Canadian-built workboats arrive in Chesapeake Bay National Fisherman

Canadian boat builders break into Chesapeake Bay market: Millennium Marine and Provincial Boat and Marine

Introduction

Chesapeake Bay watermen have been well-acquainted with Canadian-built boats for decades. Provincial 42′ and 45′ workboats have been plying the region for years, constructed by Provincial Boat and Marine in Prince Edward Island, Canada.
However, there’s another Canadian boat builder that is making inroads into the bay’s fiberglass workboat market – Cory Guimond of Millennium Marine in Miramichi, New Brunswick. Millennium Marine has recently supplied two boats to the Bay region.

Meet the Boat Builders

Provincial Boat and Marine

Provincial Boat and Marine has been providing Chesapeake Bay watermen with sturdy boats for ages. The company’s 42′ and 45′ workboats are especially popular in the region. The boats boast of a sturdy, no-frills construction that is ideal for commercial fishing. Their simple, utilitarian design makes them well-suited for crabbing and fishing.

Millennium Marine

Millennium Marine, a boat builder from Miramichi, New Brunswick has been making inroads into the Chesapeake Bay’s fiberglass workboat market. The company recently provided two boats to the Bay region’s watermen.
One of the boats supplied by Millennium Marine is NuWave 37, which is 37′ LOA x 13′ beam and 26″ draft. The boat is powered by two 350 h. p. Suzuki outboards, which can propel it up to 40 knots.
Longtime waterman Maurice Bosse of Montross, Va. received delivery of the NuWave 37. Bosse is a high-line crabber on the Chesapeake Bay, and he has a 255-crab pot license from the Virginia Marine Resources Commission to fish the Virginia portion of Chesapeake Bay and a 285-pot license from the Potomac River Fisheries Commission to work Maryland’s Potomac River.

Changing Times for Watermen in Chesapeake Bay

Virginia’s crab fishermen have started shifting towards crabbing from trailered small outboard boats that can move quickly into areas where crabs are more plentiful. As a result, many of these watermen have started buying smaller, affordable trailered boats.
However, some experienced watermen, like Maurice Bosse, still prefer larger boats, as they need them to move their pots quicker. In Bosse’s words, “I needed a bigger boat to move my pots quicker, It just takes too much time to move them around in the small boats that we are working.”

The Robberechts’ Story – Crabbing Royalty of Chesapeake Bay

Maurice Bosse’s story dredges up memories of the Dutch crabbing royalty, the Robberechts, who dominated the eel fishery market in Virginia’s Chesapeake Bay for years. The Robberechts moved to Virginia in 1963, where they established a major eel fishery that thrived on the bay until conservation efforts to preserve the eel population limited the commercial harvesting of eels. Today, Maurice Bosse continues the legacy of the Robberechts as he follows in his grandfather’s footsteps as a highline crabber.

Smith Point Sea Rescue Gets a New Workhorse

The new Smith Point Sea Rescue (SPSR) vessel, Rescue III, built by Donelle 35, was just christened at a 50th-anniversary ceremony in May at Reedville, Va. Cory Guimond, the owner of Millennium Marine, drove down from Canada with his Maltese poodle, Pool Pompeii, to attend the event.
The new Donelle 35 hull is 34′ 8″ LOA, 13′ beam, and 44″ draft with an 18, 000 lb. displacement. The volunteer rescue group has served the Potomac River region for a half-century – towing boaters, including commercial fishing boats, that have broken down or grounded in shallow waters or delivered fuel to those who have run out.

Conclusion

Chesapeake Bay watermen have a secret love for sturdy, Canadian-built boats. Provincial Boat and Marine, the stalwarts of the rare trade for a long time, now have company as Millennium Marine also supplies boats to the region.
The new boats are lighter, faster, and more maneuverable, giving watermen a lot of options when it comes to crabbing. However, some experienced watermen still prefer larger boats to move their crab pots quicker. But whatever the boat size, the crucial thing is that the watermen of Chesapeake Bay continue their storied legacy of crabbing on the region’s waters with these new boats.

Originally Post From https://www.nationalfisherman.com/mid-atlantic/canadian-built-workboats-arrive-in-chesapeake-bay