Thursday, April 27, 2006

Why: Boat-building classes, maritime museum.

How Far: About 80 miles from Washington.

Bob Savage says we all have boats in our blood. "Deep in everyone's psyche, there's a maritime connection," says the boatwright from the floor of his shop at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in St. Michaels. The museum has a program for people who get sucked into the romance and nostalgia of traditional wooden boat-building. Apprentice for a Day allows visitors with any amount of woodworking experience -- and any concentration of boating in their veins -- to help build a 13 1/2 -foot rowing or sailing skiff.

-- MELANIE D.G. KAPLAN