CBMM’s Pete Lesher is presented the inaugural Commodore’s Marlinspike Award by ACBS-Chesapeake Bay Chapter Board Member Jeff Beard. (Submitted photo | cbmm.org )
ST. MICHAELS, MD. – During the Boat Captains’ Welcome Reception on June 16, Pete Lesher of the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum was awarded the first-ever Commodore’s Marlinspike Award for his ongoing contributions to boating history. The presentation was a highlight of the Antique and Classic Boat Society’s 35th annual boat festival at CBMM, which features traditional boats, nautical art, and bay-area culture on Father’s Day weekend each year.
The Commodore’s Marlinspike Award was inspired by Lesher’s ongoing body of work in which he “unravels the knots of history” and interprets his findings for multiple audiences. Lesher was recently promoted to Chief Historian and Ambassador at Large at CBMM, where he has been employed since 1991. Among the many topics presented by Lesher during past Festivals were “Chesapeake Bay Steamboat Lines,” “Hooper Island Draketails,” “Boats by Bronza Parks,” and “Automobile Ferries on Chesapeake Bay and Tributaries.”
Lesher earned a bachelor’s degree from Lafayette College and earned a master’s in History from Columbia University. His professional contributions include serving on the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority, the board of Maryland Humanities, the Council of American Maritime Museums, and as an accreditation peer reviewer for the American Alliance of Museums. Closer to home, Lesher serves as Vice President of the Talbot County Council. He lives in Easton, Md., with his wife Mariana and two children, with whom he sails a classic 1963 Bermuda 40 yawl and a 1922 18-foot Lowndes Johnson-designed sloop.
The Marlinspike Award was the result of a nomination by the Chesapeake Bay Chapter’s Board Member Jeff Beard in appreciation of Lesher’s many years of close cooperation with the volunteer Antique and Classic Boat Society.
“Our Antique Boat Club is extremely grateful for the opportunity to work with the professionals at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum,” said Beard. “And we look forward to next year’s show on CBMM’s beautiful campus featuring classic fishing boats.”
Next year’s Antique & Classic Boat Festival, to be held on June 14-16, 2024, will feature vintage commercial and sport fishing vessels from all along the East Coast, including old Boston Whalers to antique Rybovich sport fishermen, and everything in between.
(This news release was submitted by Antique and Classic Boat Society-Chesapeake Bay Chapter President Bob Hamilton.)
