Dickerson Owners and Prospective Owners.
This site is dedicated to the Dickerson Sailing Yacht. Although Dickerson Boatbuilders have been out of business for many years, the Dickerson is still sailed and respected by sailors spanning generations.
You can now view the video (below) of the History of Dickerson or download the written history in pdf form.
A SALUTE TO DICKERSON BOATBUILDERS
45th Dickerson Rendezvous June 15-17. 2012
Program Highlights
For almost a half-century, Dickerson yacht enthusiasts have looked forward to coming together annually for a weekend of sailing and communing. This year will be special as we mark the 45th consecutive year of this celebration and salute original boatbuilder owners, craftsmen and their families. Mark your calendar now so you will not miss the opportunity to visit with pioneers who designed and built classic wooden and fiberglass workboats, schooners and cruising and racing sailboats that still enjoy world acclaim.
If you can't come to Oxford, Maryland by boat, drive and spend an enjoyable weekend on Maryland's beautiful Eastern Shore and stay at the historic Robert Morris Inn or any of the gorgeous Bed and Breakfasts, all near the Tred Avon Yacht Club. There are ample opportunities to crew for the race.
Festivities begin at 2 PM on Friday afternoon, June 15 with a parade of arriving wooden and fiberglass Dickerson Yachts sailing up the Tred Avon River into Mear's Yacht Haven. After docking and cooling off in the swimming pool, attend the informal Commodore's Reception and welcome the Dickerson boatbuilders, their relatives and Dickerson sailors at about 6 PM on the marina grounds. There will be an opportunity for boatbuilders, sailors and guests to sign up for crewing during Saturday's race.
Races will begin at 10 AM on Saturday, June 16 using the new 3 mile Dickerson set buoy course. Last year we had record boat attendance and we expect even more this year.
The main event is the Salute to Dickerson Boatbuilders Dinner at 6 PM at the Tred Avon Yacht Club. Commodore Bill Toth has promised a truly memorable evening with a look into the historic Dickerson era including a review of Dickerson Boatbuilders History and a discussion with the boatbuilders and their relatives accompanied by good food and fellowship. We promise a very special time! Additional releases and registration information will be forth coming.
DICKERSON WESTERN SHORE ROUND UP
"VelAmore" Wins Dickerson Fall Race
In a brisk, northeasterly breeze, Pat Ewing handily won the annual Dickerson Western Shore Round-Up race to become the "Sheriff of The Western Shore" on 17 September. Pat, who has run the Brendan Sail Training Program for Youths With Learning Disabilities for the 6 years, is the proud owner of a classic wooden Dickerson 40 ketch that he restored over the past several years so that it looks like new. He and his wife Debra can be found sailing on the Bay in "VelAmore" when not challenging students at St. Brendans. New Dickerson owners attending the Round-Up were Peter and Krystal Oetker who recently purchased "Vignette" - a unique 39 foot high performance racing sloop made by Dickerson more than 40 years ago. She is a beauty.
The race featured an interesting "rabbit start". All boats start on a starboard tack and pass across the stern of the committee boat that is on a port tack sailing to the first mark. It was a great race with a beat across the Bay and return with hull speeds over 7 knots. Pat's two "Deputy Sheriffs" are Bill Toth, D37 "Starry Night," and Joe Slavin, D35 "Irish Mist"--both winning their classes.
It was a super turnout of nine boats and 32 sailors enjoying the weekend fun consisting of a cook out at the West River Sailing Club on Friday September 16, followed by the race on Saturday and a great dinner and awards ceremony at Pirates Cove Restaurant. Thanks to Randy and Barbara Bruns and Bill Toth for the arrangements
DICKERSON SAILOR'S CELEBRATE 44th ANNUAL RENDEZVOUS
The 44th annual rendezvous in Oxford, MD was a smashing success with the largest participation of boats and sailors in more than 25 years. The event was highlighted by the participation of Ruth Christy, Senior Editor of SpinSheet magazine - renowned for excellent coverage of Chesapeake Bay racing and cruising activities. Read about the event and watch a video at YouTube.
BUILDING OUR 35 FT. DICKERSON IN 1969
A collection of photographs by LYNN STEARNS. View the booklet.
New!
Treasure Chest - Nautical Apparel and Gifts. See the details.
43rd Annual Rendezvous
To you long time contributors and interested visitors to this site, you know that just about this time of year, we recap the June Rendezvous for you and most years, we add a collection of selected snapshots. Read more about the rendezvous in an article from Spinsheet Magazine and see the photos.
A GREAT TIME AT SECOND DICKERSON NEW ENGLAND GATHERING
Five Dickerson Owners got together the weekend of September 10th 2010 at the Bristol Yacht Club in Bristol, Rhode Island for the second New England Gathering organized by Al Sampson.
With perfect weekend weather, the fun began Friday afternoon, Sept. 10, with the arrival, in Bristol, of Judy & Don DeFano on their vintage 32 ketch “Wind Born”. As this was our first meeting the afternoon was spent checking out each other’s boat, getting to know one another, and of course, talking proudly about our Dickerson's.
2010 DICKERSON WESTERN SHORE ROUNDUP A ROUSING SUCCESS; EVEN WITHOUT WIND
Ten Boats showed up for the Fourth Annual Western Shore Roundup, which now features a perpetual trophy to be worn by the winning Sheriff of the Western Shore.
Festivities started Friday afternoon as Franz, Toth, Hallam, Burry, Slavin, and Bruns made it to the West River Sailing Club. They enjoyed the Club’s Friday night cookout, which featured delicious crab cakes, hamburgers with baked beans, and salad. This was a very nice low cost affair; lots of sea stories were told, and the boats were examined to see the latest go-fast and git-rot applications.
Saturday morning brought a continuation of the fine weather, however, out at the race course it was dead calm. We postponed a start for an hour and 15 minutes when a teasing, very light, easterly showed up. We were off with the rabbit start as most all of the boats positioned themselves properly and had good starts. When has that ever happened before in any Dickerson race? The wind continued light, and there was an ebbing tide. A lot of boats held port, and went to the eastern shore hoping to ride a possible changing tide up to the windward mark. Alas, they went into a hole, as there was a bit more wind to the left side of the course. After a couple of hours of this agony, and only two miles from the starting area, Randy “the Rabbit” (Rhythms in Blue) was uncharacteristically within a hundred yards of the first mark, (now the finish) licking his chops, and greedily contemplating victory. He fell into the same black hole as all the others, and Bill Toth with his magic wind crystal ball and his 37 Sloop, “Starry Night”, roared across the finish (at one knot) followed by “Belle”, maybe 5 minutes later, and after maybe another 20 minutes, the “Rabbit” finished. “Rainbow” deserves the perseverance award as they were almost as close to the finish as the “Rabbit”, and tried for another 20 minutes to finish, but had to give up. All other boats more wisely withdrew earlier, and headed to the bar,
SURVEY ON WINTERIZING YOUR DICKERSON
Our survey is complete and the results are available here. Thank you for your participation!
Membership Committee—Joe Slavin, Barry Creighton, John Freal
Recent Events
Find a lost Dickerson and share it with us
Did you know that there may be 150 or more Dickerson Sailboats that are not identified in the 2009 Dickerson Owners Association (DOA) Directory?
The DOA has initiated an ambitious "Find a Lost Dickerson Sailboat" contest and invites all Dickerson fans to participate in the fun. A "Lost Dickerson" is one that we have no record of and is not listed in the 2009 Dickerson Owners Directory.
When visiting ports, marinas and boat yards or sailing in local and "foreign" waters, keep your eyes peeled for a 30, 32, 35, 36, 37, 40 or 41 foot Dickerson sailboat. Get sailor's name, boat name, length, port and other contact information i.e. telephone number and email. Take a picture if possible.
Send your name and particulars on your Dickerson Discovery to the Dickerson Owners Association Membership Committee at jws2827@aol.com.
For your trouble you will be eligible to win a prize-yet to be decided. Contact us if you have any questions.
What You Will Find Here
Join the Association Membership is $40 per year for Dickerson Owners and Associate Membership of $30 per year for
former owners and other interested parties. You may download a current application here.
Forum - A bulletin board which will hopefully be used to exchange information about Dickerson boats including troubleshooting tips, parts aquisition, etc. We will be monitoring this forum and will provide assistance where we can, but it is mostly boaters helping boaters.
Update: Due to repeated spamming and hacking, we had to abandon the old board in it's entirety. We need moderators to keep the new board healthy! Please contact me through the board.
For Sale - We will be posting Dickersons for sale. If you have a Dickerson for sale please list it here for a nominal fee (as this is a non-profit site).
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