Now in its 40th year, the Mid-Atlantic Small Craft Festival is one of the nation’s largest gatherings of amateur and professional boatbuilders and enthusiasts who come from all over the region to display their one-of-a-kind kayaks, canoes, and other traditional small craft.
MASCF XL will be held Oct. 6-8, 2023, and includes a variety of workshops, seminars, and demos, all tailored to small craft enthusiasts & boatbuilders. The weekend will also include paddling and sailing races, kids’ activities, opportunities to enter your boat for judging, and more. Most importantly, this is a chance for small craft enthusiasts to enjoy the water together.
REGISTRATION FEES
Adult Registration (NON-MEMBER) – $170*
Adult Registration (MEMBER) – $145* – Learn how to become a CBMM member today!
Youth Registration Ages 6-17 (Members & Non-Members) – $35
Children 5 & Under – FREE
*You have the option to include an event t-shirt as part of your participant registration fee.
WHAT DOES MY REGISTRATION INCLUDE?
MASCF Participants receive the following:
- Daily complimentary admission to the CBMM’s 18 acre museum, and waterfront access to the Miles River
- Access to a full schedule of activities & programs specifically designed for MASCF registrants, including demos/workshops, guest speakers, sailing and rowing races, boat judging competitions, kid’s activities, and much more!
- Continental breakfast on Saturday & Sunday
- Dinner on Saturday
- Complimentary overnight camping & access to CBMM’s marina shower facilities
Additional t-shirts & tickets to the Saturday night dinner can be purchased at the registration booth throughout the weekend.
IMPORTANT CAMPUS UPDATES
We are excited to be nearing completion of our brand new Welcome Center, slated to open in mid-October! This new facility will house CBMM’s Welcome Center, Museum Store, and three exhibition spaces. While the space is no longer under construction, our campus has changed quite a bit over the past year. The building won’t yet be open to the public for MASCF, but we will be offering participants a behind-the-scenes tour! (Details will be included in the schedule of events.)
While camping will not be permitted within CBMM’s campus fence line, vehicle access will be available for participants to drop off their vessels near the dock.
CAMPING
With the completion of CBMM’s new Welcome Center, camping will not be permitted within the fence line of CBMM’s campus. As in past years, camping will be available in and around the wooded areas along CBMM’s driving path. We ask everyone to be mindful of the space in which they are utilizing.
There are no assigned spots, and hook-ups including power & water cannot be provided. There are various areas on campus to access water & power, however. Bathroom/shower facilities are also available. There is no additional fee for camping at MASCF.
BOAT RAMPS
CBMM will have two walk-down launch ramps available dockside for boats that can be lifted off their trailer or car top and carried down the ramp (even if it takes several hands, there are always plenty of folks around to help). If your vessel is too heavy for those ramps, there is a free ramp across the harbor (Click Here for directions). Docking at CBMM for MASCF participants is without reservations—use a slip that’s available, and share it when you are out on the water. There will be designated parking for boat trailers.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
Thursday, October 5
Overnight Gunkholing Trip to Wye Island
A pre-festival camp-cruise in small boats has been a fixture at MASCF for years. The colorful fleet of small-craft sail about nine miles to a campground/anchorage on Wye Island for an overnight, then returns to the CBMM waterfront on Friday, Oct. 6. Contact Pete Lesher for more information at plesher@cbmm.org (410-745-4971). Pre-registration with Pete is required. Skipper’s meeting will take place at noon along CBMM’s boardwalk. Departure at approximately 1pm.
Friday, October 6
Arrive anytime; registration available after 2pm. Spend the day getting reacquainted, setting up your campsite, and messin’ about.
2pm – Registration Booth opens at 2 pm (Fogg’s Landing)
5:30pm – Informal Cookout (Fogg’s Landing / Rain Location: Under the tent by the bandstand)
BYOE (Bring Your Own Everything) – Bring your own delicacies to grill, CBMM provides soft drinks and will be offering freshly shucked oysters.
6pm – Music by the Hard Times Band
Comprised of CBMM’s talented staff!
10pm – Quiet time for campers
Late-nighters should remain in the cookout area.
Saturday, October 7
Messin’ about starts anytime you want!
7am – Coffee, pastries, and lite fare available (Van Lennep Auditorium – Steamboat Building)
Served in the until about 9am.
8:30am – Registration booth reopens (Fogg’s Landing)
8:30am – Cardboard boat construction (Fogg’s Landing / Rain Location: Under the tent by the bandstand)
Design and build a sturdy, or not-so-sturdy, cardboard racer for the rowing/paddling races to be held later in the afternoon. If you’ve outgrown the model boat building activity but still can’t legally drive a car, this is for you. All materials provided. Boats will launch at Noon.
9am – Judging begins
9-10:30am – Craft workshop (Small Boat Shed)
Details coming soon!
9:30am – Kid’s model building and sailing (Deck of Steamboat Building)
All ages are welcome! Build, decorate, then sail your boat in the model pond. Assorted kits to choose from. (Free for MASCF youth registrants)
10am-4pm – On-going Demonstrations (Fogg’s Landing)
The Wooden Boat Builders School will be on-site to demo a variety of woodworking and maritime skills.
10:30am – In-depth Boat Discussion (New Welcome Center)
Join Pete Lesher and Richard Scofield in a discussion on this year’s boat of choice along with a behind-the-scenes tour of CBMM’s new Welcome Center, slated to open late fall.
10:30am – Marine Watercolors (Location TBD)
Karen Rutherford brings back her very popular workshop for the aspiring, or established, artists among us.
Noon – Kid’s Cardboard Boat Races (In front of the Steamboat Building)
The boats have been built, now it’s time to test their seaworthiness!
Noon – Sailing Race Skipper’s Meeting – mandatory for racing skippers (Oystering Deck)
Followed by the sailing races at 1:00 pm.
3pm – Rowing Races Skipper’s Meeting – mandatory for rowers (Oystering Deck)
Followed by the rowing races and cardboard boat races at 3:30 pm.
4:30pm – Shanty Sing (Location TBD)
Sing along, or just listen, as these folks strike up a nautical tune and demonstrate how the music lightened the workload on a working boat.
5:30pm – Dinner & Awards (Under the tent by the bandstand)
7pm – Guest Speaker (Van Lennep Auditorium – Steamboat Building)
Keynote Speaker: Douglas Brooks
All Day – Chesapeake Light Craft (Fogg’s Landing)
CLC will be exhibiting throughout the day on Saturday. Enjoy a large and varied fleet of boats on display and in the water. CLC will have some of its fleet of sailing craft on hand: the Jimmy Skiff II, Lighthouse Tender Peapod, Skerry, and Tenderly. Plus, PocketShip, the new Oxford Shell II , and many others, including the Teardrop Camper.
Sunday, October 8
Messin’ about starts anytime you want!
7:00 am – Coffee, pastries, and lite fare available (Van Lennep Auditorium – Steamboat Building)
Served in the until about 9am.
10am – Swap meet (Fogg’s Landing)
Bring nautical items to swap or sell. There will be a general-use “For Sale” bulletin board set up for any marine items participants may want to sell.
Paddle-Jam 2023
(Hosted by the Talbot Chamber of Commerce Young Professionals)
Click here for more details & to register! (Use promo code SMALLCRAFT for $10 off registration)
8am – Walk up registration/Check-in Open (Fogg’s Landing)
9am – Launch (The course should take between 2-3 hour)
The post-paddle party, under the tent by the bandstand, begins immediately after with BBQ, local beer vendors, music, lawn games and awarding prizes!
More info about Paddle-Jam
The Talbot County Young Professionals are bringing Paddle-Jam to CBMM on Oct. 8, with the fundraiser supporting CBMM’s Rising Tide after-school program.
Designed to be enjoyed via kayak, canoe, or stand-up paddleboard, Paddle-Jam is back for the first time since 2019 with a new location and community partner.
Paddlers of all levels are invited to join this 4.5-mile paddle poker “fun run” along the Miles River, beginning at 10 am. The cost is $50 for participants who pre-register here and $60 for day-of, in-person registration.
This year, the Paddle-Jam course begins at CBMM’s Fogg’s Landing launch and takes participants past the iconic Hooper Strait Lighthouse, Inn at Perry Cabin, Miles River Yacht Club, and more while following the St. Michaels shoreline. Along the way, participants will receive random jumbo playing cards at various stops to create a poker hand with the best ones winning prizes.
The leisurely paddle finishes back at CBMM where the fun will continue with an After-Paddle Party featuring music, food, games, and local brews.
Registration fees are non-refundable. The event will take place weather permitting with no rain date. Participants should come prepared in case of wet weather.
