On June 26, the historic log canoe Flying Cloud arrived at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum (CBMM) in St. Michaels, MD, where it has joined the largest collection of Chesapeake Bay watercraft in the world. The boat was donated to CBMM by brothers Allan Noble and John Noble of Oxford, MD. The Nobles’ father had purchased Flying Cloud in 1955.
“This is a great acquisition for us,” said CBMM’s Chief Curator Pete Lesher. “Now, the museum will have two log canoes in our fleet—the smaller Edmee S. and the Flying Cloud, which is the second largest racing log canoe in existence today.”
Flying Cloud is generously sponsored this year by Hawthorn, PNC Family Wealth®. “We are thrilled to sponsor a truly local treasure of Chesapeake Bay racing,” said Nancy McColgan, Hawthorn, PNC Family Wealth managing director in greater Maryland. “PNC and Hawthorn have a longstanding tradition of serving the financial needs of the local community and supporting efforts to preserve and enrich the unique attributes of our region.”
Flying Cloud has been actively racing in the log canoe fleet for the last three seasons, following extensive repairs on her hull. She was skippered by Sean Callahan and, before the work on her hull, by Allan Noble. The museum is currently recruiting crew for the Flying Cloud, and plans to race her in the coming months.
Flying Cloud was built in 1932 by John B. Harrison for marine engineer and businessman A. Johnson Grymes, Sr., who had a summer home in Talbot County. Grymes lured Buck Richardson away from another canoe to skipper Flying Cloud, and Richardson sailed her successfully to win the Governor’s Cup. His crew was uniformed in yachting whites, and the presence of the Flying Cloud and other big, new canoes aroused acrimony among the sailors of the day. The boat was later acquired by Fred Kaiser of Virginia, who sailed the boat for pleasure but did not race her, and then, in 1952, by marine artist John Noble, Sr., of Staten Island.
Visitors to CBMM can see Flying Cloud dockside, or along its 18-acre waterfront campus, when she’s not sailing. The museum is open daily, with 12 exhibit buildings focused on life along the Chesapeake Bay. For more information, call 410-745-2916 or visit www.cbmm.org.
