Not only is the Chesapeake Bay a prime spot for boating, it is also one of the best locations for bird watching.

The Chesapeake Bay is home to a fleet of working watercraft that are essential tools for the watermen who depend on the Bay’s bounty for their livelihood. Despite their hardened work ethic, these boats have a unique grace and style. WATCH

The skipjack workboat was developed in the late 1800s as the successor to the larger schooner-style bugeyes that were used to harvest oysters under sail in the 19th century.

Crab cakes, crab imperial and crab dip are just a few of the blue crab specialties you’ll find at seafood restaurants and on home menus around the Chesapeake Bay region. Those tasty dishes may be challenging to find this year — or cost you more money — because of a shortage of immigrant workers.

If you’re a regular reader of Soundings, chances are you’ve seen Chesapeake Bay photographer Jay Fleming’s work. Always willing to go to the extreme to get the best shots, Fleming uses scuba gear, kayaks and a custom fiberglass skiff to get as close as possible to his subjects.

It’s the beautifully sloped stern of the Hooper Island draketail that sets her apart from other, more angular Chesapeake Bay deadrise workboats.