It began on Ewell, Smith Island, in 1916 when Noah T. Evans was asked to build a boat to carry the mail, freight and passengers from Crisfield to Smith Island. He built the Island Belle which ran back and forth for 74 years.

In 1920, during the oyster boom, he built a 66-foot buy boat and named it the Winnie Estelle after his two daughters. In 1922, he built the Dora Estelle, another buy boat, and named it after his wife and youngest daughter.

These buy boats were some of the original workhorses of the bay, moving seafood and produce to ports in the U.S. The Winnie Estelle was written about in a book by Larry Chowning in which he described her as one of the finest restorations of any of the Chesapeake Bay buy boats ever built.

The Winnie Estelle has a more-than-90-year history during which she was passed from one owner to another, and in the 1970s made her way to Belize, where she was used to transport lumber and then for tours off the island.

The Winnie Estelle has kept her original design and is in perfect condition. Only about 20 percent of the original material she was built out of remains because it was salvaged in 1986 from a sure death when it was adrift on a reef off of Belize.

Capt. Roberto Smith and two other men undertook a five-year project to restore the Winnie Estelle, utilizing Honduras heart pine, Belizean cabbage bark and other hardwoods of great strength and durability. The original keel is still sound and intact.

Smith made a trip to the Eastern Shore in the 1980s to learn more about buy boats before deciding whether to salvage the Winnie.

“Some of the old hands in the boatyards convinced me that was the thing to do,” he said.

After the careful restoration of the Winnie, she was used to ferry tourists around Belize.

The summer of 2012 saw another changing of hands for the Winnie Estelle as she was purchased by Michael Whitehill, and now she is at a private dock on the Chester River.

The following is from a message board in Belize about the trip to bring the Winnie Estelle home:

“Here’s the latest news on the Winnie Estelle, for those of you who grew so fond of her … many who grew up with her … and it’s wonderful news! She is safely home in the Chesapeake Bay after a long and grueling trip from Guatemala that measured some 1700 miles and 59 days! The plans for her return to Crisfield, then decomissioning at the Maritime Museum, fell through.

Instead she was purchased by a private owner who’s plans include repairs that will carry her through the strict U.S. Coast Guard inspection that is necessary before putting her back to work running charters here! She will perform sunset cruises, educational tours, and load kayakers to different locations in and around the Chester River, in the Upper Chesapeake. ‘Winnie’ lives on! I was fortunate enough to be called upon to complete the journey from Fernandina Beach, Florida to home when Capt.

Smith fell ill and couldn’t complete the trip. I hope he’s feeling better. After all, if it weren’t for him, Winnie may still be sitting on that shoal, or worse. After 9 days of rain, wind, fuel issues, and the always-interesting Intracoastal Waterway, we arrived at a private dock on the Chester River, near historic Chestertown, Md. We could feel the excitement surround us even as we cruised through the Navy shipyards in Portsmouth and Norfolk, Virginia, then spending our final night in Deltaville, Va.

Many recognized her, and many more realized how important she was, and still is today. Thank you, Capt. Roberto Smith, from everyone here in the Chesapeake. Without your diligence and hard work over the years, this piece of our heritage would have been lost. Instead, the Winnie Estelle is now the pride of the Chesapeake. She’s in good hands….and will live on for many years to follow.” —

Capt. Mark Praschak, Coastbusters Yacht Delivery Services.

A piece of the Chesapeake Bay history has returned home, and she is a beautiful sight.

From the descendants of Noah T. Evans, we also offer our thanks to Capt. Smith for his care and work at restoring the Winnie Estelle and to her new owner for returning this piece of history back to the Chesapeake Bay.

Source: Delmarvanow.com