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CBMM will host its annual Charity Boat Auction on Saturday, Aug. 30, with dozens of donated vessels up for bid in support of its mission.

CBMM will host its annual Charity Boat Auction on Saturday, Aug. 30, with dozens of donated vessels up for bid in support of its mission.

ST. MICHAELS, Md., Aug. 6, 2025 – CBMM will host its annual Charity Boat Auction on Saturday, Aug. 30, inviting guests to its waterfront campus to bid on donated vessels of all shapes and sizes in support of its mission.

Dozens of boats and watercraft, ranging in size and performance, will be auctioned off to the highest bidders. There will be reserves on several top-quality vessels, while the rest will be offered with no minimum.

The doors open at 8am, providing an opportunity to browse the inventory before the auction begins at 11am. For the official rules, auction details, absentee bidding protocols, and inventory updates, visit cbmm.org/CharityBoatAuction.

All registration for in-person bidding is handled on the day of the event. Registered bidders pay a $5 paddle fee. CBMM members receive free admission into the Charity Boat Auction. Non-members pay $5 until 11am and then general admission rates apply.

The Charity Boat Auction is the flagship event of CBMM’s Charity Boat Donation Program. (Photo by Dick Bodorff)

The Charity Boat Auction is the flagship event of CBMM’s Charity Boat Donation Program. (Photo by Dick Bodorff)

A Labor Day weekend staple for more than two decades, the Charity Boat Auction is the flagship event of CBMM’s Charity Boat Donation Program, which accepts and sells gently used boats year-round. Every sale directly supports CBMM’s mission to explore and preserve the history, environment, and culture of the entire Chesapeake Bay region, and make this resource available to all.

Many of the auction vessels are already listed online at cbmm.org/BDP. This year’s featured vessels include a 2005 Sea Ray Sundancer 300, a 1961 O’Neil Jones wood charter boat named Ruth D, a 1994 Silverton 310 Express, an antique fantail launch built in Delaware in 1900, and a like-new 2023 Compac Legacy 16, plus many more power and sailing vessels and paddlecraft.

Beginning at 8:30am, guests can also shop a flea market-style tag sale that features a variety of used boating gear. Adding to the festive scene, there will be a local food truck on hand and coffee and beer available for purchase.

Prospective buyers have several different ways to check out the inventory, starting with a preview exclusively for CBMM members on Thursday, Aug. 28, from 5–7pm. To get your Member Night invitation and become a part of the Chesapeake story, visit cbmm.org/memberships or contact Membership Services Coordinator Debbie Ruzicka at 410-745-4991 or druzicka@cbmm.org.

The auction boats will be listed online and available for public view at CBMM on Friday, Aug. 29, from 10am–6pm. Regular admission rates will apply until 3pm that day, and gates will open for free from 3–6pm.

For safety reasons, non-service dogs are prohibited during CBMM festivals and special events, including the Charity Boat Auction.

If you have additional questions about the auction or available inventory, please contact CBMM’s Charity Boat Donation team at boatdonation@cbmm.org.

Jeanne and Marty McLean spend the week of the Charity Boat Auction volunteering to help make the event a success.

Jeanne and Marty McLean spend the week of the Charity Boat Auction volunteering to help make the event a success.

This is part of a regular series of features highlighting volunteers and their impact at CBMM. For more information on volunteering opportunities with CBMM’s Charity Boat Donation Program team and other areas across campus, visit cbmm.org/volunteer or contact volunteer@cbmm.org.

By Eric Detweiler, Marketing & Communications Manager

Every spring, Jeanne and Marty McLean make hotel reservations for their annual end-of-summer visit to St. Michaels, Md. As the trip gets closer, the retired educators carefully go over their packing list and count down the days to one of their favorite weeks of the year. 

Sounds like a typical vacation, right? Well, the McLeans make the three-hour drive from Allentown, Pa., to spend the week at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, helping the Charity Boat Donation Program staff to make final preparations for the annual Charity Boat Auction.

As volunteers, the McLeans chip in wherever they can. They log long hours getting the dozens of auction vessels ready for the big day and then help make sure everything goes smoothly as they are auctioned off to the highest bidders to benefit CBMM’s mission.

Along the way, they find time to explore what’s new on campus and eat at favorite restaurants in town. They see old friends and make new ones. 

In other words, there’s no place that the McLeans would rather be during that special week. 

“A lot of people back home don’t understand,” Marty McLean said. “They’re like, ‘Oh, you’re going to be vacationing down there? You’re going to be sailing a lot?’ I say, ‘We might sail a little bit, but it’s basically a working vacation.’ We keep coming back because it’s a working vacation that we really, really like.”

Jeanne and Marty McLean spend the week leading up to the Charity Boat Auction helping to get the vessels ready for their moment in the spotlight.

Jeanne and Marty McLean spend the week leading up to the Charity Boat Auction helping to get the vessels ready for their moment in the spotlight.

Jeanne and Marty McLean’s passion for sailing goes back four decades. They bought a small plastic and styrofoam sailboat in their first year of marriage and learned to sail it together. Over time, they grew their family and their fleet, logging countless hours on Lake Nockamixon, not far from their home in eastern Pennsylvania. 

The McLeans made their first trip to CBMM’s Charity Boat Auction about 10 years ago after hearing about it from a friend. They left home at 4am in an effort to beat Labor Day weekend traffic and headed back later that same day without buying anything. 

“We thought, ‘That was really cool,’” Marty remembered. “And we’ve just kept coming back.”

Right away, the McLeans noticed how many volunteers were involved in the event. They started asking how they could help.

It’s been a perfect fit: They love the event, the people who come together to put it on, and the educational programming that all the proceeds support. 

The first few years they were only able to stay for a couple of days, and in retirement, they’ve been able to extend the trip to a week.

The McLeans spend most of that time transporting and cleaning boats. They work together to make the donated vessels of all shapes and sizes look their best for their moment in the auction spotlight.

“We like the power boats, but we love the sailboats,” Marty said. “We like to get them as dressed up as we can for auction, and then see what happens.”

On the day of the auction, Jeanne McLean serves as the official recorder and her husband Marty pitches in wherever he can to help the day run smoothly.

On the day of the auction, Jeanne McLean serves as the official recorder and her husband Marty pitches in wherever he can to help the day run smoothly.

On auction day, Jeanne serves as official recorder, leaning on her knowledge of the vessels and the event to keep up with auctioneer Doug Marshall, while Marty does a little bit of everything, including pointing out bidders and helping guests with the boats that they’ve purchased.

“It’s so much fun when the bidding gets going back and forth,” Jeanne said. “There’s just so much excitement on campus that day, and we feel fortunate to be a part of it.”

CBMM’s Charity Boat Donation Program depends on a team of volunteers to support the auction annually, and the program’s Operations Lead Tom Shephard is grateful for the McLeans’ continued commitment to the effort. 

“Jeanne and Marty are special people,” Shephard said. “It’s been a pleasure to get to know them and count them as part of our team year after year. I’ve seen that the quality work they do to make our auction boats shine makes a real difference when the bidding begins.”

Over the years, they’ve made a slew of special memories helping guests find the right boat.  

In one case, a man approached Marty looking for advice: He knew he wanted to get into sailing but didn’t know which sailboat on the inventory list would be the best fit to get him started. He ended up getting a terrific deal on a 17-footer after his conversation with Marty.

“When it was over, he was all smiles,” Marty remembered. “Just absolutely delighted that this great sailboat was going to be part of his family.” 

Occasionally, the McLeans are the ones towing home a new find. It helps, no doubt, that their volunteer work gives them an early and in-depth preview of the inventory.

One year, they purchased a boat for themselves and another for their son, and another time, they were proud to place the winning bid on a beautiful melonseed skiff built on the Eastern Shore that remains special to both of them.

Ultimately, it’s the boats, the people, and the mission that bring the McLeans back to CBMM each year. In just a few months, they will start the planning for their next “working vacation.” 

“They are full days, but we just love it,” Jeanne said. “It’s a good tiredness at the end of the day.”

The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum will host its annual Charity Boat Auction on Saturday, Aug. 31, inviting guests to its waterfront campus to bid on dozens of donated vessels in support of its mission. (Photo by George Sass)

The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum will host its annual Charity Boat Auction on Saturday, Aug. 31, inviting guests to its waterfront campus to bid on dozens of donated vessels in support of its mission. (Photo by George Sass)

ST. MICHAELS, Md., Aug. 2, 2024 – Get a great deal while supporting a terrific cause by purchasing your next vessel at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum’s annual Charity Boat Auction on Saturday, Aug. 31.

Dozens of boats and watercraft, ranging in size and performance, will be auctioned off to the highest bidders. New this year, there will be reserves on several top-quality vessels, while the rest will be offered with no minimum.

The doors open at 8am, providing an opportunity to browse the inventory before the auction begins at 11am. For the official rules, auction details, absentee bidding protocols, and inventory updates, visit cbmm.org/CharityBoatAuction.

A Labor Day weekend staple for more than two decades, the Charity Boat Auction is the flagship event of CBMM’s Charity Boat Donation Program, which accepts and sells gently used boats year-round. Every sale directly supports CBMM’s mission to explore and preserve the history, environment, and culture of the entire Chesapeake Bay region and make this resource available to all.

This year's Charity Boat Auction will include this 2002 Century 27, outfitted with like-new twin Yamaha engines.

This year’s Charity Boat Auction will include this Century 27 center console boat with updated engines.

This year’s featured vessels include a Century 27 with like-new twin Yamaha engines, a Carolina Skiff 19 well-equipped for Bay adventures, a turnkey O’Day 31 sailboat, a Jarvis Newman 46 with liveaboard potential, and a 2014 Sea-Doo personal watercraft with less than 40 hours of runtime.

Beginning at 8:30am, guests can also shop a flea market-style tag sale that features a variety of used boating gear, including ground tackle, electrical equipment, hardware, rope, chain, oars, life jackets, motors, and more. Adding to the festive atmosphere, there will be a variety of local food trucks on hand and beer available for purchase.

Prospective buyers have several different ways to check out the inventory, starting with a preview exclusively for CBMM members on Thursday, Aug. 29, from 5–7pm. To get your Member Night invitation and become a part of the Chesapeake story, visit cbmm.org/memberships or contact Membership Services Coordinator Debbie Ruzicka at 410-745-4991 or druzicka@cbmm.org.

The auction boats will be listed online and available for public view at CBMM on Friday, Aug. 30, from 10am–6pm. Regular admission rates will apply until 3pm that day, and gates will open for free from 3–6pm.

All registration for in-person bidding is handled on the day of the event. Registered bidders pay a $5 paddle fee and receive free admission.

CBMM members receive free admission into the Charity Boat Auction. Otherwise, general admission rates apply.

For safety reasons, non-service dogs are prohibited during CBMM festivals and special events, including the Charity Boat Auction.

If you have additional questions about the auction or available inventory, please contact the CBMM Charity Boat Donation team at boatdonation@cbmm.org or 410-310-5103.

The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum will host its annual Charity Boat Auction on Sept. 2, inviting guests to its waterfront campus to bid on donated vessels of all shapes and sizes in support of its mission. Gates open at 8am, and the auction begins at 11am. (Photo by George Sass)

CBMM will host its annual Charity Boat Auction on Sept. 2, inviting guests to its waterfront campus to bid on donated vessels of all shapes and sizes in support of its mission. (Photo by George Sass)

ST. MICHAELS, Md., Aug. 1, 2023 – The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum will host its annual Charity Boat Auction on Saturday, Sept. 2, inviting guests to its waterfront campus to bid on donated vessels of all shapes and sizes in support of its mission.

Starting at 11am, dozens of boats and watercraft, ranging in size and performance from cabin cruisers to sailing dinghies and everything in between, will be auctioned off to the highest bidders with no minimums or reserves. The gates open at 8am for this rain-or-shine event.

“We look forward to this weekend every year,” said CBMM’s Charity Boat Donation Program Director Wes Williams. “We have a wide variety of boats ready to be sold via absolute auction, and we’re excited to be able to set up our buyers with great deals on these vessels.”

The Charity Boat Auction is the flagship event of CBMM’s Charity Boat Donation Program, which accepts and sells gently used boats year-round.

This program makes offering tax-deductible donations simple and straightforward and streamlines the sales process with competitive pricing on quality vessels. Every sale directly supports CBMM’s mission of preserving the history, environment, and culture of the Chesapeake Bay region and making this resource available to all.

In addition to the Charity Boat Auction, the festivities include a flea market-style tag sale, beginning at 8am, that features a variety of used boating gear, including ground tackle, electrical equipment, hardware, rope, chain, oars, life jackets, motors, and more. Food and beverages, including BBQ and beer, will be available for purchase starting at 10:30am.

Starting at 11am, dozens of boats and watercraft, ranging in size and performance from cabin cruisers to sailing dinghies and everything in between, will be auctioned off to the highest bidders with no minimums or reserves. (Photo by George Sass)

Starting at 11am, dozens of boats and watercraft, ranging in size and performance from cabin cruisers to sailing dinghies and everything in between, will be auctioned off to the highest bidders with no minimums or reserves. (Photo by George Sass)

Prospective buyers have several different ways to check out the inventory, starting with a preview exclusively for CBMM members on the evening Thursday, Aug. 31.

The auction boats will be listed online and available for public view at CBMM on Friday, Sept. 1, from 10am–6pm. Regular admission rates will apply until 3pm that day, and gates will open for free from 3–6pm. On auction day, guests can check out the vessels during the three hours before the bidding begins at 11am.

CBMM members and children ages 5 and under receive free admission into the Charity Boat Auction. Otherwise, general admission is $5 per person until 11am, with a $5 paddle fee for registered bidders. After 11am, regular two-day admission rates apply.

For safety reasons, non-service dogs are prohibited during CBMM festivals and special events, including the Charity Boat Auction.

For the official rules, auction details, absentee bidding protocols, and inventory updates, visit cbmm.org/CharityBoatAuction, or contact the CBMM Charity Boat Donation team at boatdonation@cbmm.org or 410-745-4992.

CBMM’s Charity Boat Donation Program is hosting a Mid-Summer Boat Sale on campus on Saturday, July 22, from 10am-4pm.

CBMM’s Charity Boat Donation Program is hosting a Mid-Summer Boat Sale on campus on Saturday, July 22, from 10am-4pm.

ST. MICHAELS, Md., July 14, 2023 – The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum’s Charity Boat Donation Program is hosting a Mid-Summer Boat Sale on campus on Saturday, July 22, from 10am-4pm. This is a terrific opportunity for prospective boat buyers to get discounted pricing on a new-to-you vessel for summer adventures on the water while supporting an excellent cause.

This sale will feature a special selection of ready-to-use runabouts, skiffs, and cruising sailboats. CBMM’s experienced staff will be on hand to help shoppers find a great boat at a great price.

“We’re excited to add this sale to our summer schedule ahead of our annual Charity Boat Auction on Labor Day weekend,” CBMM’s Charity Boat Donation Program Director Wes Williams said. “These are all boats that are ready to take away and start enjoying on the water, and we hope that prospective boat buyers will stop by our sale to check them out.”

Payment by cash, check, or credit card will be accepted during this sale. CBMM general admission is not required for those only shopping the sale that day.

Through its Charity Boat Donation Program, CBMM accepts and sells gently used boats year-round. The program makes offering tax-deductible donations simple and straightforward and streamlines the sales process with competitive pricing on quality vessels. Every sale directly supports CBMM’s mission of preserving the history, environment, and culture of the Chesapeake Bay region and making this resource available to all.

The program’s signature event is its Charity Boat Auction, which will be held this year on Saturday, Sept. 2. It’s an absolute auction with no minimums on a varied inventory of boats and watercraft, ranging in size and performance from cabin cruisers to sailing dinghies and everything in between. The donation deadline for vessels to be included in this edition is Aug. 4.

For more information on CBMM’s Charity Boat Donation Program, visit cbmm.org/BDP or contact the team at 410-745-4992 or boatdonation@cbmm.org.

CBMM Charity Boat Donations & Sales Program Director Wes Williams will share the ins and outs of what to expect when purchasing a boat during “Boat Buying 101” on April 19.

CBMM Charity Boat Donation Program Director Wes Williams will share the ins and outs of what to expect when purchasing a boat during “Boat Buying 101” on April 19. (Photo by George Sass)

ST. MICHAELS, Md., March 24, 2023 – Just in time for a new season on the water, the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum is aiming to help prospective boaters navigate the buying process.

CBMM Charity Boat Donation Program Director Wes Williams will lead “Boat Buying 101” on April 19 from 5:30-7:30pm in Van Lennep Auditorium, sharing the ins and outs of what to expect when purchasing a new-to-you vessel. The cost is $25, with a 20% discount for CBMM members, and registration is now open.

Williams is well-equipped to teach this crash course with a lengthy history of buying and selling boats. He has been a boat owner since he was 12 years old, and he spent a decade as owner/operator of a marina in Texas before arriving at CBMM in February 2021.

With this presentation, Williams aims to offer insight that can be useful to both first-time buyers and those seeking to upgrade or add to their fleet. Participants are encouraged to bring their questions about the process.

Through its Charity Boat Donation Program, CBMM accepts and sells boats year-round. Donations are tax-deductible and hassle-free, and sales directly support CBMM’s mission to explore and preserve the history, environment, and culture of the entire Chesapeake Bay region, and make this resource accessible to all.

Browse the current inventory at cbmm.org/boatdonationprogram or reach out via email (boatdonation@cbmm.org) or phone (410-745-4992) to get more information about the program.

CBMM also now accepts vehicle donations. Find more information about the Vehicle Donation Program at cbmm.org/vehicledonationprogram.