Maritime Museum Seeking Volunteers to Help with Mister Jim

Volunteer crew members aboard the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum’s replica buyboat Mister Jim prepare the vessel for visitors. Pictured from the left: museum volunteers John Gillespie, Duane Lundahl, Lloyd Devigne, Lou Berman, Tom Hollingshead, and Robin Gordon. The museum is recruiting new volunteers for its on-the-water programs with crew testing on June 1 from 9:30 a.m. to noon at the museum in St. Michaels. Call 410-745-4956 for more info.

      St. Michaels, MD -- The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in St. Michaels, Maryland, will be recruiting volunteer crew members for its on-the-water programs with crew testing on Wednesday, June 1, from 9:30 a.m. to noon at the museum’s campus. As crew members, volunteers aboard the museum’s buyboat, Mister Jim, ensure the safety of passengers and share information with visitors about the Chesapeake Bay.
     Volunteers should be comfortable aboard a boat and possess some general boating skills. Participants will be selected based on their ability to perform basic agility skills such as climbing down a ladder into the engine compartment, climbing on top of the cabin to lift the raft, tying up the vessel, and setting up the man overboard ladder.
     Volunteers selected must be willing to participate in a Coast Guard required drug-testing program, attend three half-day training sessions, and make a commitment to work at least six days during the summer season. Shifts are six hours long and are available Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays through the fall.
     Individuals interested in volunteering as crew for the museum’s on-the-water programs will learn safe boating practices and the specific procedures necessary to ensure the safety of passengers aboard the buyboat Mister Jim. They will also develop talking points based on the region's social, cultural, and environmental history to engage and interest museum visitors. For more information about becoming a volunteer crew member, contact Director of Education Melissa Spielman at 410-745-4956 or email mspielman@cbmm.org.