As the powers of mass consumerism surely intended when they flooded the shelves with plastic pumpkins in early September…Halloween is on my mind. So it is that the namesake in a story from the Chesapeake Bay Weekly caught my eye this afternoon. It tells the tale of Witchcraft, a 102-year old former gaff rigged yacht, now turned sloop designed by the late B.B. Crowninshield and built by the Lawley boat yard in Boston, Massachusetts. As anyone who has spent time on, around or in possession of one is well aware, antique sailboats are a labor of love. What makes this story all the more apropos, at least as far as the Chesapeake Bay is considered, is the advent of the Annapolis Boat Show...a production yacht mecca taking place this coming weekend. Think of Witchcraft as an anti-production yacht yacht. Sure I would be more than happy with a brand spanking J/105 (if I had the coin) but I still agree with the author of the article…there's something very special and rare about boats like Witchcraft...not to mention the dedication of owners & enthusiasts like Captain Paul Itzel who keep them ship shape.
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