John Rock, whose photographs capture the drama of the fast and famously unstable log canoe races, will share his work on Monday, February 17, 2025, at 6 p.m. at the St. Michaels Community Center (SMCC), 103 Railroad Avenue, St. Michaels. The program is free to the public, but seats must be reserved by emailing BoardSecretary@stmichaelsc.org
The elegant log canoes the Chesapeake Bay produced are a boat all its own. They are believed to have evolved from Native American and African dugouts. Later, European settlers on the Eastern Shore adapted the dugout design, and the canoes became the first workboats on the Chesapeake Bay.
The Miles River hosted the first organized log canoe races in 1859. Within two decades, log canoes were built solely for racing. They may be the oldest class of racing sailboats in the world. When St. Michaels’ Miles River Yacht Club formed more than 100 years ago, it became the home of Chesapeake Bay log canoe racing.
As long canoe design evolved, the tall masks were rigged for speed, making them highly unstable. Skippers countered the wind pressure with springboards, and daring crew members climbed out on the ends to act as mobile ballast. There was the ever-present danger of capsizing.
“It’s difficult to find a more quintessential symbol of our Bay culture than log canoe racing. The photographs bring the races to audiences unable to be out on the water to see firsthand the skill it takes to compete,” said Lori Morris, SMCC’s Board Chair.
A Maryland native, Rock has had a camera in his right hand since high school. He recently began Tidewater Images with photos of the Eastern Shore landscapes, sailing regattas, log canoe races, and on-the-water boating photos. Johns’s work is regularly seen in SpinSheet magazine, The Talbot Spy, and his work is featured on the Town of St Michaels as well as the St Michaels Tourism website.
About St. Michaels Community Center (SMCC)
The only social services organization in the Bay Hundred region, the St. Michaels Community Center offers residents education, food, and social programs in a safe and nurturing environment. The center’s newly renovated building is located at 103 Railroad Avenue in St. Michaels and is online at http://www.stmichaelscc.org.
