Skipjack Ada Fears was built in 1968 by Applegarth's Boatyard in Oxford, Maryland as a three sail bateau.

She is believed to be the last true skipjack built by this yard. In the 1970's she was converted to the now more  common two sail skipjack plan.

Clarke Reed bought her and did some restoration work on her including the mast and transom.

She was worked as an oyster dredge boat by Capt. Jim McGlincy during the early 1980's at which time she sailed the Chesapeake under the name Lady Agnes. The Lady almost went down under the weight of her own cargo and Capt. McGlincy gave her up. He went on to own the oyster dredging Schooner Kathryn M. Lee.

Mr. Kirk Irwin bought her in June 1991 with a thought of chartering her for day sails, and began a major overhaul including:

• New fir deck beams and marine plywood decking, covered with two sheets of fiberglass
  

• New shear planking and clamp rail
  

• New railing all around
  

• New Oak/Stainless steel rubrail
  

• New boom
  

• New bowsprit
  

• New stainless steel hull fasteners New skeg thrubolts
  

• New Center crossbeams
  

• New wiring, running lights, depth sounder
  

• New fuel tank
  

In July of 1998 Carl Oulton bought her. During the summer of 2000, Mr. Oulton replaced the mast with a new one made of Yellow Pine and renamed the Skipjack,  Ada Fears, after his grandmother.

Mr. Oulton later sold her to Tom Doherty……. (more history to come)

Skipjack Ada Fears

History

"To see a skipjack under sail is to feel the pull of Maryland history, when generations of watermen made a living off the most beautiful and bountiful inland estuary in the world."