration of “Maryland Day,” are hereby waived.
AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED BY THE ANNAPOLIS CITY COUNCIL that this resolution shall take effect from the date of its passage.