Expedition: The Capt. John Smith Water TrailA Rich and Balanced Bay | John Smith's Voyages | Voyage Reenactment
Getting Around | Maps | Books | Blog | Get Involved | Links JOHN SMITH'S VOYAGES In April 1607, a trio of English ships—the Susan Constant, the Godspeed, and the Discovery—arrived at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay. On board was an intrepid captain named John Smith, whose extended voyages up the vast estuary would open up a new continent. Between the spring of 1607 and the fall of 1609, Capt. John Smith and a dozen hardy crewmen explored the Chesapeake Bay and most of its tidal rivers, sailing and rowing over 3,000 miles in an open boat that he referred to as the Discovery Barge. They had three goals: to search for silver and gold, trade with the native tribes and assess their strength, and find the fabled Northwest Passage to India. They succeeded only in their second objective, but left behind a lasting achievement. Smith also mapped the Bay in the process and published his map in England in 1612. Throughout the seventeenth century, that map served as the primary guide for Bay settlers, who formed the foundation for what would become the United States.
Now, 400 years after Smith and his crew set sail on their exploration of the Chesapeake Bay—Bay dwellers can join in and follow in their wake along the Capt. John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail. If you're an armchair explorer, follow last year's Virtual Voyage or follow a voyage chronology and see if and when Smith may have visited your local port. If you're a boater you can explore the Chesapeake as Smith did—by water. Smith and his crews covered not only the entire main stem of the Chesapeake but also nearly all of the rivers, all the way up to their heads of navigation. Exploring them via the water trail means seeing first-hand how the parts of the Bay fit together. The upper tidal sections of the rivers are particularly new to many Bay boaters, who will find them rich with wildlife and maritime history. Modern-day explorers will find “John Smith Views” that still look much as they did four hundred years ago, at least on the surface, but they will also see how we have changed the ecosystem for the worse since then. We hope that because of their experiences on the Trail, many of them will join in the varied Bay restoration activities that CBF offers. Additional Resources More Resources
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