We need your help to preserve a log canoe sailing tradition that has been a vital part of Chesapeake Bay culture for centuries.

 

The Silver Heel Foundation

 

The Silver Heel Foundation is an all-volunteer, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving and promoting the tradition of log canoe sailing on the Chesapeake Bay from our home in Chestertown, Maryland.

We keep history alive with our three primary priorities

 
 
Robert Hewes stands in front of Silver Heel, a traditional Chesapeake Bay log sailing canoe, in this undated photo. In the background is Yetsgo, Silver Heel's long-time tender boat. Both are on land, likely for maintenance.

Preservation

SHF preserves Silver Heel, a traditional Chesapeake log canoe, recognized on the National Register of Historic Places.

Heel was built on the shores of the Chester River in 1902, and our mission is to keep her sailing another century and more.

 
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Sailing

Originally a working boat, Silver Heel now competes in an Eastern Shore racing tradition that dates to the 1850s.

Sailing is the tradition that underpins and propels the living history of Silver Heel.

 

Community

Silver Heel remains on those same Kent County, Maryland shores where she was built in 1902. Our volunteers are members of the local and connected community.

We promote her rich, living history through educational outreach to the Kent County and surrounding communities.