Island Blossom #9
In 1892 "Capt. Will" Myers of Oxford, Maryland, a prosperous land owner and farmer, commissioned a log canoe to be built by William Sidney Covington at Tilghman's Island. Capt. Will provided the necessary three big loblolly pine logs from his woodland and floated them to Tilghman, where Cap.t Sid chopped, edged and fitted them into one of the most famous of all log canoes - "Island Blossom".
"Blossom" was first raced by an all-Oxford crew in the 1890's with Capt. John Gibson at the helm, Buck Richardson on the jib and Clarence Dobson on the springboards. In those days, the canoes frequently raced in Eastern Bay off Claiborne, where they attracted large spectator fleets. During one race with her arch-rival "John B. Harrison", a huge canoe measuring forty feet long, "Blossom" capsized in extremely light air. Despite the tangle of squaresails and stay sails, "Blossom's" very able crew were able to de-rig her in the water, remove the masts, bail her out, re-step the masts, rig the sails - and went on, miraculously, to win the race!
In the early 1920's interest in log canoe racing came to a virtual standstill and "Blossom" was sold to Standley Evans of Elkton, who used the boat for family pleasure sailing. In 1950 "Blossom" was acquired by the grandson of Sidney Covington, John C. North, and returned to Talbot waters.
When acquired by Mr. North, "Blossom's" hull was in remarkably good condition, but her rig was poor and her old poplar masts badly checked and twisted. New hollow sprice spars were built by the Davis shipyard at Solomon's Island, and Downes Curtis of Oxford made new sails from Egyptian cotton.
Capt. Clarence Dobson skippered "Blossom's" to many wins in the 1950's, followed by Ben Harrison, another of the builder's grandsons, of Tilghman's Island and by Johnny Thompson of Oxford. "Island Blossom" has been owned by the estate of John C. North since 1979. In the early 1980's she was skippered by Douglas Hanks of Oxford, Maryland, who won the Capt. Bob Wilson High Point Trophy six years in a row, and unprecedented record and one which will probably never again be matched.
"Island Blossom" is presently skippered by Corbin Penwell of St. Michaels.