voc ep 82: Capt. Wade & Lil’Wade Murphy

This week on Voices of the Chesapeake Bay our guest is Capt. Wade Murphy, Jr. of Tilghman Island, Maryland. Recently retired octogenarian, oysterman and captain of the skipjack Rebecca T. Ruark (the oldest surviving skipjack, built in 1896) is joined in the interview by his son Lil’Wade Murphy, a skipjack owner and captain in his own right. Recorded just a few blocks from the local boatyard, these robust Chesapeake men reveal some of the challenges and traditions that guide their way in the low light of the morning to and from historic Chesapeake oyster reefs. Passage from father to father and father to son on boats that, with a modicum of annual care and repair, sailing oystermen carry home the iconic and savory catch in the face of water quality degradation, and neighborly challenges from this and other forms of oystering. This is the first of a series of Tilghman Island tales with an assist from former skipjack crew member Roo Wood, and, inspiration from Christopher White, author of Skipjack: The Story of America’s Last Sailing Oystermen, a timeless book in which these captains and their 100-year old boats are the stars.

Voices of the Chesapeake Bay is broadcast in three segments each Sunday morning on 103.1 WRNR-FM Annapolis and streaming in real time at www.wrnr.com, or anytime listening at: voicesofthechesaapeakebay.net.

Photos courtesy of Christopher White and Greg Bassett at the Salisbury Independent - BaytoBayNews.com