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“Get Somers Started” will be the theme at Reedville Fishermen’s Museum (RFM) Sunday afternoon May 24 (Memorial Day weekend), when the museum hosts a summer kickoff party to benefit the skipjack Claud W. Somers.
From 3 to 5 p.m. attendees will enjoy live music, nautical demonstrations, and tastings from local restaurants, wineries, breweries, and distilleries. The cost is $40 for RFM members, $50 for non-members, and $75 for a VIP table.
Captain Gerhard Straub says, “Claud W. Somers was built in 1911 and restored between 2000 and 2001 by volunteers at the Reedville Fishermen’s Museum. Overall she is in pretty decent shape thanks to the good care she has received over the years. However, all vessels and their associated systems get a little harder and more expensive to maintain as they age, and we are starting to see small areas of rot that need to be addressed. If we can get those taken care of before they become really big problems and significantly affect the structural integrity of the vessel, it will save lots of money in the future. Of course we also have all the smaller items to deal with that go with an older boat, such as renewal of some of her rigging, but the main focus first is to head off any major problems.”
The Claud W. Somers was built for oyster dredging by Tom Young in Accomack County on Virginia’s Eastern Shore more than 100 years ago. She was a workboat until 1983, when Alfred Garey Lambert purchased her. Lambert worked to restore the vessel until his death in 1999, when his children selected the Reedville Fishermen’s Museum as her new steward. During the RFM’s 2000-2001 renovation project, more than 35 volunteers worked more than 3000 hours to complete extensive repairs and restoration.
Tickets for the Get Somers Started celebration may be purchased at the museum or by calling (804) 453-6529. Learn more at rfmuseum.org
