William Delano joins Shipwright Apprentice Program at Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum

ST MICHAELS, MD – William Delano, a native of Washington, D.C., has joined the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum as a Shipwright Apprentice. He will be part of the team responsible for the restoration of 1912 river tug Delaware and will help with the maintenance of CBMM’s floating fleet of historic vessel.

Delano received a certificate in boatbuilding and restoration from the IYRS School of Technology and Trades in Newport, R.I., formerly the International Yacht Restoration School, and completed internships with the Naval Surface Warfare Center Carderock’s Disruptive Technologies Lab in Bethesda, Md., and Joe Reid of Mast and Mallet Boatworks in Edgewater, Md. He also interned in CBMM’s working Shipyard during the summer of 2018.

“I am ecstatic to return to the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, a much younger me would be thrilled to know that I am becoming a shipwright,” says Delano, who attributes his love of the Bay to his father, who was raised on the eastern shores of both Maryland and Virginia.

Delano spent weekends on the Potomac River was involved with both sailing and rowing programs growing up. He’s also done volunteer work with his church, participating in two mission trips and helping with monthly soup kitchens.

CBMM provides apprenticeships to graduates of boatbuilding schools, and those with experience with wooden boatbuilding and repair, to help them gain on-the-job training and experience under the tutelage of master shipwrights. In addition to preserving historic vessels and passing on traditional maritime skills, Shipyard staff develop programs to engage CBMM’s guests.

This four-year apprenticeship program was registered in 2018 by the U.S. Department of Labor and the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing & Regulation, and covers 8,000 hours of real work experiences, including instruction and training on joinery techniques, ship layout, ship repair and construction, as well as leadership and management skill development. To learn more, visit cbmm.org.

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~ Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum