Finally the weather has seemed to turn the corner; the hurricane season has lost its steam and this means that AfterMath and crew are no longer bound to finding hurricane holes. Since leaving York River Yacht Haven we have been busy exploring ports that we have missed in the past. It’s nice to feel free of storms again, and to be on the move.

Hampton Town Docks with the Air and Space Museum in the backgroundJust a part of Tom’s vegetable garden for the boaters.The Apollo 12 space capsule inside the Air and Space Museum.More of the displays in the museum.John got to sit in the cockpit of an airliner.It’s almost Halloween and the carousel seems to be a bit haunted!

The view from our bow at night.

On October 7^th, we left our dock and headed for Hampton, VA. Hampton is a favorite for a lot of boaters. The docks are right downtown and are surrounded by interesting sights: it is the home of Hampton College, and there is a pretty waterfront, an air and space museum, an IMAX theater, an antique carousel, and a new brewery. All are within a short walk of the marina. One of the fun facts about the marina is that the dock master, Tom, grows a vegetable garden in pots right outside the office. Boaters are encouraged to pick some vegetables for their own use. It’s a nice touch, especially when fresh veggies are a little hard to come by at docks. Of course, John could not pass up the air and space museum, and, although I always expect to be bored in this type of venue, I was fascinated too. We also saw a wonderful IMAX movie entitled Dream Big while we were there. It took us two nights in Hampton to be able to enjoy all there was to see and do.

Mermaids abound in Norfolk, VA.  Here is one with AfterMath in the background.The battleship, Wisconsin, docked and on display in NorfolkAll these long walks make a guy thirsty!Sights at the marinaThe ferry between Norfolk and PortsmouthWalking around Portsmouth, VAThere are a lot of LOVE signs around Virginia.  Remember their slogan, “Virginia is for lovers”.

After leaving Hampton we traveled the short trip to Norfolk, VA. Norfolk is always fun to travel, as the river is busy with all sorts of boat traffic: barges, tugs, sport craft, sailing schooners, trawlers, Navy ships, and luxury yachts. Our original plan was to just stay for one night, but Jeff’s friend, Ken Flowers, a VP for Moran, a tug boat company, was able to come and visit with us the following morning and we decided to take an extra day to enjoy his company and to explore Norfolk. Another adventure while docked in Norfolk was to board the paddlewheel ferry that transports visitors to nearby Portsmouth, VA.

There is something fascinating about the cranes around Norfolk.  They are so colorful and so huge.Following Allegro under the bridge.Entering the lock.  This lock dropped us only about 8 inches.  We were so surprised when it opened again to let us out.Boats waiting for a bridge to open while heading south along the ICW As small as the river is in Coinjock, sometimes huge barges pass through.  

Bright and early on October 11^th, we left Norfolk, accompanied by a very nice couple we met there, Basil and Martina on Allegro, and made our way, finally, back to the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW). Although the weather was a bit dreary, it felt so good to be back on that familiar waterway with its calm waters and scenic views. As we traveled to our last stop in Virginia, the Atlantic Yacht Basin, it became pretty apparent that the snowbirds are now flocking south. The next morning we left for Coinjock, NC; the marina there was jam packed with transient boats and we were only inches away from those in front of and behind us. Everyone was in good spirits, though; we met three other couples heading south and we all had dinner together in the marina’s restaurant. Because the weather was windy and rainy, and the next day we needed to cross the sometimes-uncomfortable Albemarle Sound, we stayed an extra night in Coinjock and enjoyed a relaxing day aboard.

Historic homes in Bath, NCThe lovely park with the free dock in Bath

October 15^th we departed from the ICW to head up the Pamlico River to Bath, the oldest town in North Carolina. A main port in the mid 1700’s, and once the residence of the famous pirate, Blackbeard, it now is home to a few hundred residents. There is a free dock there as is often the case in North Carolina towns, but, sadly, it was a little small for AfterMath. We anchored, though, and took the dinghy to walk around the very small historic district there.

Our next stop was another 12 miles farther up the Pamlico River, in Washington, NC, but, as we haven’t left there yet, I will leave that story to the next post in a couple of days. Meanwhile, we have been enjoying picture perfect weather for the past week, warm sunny days, cool and comfortable nights. We love being back on the ICW and we love the fact that we are heading south toward the warmth and our goal of endless summer. Everywhere we go now we meet new people, we enjoy the difference in each states’ uniqueness, and we treasure our life on AfterMath.

Waiting, watching storms, traveling north to an important anniversary party, visiting Jeff and Sarah and the boys, getting projects done, and finally getting ready to go. This is how the last couple of weeks have been spent. It hasn’t been our normal type of life aboard.  We haven’t left York River Yacht Haven Marina yet, but now, it is time to move on out of Virginia. We have loved our months on the Chesapeake, but so much of it was spent watching those horrible storms in the south, and we are glad to be able to be on the move again.  Finally.

Jack and Jean celebrating 50 years of marriage.A very rare picture of me with my brothers and everyone’s spouses!  Left to right, Jean, Jack, Gary, Diane, John, and me.  Between us we represent almost 140 years of marriage!

It was so great to see all of these people!

We stayed put while we carefully watched Jose’s antics as he spun in circles and turned in and out of hurricane status, but then it was time for us to head to Catskill, NY for my brother, Jack’s, and sister-in-law, Jean’s, 50^th anniversary party. We rented a car for the road trip, and while there, truly enjoyed seeing relatives and friends, some of whom we hadn’t seen for a very long time. It was a wonderful celebration given by their daughters, Cheryl and Karen and their families. It was also fun to return to Catskill by car, as we had enjoyed our time there on AfterMath before and after our journey into Canada over two years ago.

Ford has just learned to sit up and he is proud to show off his skills.Rush, at 3, is so silly and so adorable.  He was NOT going to give me a serious pose!Walter will be 6 next month and he is so grown up!

Walter bravely holds the bag to transport the crabs back to the house.  Rush keeps watch.

On the way home from New York, we made an overnight stop at Jeff and Sarah’s house to spend some time with them and with Walter, Rush, and Ford. As always, the children entertained us, and we loved seeing them. The kids and I took a walk down to the dock with Jeff; there he pulled out the two crab pots that we dropped in back in July.   They contained four crabs that Jeff cooked up and served as a great appetizer before dinner. Apparently, there are usually crabs in the pots now, but this was the first time any were caught while we were around!

Some scenes around the York River Yacht Haven MarinaThis little guy fell asleep on a neighboring boat one day. 

Out for a dinghy ride near the marina

We returned to AfterMath on Monday and planned to take a day or two to catch up on a few chores. After a day we found that, according to weather sources, yet another storm was brewing, this time in the Gulf of Mexico. Because our dock was paid up for a whole month, it seemed like a good idea to take a couple more days to find out what was going on with the newest storm, Nate. While John spent most of his time in the engine room, I re-provisioned the boat, worked on editing photos, replaced a screen in one of the doors, and took care of odd items that tend to mount up. We also spent some time off the boat visiting with others from the marina, and enjoying the beautiful weather. The only disappointment is that the pool is now closed for the season.

So, tomorrow we will be underway. We will start our journey south again, seeing towns and islands that we have missed on our trips up and down the ICW and, of course, trying to stay in warm weather. The leaves were already changing in New York, and, as pretty as they are, it made me anxious to get to those warm climates where it is an endless summer. We especially look forward to our time with Kelly and family and Jason and family. It’s been too long since we’ve seen them! Nevertheless, our adventure is a good one; each day is different, each location unique. We find it hard to believe that this journey we have chosen for ourselves is most likely more than half over already. But the truth is, no matter where we are, the life we are leading now will be part of us forever, and we will be always be thankful for it.

Our hearts are heavy now. Harvey, Irma, Jose, and Maria have all created havoc with places we know and with people we love. Sympathy and hopes for quick recovery are sent to those in Texas for all of the flooding and damage caused by Harvey. Galveston, which suffered greatly due to the hurricane, is a special place for us as Jeff, our youngest son, attended and graduated from college there at Texas A&M Maritime Academy, Sarah, his wife, studied medicine at University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, and they were married there 10 years ago. We can only hope things quickly improve for Galveston Island and for all of the other areas so hurt by that horrible storm. As for Irma and Maria, words just can’t express how we feel seeing our beloved islands in the Caribbean, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and the Turks and Caicos so broken and battered.   And then Irma turned on our home state of Florida, making us worry for everyone we know there, for our old neighborhood, and especially for Jason and his family who live in New Port Richey on the west coast and for Kelly and her family that live in Jacksonville. Both kids did fine, but for the state and those that did not, we are speechless, truly speechless.

So, what do you do when you live on a boat and there are unpredictable monster storms in the Atlantic Ocean and in the Gulf of Mexico? Basically you hide out. The Chesapeake Bay is filled with rivers and creeks that make for wonderful hurricane holes, so, as we just haven’t been confident in the turns that weather forecasters have predicted, we wait and see what happens. We are anxious to continue our journey south, but once we leave this bay and head back into the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW), we will be back in the low country; that is not a good place to be if another storm decides to roar its vicious voice.

Our first stop in this segment of our journey was in Onancock, VA. We enjoyed our visit there last spring, and this time we had an even better reason to cross to the Eastern Shore once again. Our good friends, Becky and Judd Everhart and Donna and Gary Rosenthal own homes in Chincoteague, VA and they were going to be there for Labor Day Weekend. We have seen Becky and Judd occasionally over the duration of our trip, both in Connecticut and when they came to spend time with us in Grenada last year, but we hadn’t see Donna and Gary for about six years. We all have such a wonderful time when we are together and making the trip across the bay where they could drive down and see us was high on our priority list! On September 2^nd, the four friends found us at our dock in the afternoon and we spent a glorious time catching up, laughing, and talking about old times, and finally having dinner at Mallards, the restaurant at the marina. The time passed far too quickly; we look forward to seeing them all again sometime in the future.

On September 4^th, we crossed back to the Western Shore and started our travels up rivers and creeks to avoid any chance of meeting up with Irma. We found a safe anchorage in Jackson Creek near Deltaville, VA, then we moved up the Rappahannock River to the Corrotoman River and then to Meyer Creek for a couple of nights. All of these anchorages kept us about 20 miles up the Rappahannock River on the west side of the Chesapeake Bay, far from the Atlantic Ocean, in case Irma decided to skip the south and skirt on up to the Mid-Atlantic.

At the Bridge Marina in Urbanna, VAScenes about town in UrbannaHere, oyster shells abound!The yacht club on the hill.Scenes from a dinghy ride around UrbannaLook who is waiting ashore!

Continuing to stay out of Irma’s reach, we found ourselves at a lovely marina in Urbanna, VA. Urbanna is a quaint little town that is in easy walking distance from the marina. There are restaurants, shops, and a nice grocery store nearby. The grocery store was close, but not close enough to walk from carrying groceries, so I asked Don, the dock master how he would suggest I could get back with some provisions. His answer was kind and generous. He handed me the keys to his personal car and sent me on my way. We stayed in Urbanna two nights before moving to Yopps Cove nearby. Here we began our Jose watch.

A beautiful sunset on the Posquoson River in Fish Neck, VA

While we weren’t too worried about actually being hit hard by Jose, we knew that the water would probably be high and rough on the bay. We also knew that Maria was following close behind, and we wanted to be well prepared for anything that might happen. From our Yopps Cove anchorage we moved to Fishing Bay, again near Deltaville, and then on September 14^th, transitted the Mobjack Bay, to the York River.

Duck blinds on the way to Yorktown. They seem other-worldly to me.At the dock on the Riverwalk in Yorktown, VAThere is a lovely beach in Yorktown, and I made sure to spend time there.Along the RiverwalkThis bookstore was like something out of the 1800’sA little library outside of Ben and Jerry’sAt the farmers’ marketAnother scene at the Riverwalk.Along the Historic Main Street in Yorktown.  These homes are now privately owned.Yorktown’s Victory Monument which celebrated the surrender of Cornwall’s army at Yorktown.There are 13 women on the monument.  They symbolize the 13 original colonies.  They are all holding hands except two, who are shoulder to shoulder, signifying that there was room for more colonies in the future.The Alliance and The Serenity on an evening sail.

The nights of the 15^th and 16^th were spent in Yorktown, VA at the Yorktown River Landing on the Riverwalk. This is a lovely place to visit. There was a wonderful farmers’ market, a trolley that takes visitors around Yorktown to the battlefields and other sights, a free concert in the park on Friday evening, which even Kirby got to attend, and a nice walk through Main Street, Yorktown’s Historic District. We were docked next to two lovely green sailboats, the Alliance and Serenity, which conduct cruises for passengers. Kirby’s greatest joy was hanging over the edge of AfterMath and greeting all the people going by, and mostly they all stopped to give him a pat. If we had more time we would have taken the free transportation to Jamestown and to Williamsburg, but, as we had been those places in the past, we decided to forego the trips and to move to a protected marina across the river to wait out Jose and to figure out what Maria had in store for the east coast of the U.S.

York River Yacht Haven Marina, here in Gloucester Point, VA, is 33 miles away from the Atlantic. The docks are lovely, there is a great restaurant here, and they have a courtesy car that has finally allowed us to get to a groomer for Kirby, who was sadly in need of a haircut. In fact, so sadly in need that he had to be shaved down. So, while we wait for Maria to figure out what she has in store for us, we also are waiting for Kirby’s hair to grow! We have enjoyed our time here, though. The Alliance and Serenity moved here on our dock for a couple of nights while they were also watching Jose’s progress, and the Coast Guard comes to join us almost daily in their training boats and for lunch or dinner.  We love talking to the Coasties and they too stop to give Kirby a pat or two. There is a pool here and, while the water is cooler than I normally like, I’ve been in each day for a soak and a relaxing time on land.

We expect to leave York River Yacht Haven soon, but each day seems to still bring some uncertainty with the storms that have been so damaging this year. In the meantime, we send our love to everyone who has been without electricity, who has spent time boarding up their homes, who has had to prepare for storms that may or may not have come their way, and, especially, for those who have lost property and possessions or worse, whether in the states or in any of the beautiful islands so bruised this year. Once again we are reminded that life is for living. Look for the beauty and take it in whenever you can. Hug those next to you. Do what you can to be safe, but don’t be afraid to take a chance. Help others when you are able. Life only passes us by once; please, make the most of it.

It seems to me that it’s all about perspective. Seeing the world from different angles, with different people. Understanding where you are by approaching it differently. Finding new places that you just never knew existed. Viewing familiar sights in a new light. Never losing the love of learning and discovering. Never wanting to stop laughing and sharing and having fun. Never losing respect for those who have suffered. This describes our time over the past couple of weeks, the time we spent on the Potomac and in Washington D.C. with Chris and Sam.

Kirby and I took a walk while AfterMath’s was being attended to.  This is the lawn at Hartge Marina in Galesville, MD

John and I left Annapolis on August 15^th and traveled a short distance to Galesville, MD again. Once there, John found a leak in a fuel valve that needed to be looked at, so we pulled into Hartge Marina to have a mechanic check it out. It turned out to only be a gasket than needed tightening and soon we were on our way to meet our good friends, Chris and Sam.

The plan was to traverse the Potomac River with Chris and Sam and make our way to Washington, D.C. Many cruisers spend time in the Chesapeake Bay, but most do not travel the distance of the Potomac River. It is long, 192 miles round trip. The only way back is the way you go, but the voyage was a dream of mine, and John agreed a long time ago to navigate it for me.

Of course we are always happy to see our Coastie friends along the way.And we can never get enough of watching the Navy jets flying overhead.

We started out by traveling to Zahniser’s Marina in Solomons, MD. The marina there had a shuttle, so I was able to provision for us and for our friends at a local supermarket. I probably should have known better, as Chris and Sam showed up on the 18^th with two huge carts full of supplies for the trip and countless goodies for Kirby. Groceries stowed, and happy hour ready, we caught up on all of the family news and made ready for the journey to follow.

The clouds were gorgeous that morningThe church in the historical park at St. Mary’s College.At St. Mary’s College.  Chris and Sam and AfterMath in the background.The old State HouseNo, she’s not mixing drinks, she’s chopping garlic.We enjoy good meals on AfterMath!

The following day, we all traveled to St. Mary’s in MD. We were the only boat in the lovely anchorage, and there we hopped aboard Tangent and took a ride to the shore. St. Mary’s College, in St. Mary’s, is a liberal arts college on the Potomac. It’s beautiful, but really quiet. I’m not sure who chooses this college, but they do have an accomplished sailing team and a park that documents the history of the area.

Waiting for the trolley to pick us up at the marina in Colonial Beach.Aboard the trolleyAn antique car show in town.Colonial Beach, VA

On Sunday, AfterMath and crew moved on to Colonial Beach, VA. There we took a trolley ride that we will remember for a long time. It was a new perspective and there weren’t many of us on this 50 cent a person tour. The gentleman who conducted it took it very seriously, showing us the senior citizen center, the 100 year old trees, the local grocery store, the NAPA auto parts store, the swans in the water, and much more. We had all we could do not to laugh out loud as he guided us through town, and it was even harder when Chris and I continued on part of the tour a second time. We stayed on to disembark at the beach, but, although no new guest boarded the trolley, we heard the exact same description the second time. It was all in good fun, though, and we certainly got our money’s worth!

Our cereal and cracker boxes ready to view the eclipse.Our first view of the eclipse.Sam, getting it all set up!Success!

Monday, August 21^st brought a new excitement. It was the day of the eclipse and we were not about to miss it! The night before we prepared cereal and cracker boxes according to directions we found on the Internet. We also had paper plates ready with pinholes in them to watch the big event. When the time came, though, we found the best way to watch the eclipse was through binoculars aimed at the sun and projected onto paper with one lens covered up, thanks to my Facebook friend, Orrin Winton, who used a telescope the same way. Sam, Chris, and I had a great time watching what we could and calling John from the helm to witness the event. Unfortunately, clouds came in right at the peak of the day, but we at least got to see some of the eclipse on AfterMath. Soon after, though, a tremendous storm approached and our docking at Occoquan Harbor Marina in Woodbridge, VA became quite a challenge. John handled the wind and the rain amazingly well, as always, and we soon docked despite the horrible conditions.

You have to wonder who lives in these houses along the Potomac.Mount Vernon, George Washington’s home, from the Potomac.

The next day we passed beautiful homes and Mount Vernon, George Washington’s home, which we visited just a few weeks ago with Kelly, Jeff, and their families. It was so unusual, and such a different perspective, to see Mount Vernon from the Potomac River.

Entering the National Harbor.  The giant in the sand.Watch out if you are on the Ferris wheel!Inside the Gaylord HotelThe Ferris wheel the first night, all red, white, and blue.At the Gaylord Hotel, a laser and dancing fountain show.Meeting up with a few celebrities at the National HarborAlways helpful, Chris found this lady weighed down with bags.  Funny thing, the lady never moved!What trip to a tourist area is complete without visiting the candy shop?I met this gentleman in the old torpedo factory, now a home for art shops, in Alexandria and asked if I could take his picture.  He was from Iran and 100 years old.King St, Alexandria, VAThat’s Chris and me inside the new MGM hotel and casino at the National Harbor.New colors on our second night at the National HarborIt is so pretty when you are on the Ferris Wheel.

We traveled on to the National Harbor in Washington D.C. I had only seen or heard of the National Harbor when our daughter, Kelly, and her family visited it a year or so before. It is a busy place, full of fun and excitement. There is a beach where a giant struggles to escape the sand, a huge Ferris wheel that is beautiful beyond belief at night, a carousel, a long walkway along the shore, countless restaurants and hotels, and statues, some of which that look so real you wonder if they are just people waiting for tips like those you find in Key West. We spent two days at National Harbor, walking the town, catching a laser show at the Gaylord Hotel, and taking a trip on Wednesday to Alexandria, VA where we had a wonderful lunch after taking the tour along King St. The history in this area of the United States is remarkable, and we all felt like we were living it for the first time. The last night at the National Harbor was capped off by a ride on the Ferris wheel. The top of the wheel is 180 feet off of the ground, and the whole ride is a beautiful and amazing sight. If ever you find yourself in D. C., be sure to make the trip to the harbor to ride this wheel. It is a ride you will long remember.

Ft. McNair in D.C.Inside Trump HotelD. C.’s fish market right near the marina.

Thursday, AfterMath and crew moved to the Capital Yacht Club in Washington, D. C. It is an area under construction, and one that will be beautiful when complete, but it was a bit of an inconvenience right now. The marina is about a one half hour walk to many of the attractions, but the construction added a couple of blocks to the distance to town. Cutting through the construction site each time we left or returned, we were spoken to by workers about our indiscretions; somehow it never stopped us. We had all been to D.C many times and we skipped most of the standard monuments this time but we managed to tour the Holocaust Museum for the first time, the Federal Bureau of Engraving, the Trump Hotel, the Museum of American History, and the Fish Market. The Holocaust Museum was an experience long to be remembered. I don’t think I will ever understand just how it all came to be. How did so many people die for no reason at all? How did people feel right about what they were doing? It is just inexplicable to me. The Fish Market was an eye opener as well. How many of you knew there was such a great fish market right in D. C.? We had dinner at a local beach bar, and heard bands playing in the park one night and ate fresh fish from the market the next. I really never realized how close Washington, D. C. was to the water, once again, a new perspective.

Courtney’s Seafood Restaurant – it looks like a dive, but the food is amazing.Mrs. Courtney and her daughterMr. and Mrs. CourtneyIt was a rainy night and the tidal surge was up.  Here is the road outside Courtney’s when we went to dinner.

Finally it was time to start our way back down the river. On Saturday, August 26^th, we anchored in a beautiful anchorage on Mattawoman Creek in Maryland, and on Sunday we stayed anchored in Canoe Creek, also in Maryland. Finally we moved to Point Lookout Marina for our last night with Chris and Sam. There we had dinner in Courtney’s Restaurant, a real family operation where the dad fishes, the mom cooks, and the kids serve dinner. The food was wonderful and Chris, Sam, John, and I reminisced about the amazing time we spent together traveling the Potomac River and visiting Washington, D. C. in a most unusual way. Chris and Sam left Tuesday to return to Connecticut, but not without leaving us with memories we will always treasure.

Wednesday night found John and me back near Reedsville, VA and now we are back in Onancock, VA where we will meet up with more good friends, Becky, Judd, Donna, and Gary this weekend.

So, we continue to have adventures that are not the norm. It is good to see things in a different light. It keeps us thinking, makes us appreciate who we are, what we have, and whom we love. Our friends make us laugh, keep us remembering the past, looking forward to the future. We find much to appreciate every day. Our perspective is always changing, and that’s a good thing. It’s important to look at the world every day in a fresh new way. And it’s important to live your life to its fullest.

Some days are just better than others. We have had almost a month of visiting with family, traveling around the Chesapeake Bay, and taking care of some very necessary repairs. The visiting and traveling days are far better than the repair days, but life on a boat means that sometimes things need fixing, just as they do in a home on land.

We left Swan Creek on July 18^th and headed back to Steve’s dock, two houses away from Jeff’s house in Annapolis, because we were having trouble with our water tanks pumping properly. It was just too hard to deal with the sporadic availability of running water and we wanted it fixed quickly. At Jeff’s house we had access to a car to buy necessary parts and, especially, to Jeff who is a whiz at all things that have to do with boats. We can’t thank him enough for all of his help in getting the water issue straightened out.

The two babies had not yet left the nest when we got back to AnnapolisSoon, one baby left leaving this little guy practicing his wing flappingAnd here is this poor baby traveling with us on our wind vane!

While back at Jeff’s, I was able to continue my watch of those baby ospreys. During the first day or two we saw that one was able to fly and would leave the nest, returning over and over.   The other baby seemed a little less brave and would walk around the nest, flapping its wings, sometimes getting a little lift, and then crying loudly for someone to bring it food. Finally on our last day there we saw the second baby take to flight. I was so happy that we were around for the event! We started out on our way later that morning, July 24^th, and headed toward the northern end of the bay, about four hours of motoring away.   When we had traveled about two hours, we got a call to AfterMath from a boat passing by. The captain of the boat laughed and told us we had an osprey hitchhiker on our wind vane. John’s first reaction was, “I hope it’s not one of the babies”. I went out to look, and sure enough, a young osprey was perched up high, seemingly in distress. It flapped its wings, but did not fly away. It was obviously one of those babies, and we were pretty sure it was the one that had just braved leaving the nest that morning.

We weren’t sure what to do, so we called our daughter, Kelly, who is a veterinarian and pretty much a wild life expert. She told us we had two choices. As ospreys are raptors, they are protected, and we either needed to call the Fish and Wildlife Department or turn around and bring the baby back. She was pretty sure that returning the baby would take less time, even though we were two hours away.   So, we turned 180 degrees and headed back to Annapolis again. When we were getting close to Mill Creek where the nest was, the bird finally got brave and took a flight, but it circled around and headed right back to the wind vane. Now, however, it didn’t have a great position and the vane was spinning and hitting the bird, lightly, but annoyingly, in the chest. It stayed with us trying to get a better perch, but finally, took off as we neared a bridge. We were just sick that this all happened and that we weren’t able to deliver the bird back to its home, but we know we did the best we could. We continued another 40 minutes on the way to the creek in case the baby was following us, but we never saw him again.  Eventually we turned north again and went back to Swan Creek for the night, as we were way too late to make it to our intended destination!

Scenes from along the Sassafras River near GeorgetownEvery kid’s dream!Sunset in Georgetown

The next day we traveled to Georgetown, MD, which is 10 miles up the lovely Sassafras River. It was a beautiful ride and we arrived at Georgetown Yacht Basin in the afternoon. The marina had a pool and a little beach, and offered a courtesy car. Once again we needed some work done as our air-conditioning was not working properly, but there was an AC mechanic at the marina and that repair was taken care of quickly. I took advantage of the car and did a good grocery shopping and, of course, made good use of the pool. Georgetown is known for its beautiful sunsets and, although the first day or two was cloudy, we were rewarded on our last night with a glorious show of color that was equally as beautiful in the water as in the sky.

Havre de Grace at the marina

Pathway to the sun on the Bohemia River

We left Georgetown on July 30^th and traveled to Havre de Grace, a town on the lower Susquehanna River. It’s a pretty little town with museums, parks, and shops. The marina there also had a courtesy car, which we borrowed to drive around town to see the sights. We stayed just one night before motoring to the Bohemia River where we anchored on the 31^st.Chesapeake CityThat’s AfterMath at the Schaffer’s Canal House

Our next stop was at Schaffer’s Canal House in Chesapeake City, a town that is on, and is divided by, the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal (C&D Canal). There, huge barges pass by the scenic town on their way to ports all over the world. We took Tangent, our dinghy, across the river to see the town, which is historic and quaint, and then headed back for a wonderful seafood dinner at Schaffer’s. One point that should be made, though, is that Chesapeake City is pretty much closed up every day except Thursday through Sunday in the summer, and, unfortunately we just weren’t there on those days. We wished we had realized this fact before we got there so we could have rearranged our schedule to take advantage of some of the fun events that happen when there is more activity.

A beautiful scene in the Chesapeake Bay on our way back to AnnapolisFord is growing so quickly!Rainy day crafts with Walt and Rush

Having completed our north bound travels, we started on our way back south on the bay. Our plan was to stop at Jeff’s again for a couple of days before continuing down to the Potomac where we will meet our friends Chris and Sam and then go up the river to Washington, D. C. Things changed a little bit though! First of all, Jeff and Sarah were between au pairs, and they needed me to take a few days of babysitting. That was fine, but while we were docked two houses away again at Steve’s, John noticed our batteries were not charging as they should.

When we were in Georgetown, the electrician who worked on our air conditioning had checked the batteries and thought that one needed replacing, so John found a battery and he and Jeff did the job. Things still weren’t as they should have been, so John decided to replace all eight batteries, a huge job as each battery weighs about 70 pounds and needed to be transported from Jeff’s truck in his driveway down 45 steps, placed in Tangent, dropped off on AfterMath, and then brought down to the engine room. Of course, that meant the old eight batteries had to be transported back up to the truck in reverse order of the drop off. Again, we were thankful to Jeff, who helped John with the transport and with the installation of all of those batteries. That seemed to solve the problem, however, two days later the generator was not able to charge the batteries and the solar panels stopped working as well. Finally yesterday we were able to get a marine electrician to come to the boat. He spent all day tracing the problem, which was too complex for me to ever try to explain, but he found the issues and we are back in business!

So, today we will start our journey again. As I write, John is figuring out our schedule so we can tell Chris and Sam where to meet us and which day. We are excited to be going on our way as, there is much to see and do along our way back to Florida for the winter!

Just a short trip away from Baltimore’s busy Inner Harbor is a small town by the name of Rock Hall. Established in 1707, Rock Hall is a quaint fishing town that caters to boaters and visitors. In fact, there are only about 1300 residents in Rock Hall, and boat slips outnumber the population. We looked forward to arriving in port here as we had arranged to meet our dear friends, Ned and Anne, who we hadn’t seen for a year and a half. They were on their way from Florida to Connecticut and we couldn’t have been more excited about seeing them as they passed through.

Spending time with Ned and Anne.  It had been far too long.

Ned and Anne picked us up at the Harbor Haven Marina and we traveled to the nearby town of Chestertown for lunch, an afternoon of looking around town, a visit back at their hotel, and then a lovely dinner back in Rock Hall. We had so much catching up to do that our time with them just flew by. When we lived in Florida we saw Ned and Anne every week or two, so we have really missed them. As with all good friends, though, the time apart just vanished, and it was just like old times: laughing, joking, and thoroughly enjoying each other’s company.

Waiting on the porch of the Haven Harbor Marina for the trolley to pick us up to go to town.Scenes around the town of Rock Hall, MD

The next day was a day of questionable weather. Storms were predicted and thunder was in the distance. We stayed at our dock in Haven Harbor and I was able to use the pool there. The water in the Chesapeake just isn’t like the water in the Caribbean, so I am always happy to have pool time to soak and swim. We didn’t want to miss the town here, though, so on Saturday, June 15^th, we got up early and caught the trolley that takes visitors to town from the marina. It is a tiny town and we enjoyed strolling around and getting an iced coffee at the local coffee shop.

Toboggan coming to meet us.On board Tangent coming to AfterMathSarah, Walt, and FordFord is a happy little guy!Rush loved laying in the pilothouse berth.Happy boys on the trolley.Here’s Jeff.  Everyone enjoyed eating ice cream on a hot day.Hanging out at the marinaA little cuddle and relaxing time for Walt and Bop.

Back at the marina, we decided to move to a mooring and work on some projects that needed our attention. I had some sewing to do and John had a list that needed attacking. We let Jeff and Sarah know where we were as we were just a short distance away from their house and they said they would come visit us on their boat, Toboggan, the next day. Sunday turned out to be a wonderful day with Jeff, Sarah, and the boys. We took the dinghy in to shore so the boys could ride the trolley and so we all could get some ice cream to cool us off on the hot summer day. Time was spent swimming and visiting aboard AfterMath before they had to leave to return to Annapolis. All in all it was one of those days we will remember always. The boys were so cute and so excited to come visit and we loved having family close enough by that it was possible.

When Monday came knew we really needed to get some projects done, so we remained on the mooring for one more night.  I was busy again with sewing projects and John was busy with working on his never ending list of chores.  It was a good day to get work done and we realized that we probably need to take days like this more often.  Although it must seem to many that our life is one of leisure, and it certainly is wonderful, there are still chores to be done, just as in a land based home!

Today we move along, but we will leave with fond memories of friends, fun, and family.  The five days here flew by; maybe we will be back someday to once again enjoy the quaint and lovely town of Rock Hall.

Here is where you will find Rock Hall, MD:

What is this trip about? It is about the people we meet and the places we go. As we continued up the Chesapeake Bay, we were lucky enough to be able to visit with some good friends and to discover the Inner Harbor of Baltimore. What a wonderful few days!

A happy reunion for Kirby.  He loves Noi!It was so good to be reunited!  Here are John and Scott.Saying goodbye to good friends, Scott and Noi.

After leaving Galesville on Monday the 10^th, we made the short trip up the bay to the Magothy River. The goal in this excursion was to find our friends from S/V Symbiosis. We met Scott and Noi about a year ago in Grenada and we traveled with them and with Larry and Debbie, on M/V Tropical Blend, for about six months before we parted in St. Maarten. Scott and Noi have since sold their boat and are now living on land near Annapolis, and we were so anxious to see them and spend time together. Our visit was perfect. Noi works at the Magothy River Marina and was there to greet us as we pulled into our dock. Kirby was absolutely beside himself with excitement to see Noi, as she is probably his favorite person in the world. In the Caribbean, it was common for Noi to stop by AfterMath with a piece of chicken bought just for Kirby from the local store. His tail could not have wagged any harder to hear her voice. We had dinner together on Monday night and then, Tuesday morning, they came to see us off after we shared a breakfast of the bagels they brought. Kirby even got doggie bagels to join us in our meal!

From our dock at Harbor East Marina in Baltimore’s Inner HarborThat’s John as we were taking a stroll to see the sightsWe wondered what this strange looking boat was.Soon we found out it is a solar powered garbage collector!  Trash makes its way down the river, but never makes it to the Inner Harbor.Sights around townUSCGC Taney, the last surviving floating ship that fought in the attack on Pearl HarborThe view from our bow at night.  Gorgeous.Domino has a processing plant on the harbor.Baltimore’s World Trade Center with a beam from the NYC World Trade Center on display.One stop with the Water Taxi was Fels Point, a pretty neighborhood of watermen of the past.  We got off and had lunch here.A strange looking vehicle!!Inside the Museum of Industry.  

Our next stop was Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. Baltimore has taken what was once a run down, seedy area and changed it into a vibrant and beautiful destination. It was a short, easy walk from the Harbor East Marina to the center of activity. There are also water taxis that transport visitors to most of the attractions. Here we found museums, the Baltimore Aquarium, historic ships, paddleboats, a lighthouse, and so much more, all in lovely settings and all beautifully maintained. We spent two nights there, enjoying everything. We especially loved sitting on the bow of our boat at night, listening to the sounds and viewing the city lights. This area is a pleasure to visit and we would highly recommend it to anyone passing by.

So, in these few days of our journey, we reunited with friends and our eyes were opened to a wonderful harbor. We find along the way, that the people we have met have become part of us, our history, our family. We are sad when we say goodbye, we treasure our time together, and look forward to meeting again. The places we visit blend in a marvelous way. We need to think to sort out, in our minds, which destination carried which feature or sight, but the experience as a whole is wondrous. This vagabond life we are leading is priceless to us. We know that our travels will always be part of our fabric now. And the people we have met and the places we have gone are truly joys that we would have never wanted to miss.

Slowly we progress through the Chesapeake Bay, taking in the sights and scenery. Rivers, creeks, and inlets beg to be explored aboard our dinghy, Tangent. We stop where we like, and stay as long as we like; it’s a joy to be the only boat in an anchorage where we are surrounded by nothing by trees, water, and birds swooping in to pick up their evening meal. But even more wonderful this time was a visit to Annapolis where we docked just two houses away from Jeff’s house and spent priceless time with Jeff, Sarah, Walt, Rush, and Ford, and Kelly, Craig, Michaela, Carter, and Madison. It was a holiday weekend get together that will long be remembered in all of our minds.

Passing the dock where crab boats offload on Tilghman IslandBeautiful lighthouses abound in the Chesapeake BayA serene anchorage on the Wye RiverWe love seeing the next generation of boaters at work.A tall ship at work on the bay.Skipjack races.The Chesapeake is filled with sailors.

We left Tilghman Island, Maryland on June 22^nd and motored to up the Wye River. The anchorage on the Wye River is a rural as you can get. There are no buildings anywhere, WiFi and cell service are nonexistent, and the only sounds you can hear are birds calling and fish jumping. We spent two nights there before we decided we would move on to Long Hall Creek, an anchorage near St. Michaels. The following day we traveled to Galesville and we spent two nights enjoying dinghy rides and lovely scenery.
Finally, on June 27^th, we arrived at Mill Creek, where Jeff and Sarah live. Jeff’s dock is full, but his neighbor, Steve Ormsbee, graciously offered us the use of his dock; we stayed for almost a month in October of 2015. It is such a pleasure to be able to walk up a flight of stairs, go two houses down the road, and be at our son’s house. This time, as we approached our destination, we stopped AfterMath in front of Jeff’s dock and heard joyful calls of “Hi Nana! Hi Bop!” to us from Walt and Rush. John tooted the very loud horn, to the delight of the two little boys, and to the dismay of Kirby, who really dislikes that horn, before we tied the boat up for a week and a half.

This was Madison’s first meeting with her new cousin, Ford, and she was happy to hold him!Craig, Michaela and Carter at the beach.Rush looking like a surfer dude!Michaela after a good swim.The boys working on a construction site.

Walt absolutely loved the waves at the beach.

Kelly and family arrived from Florida on Thursday and soon the activity really began. Jeff had to work and John was busy with tasks on AfterMath, but everyone else enjoyed a picnic trip to Sandy Point Beach in Annapolis on Friday. The waves were bigger and the water was colder than what I have been used to, but the kids had a blast and Craig was the hero of the day, taking the kids out to play in the waves and to ride on the surfboards they brought along. Little baby Ford managed to sleep through his beach day while the others played in the sand, ate sandwiches and snacks, and drank countless glasses of lemonade.

The piper that greeted us at Mount VernonHolding hands with George Washington and family.Michaela aboard Tangent.It’s fun hanging on Toboggan’s anchor chain!That’s Jeff, Rush, and Kelly, with Madison in front.An after-boating snuggle for the boys.And an after-boating snuggle for the Kirk kids and their mom.

Saturday’s excursion took us all to Mount Vernon to see the home of George Washington. We caravanned to the beautiful park and met up with our niece, Sarah, her husband, Jason, and their daughter, Annie. Michaela and Carter are very interested in history and they loved seeing the home of our first president. We all enjoyed walking the grounds, seeing the bed George Washington died in, and just being together. After arriving home from Mount Vernon the children all decided it was time to go boating. Jeff piled most of the group into Toboggan, his lobster type boat, and we took a few more on Tangent. Everyone had a great time swimming, driving the dinghy, and cooling off from the walk around the park. Soon everyone was exhausted and ready for a nice rest back at the house.

Madison really loved that turtle!Madison, Kelly and CarterMichaelaJeff, Walt and MichaelaCraigCarter started out at the cockpit levelJeff and Walt floating around.Craig jumping from the top.Carter loved jumping from his high position.Michaela hesitated, but she did it!!Ford taking it easy.We thought we would try to catch crabs in Jeff’s crab traps that had been laying in some poison ivy.  Kelly was brave enough to say she would clean them out.Checking for crabs, but no luck!John and Ford having a conversation.Walt showing Madison how to use chopsticks for kids.Carter loves corn on the cob.Rush seems to love it too!Sarah planned a Moana birthday party for Madison.  She thought Aunt Sarah was the best ever!

We also celebrated the 4th of July with hats, sunglasses, beads, flags, and glow sticks for all of the kids.A tropical piñata was next on the agenda.

On Sunday, after some excitement playing with a turtle Jeff found in his yard, everyone boarded AfterMath for a short ride and some fun in the water at an anchorage not too far away from Jeff’s house. There the kids swam, again took dinghy rides, floated around in our swim floats, and a few brave souls, Jeff, Craig, Michaela, and Carter, tried their skills jumping from AfterMath’s upper level. The fun continued that evening with a cookout and a celebration of Madison’s fourth birthday. It certainly was a weekend to remember.

Rush, Jeff and Walt on their dinghy.

Rush driving Tangent with Bop

Kelly and Craig left for Florida early Monday morning, but we stayed in Mill Creek a little longer. We continued to do dinghy explorations, this time with Jeff and the bigger boys, trading off kids throughout the trip. Walt and Rush have their sea legs and think nothing of hopping off one boat and onto another. As always, when we are near family, we take advantage of time to borrow a car to re-provision for groceries and anything else we need, too. We enjoyed our time in Annapolis so much, but just wish Jason, Lisa, Ashley and Jace could have joined us too.

This osprey was nesting not more than 10 feet from our fly bridge.  Here she is with her babies the day we left Annapolis.  I’m sure she was more than happy to see us go.

Saturday, July 8^th, Jeff and family climbed aboard Prerequisite, and together with AfterMath, we all went back to Galesville for a weekend of fun. We all ate dinner together aboard AfterMath on Saturday night and then I made a pancake breakfast on Sunday. Jeff and Sarah’s friends Chris and Regan Blomshield came from DC to spend the day too, and John and I loved having them come to tour AfterMath; apparently they like to follow this blog and were anxious to see the boat in person.

Finally it was time to say goodbye, but we know we will be seeing everyone again soon. Time with family is so precious, and it never seems to be long enough. There is much to see and much to explore, but we know that our hearts lie with those we love so much.

When we came up with the idea of spending a whole summer on the Chesapeake Bay we thought we would have plenty of time to explore the whole area. Once we settled in to making plans, though, we realized there are more inlets, rivers, islands, creeks, and towns to explore here than we could ever cover in a couple of months. It is overwhelming to look at all there is to see and do here, so we both made lists of “must dos” and we started our journey from there. Now, though, we find ourselves just going with the flow. Many days we look at each other and say that we’d like to stay where we are for another day, and so we do. This is going to be a summer of relaxation and fun, and we are enjoying our cruising life.

A walk around Onancock on Saturday morning.At the farmers’ market.  Entertainment was provided by this lady.This gentleman was proud to be related to Calvin Coolidge.  He made beautiful cutting boards out of scrap wood.  Of course I bought one!Walking the streets of Onancock was a pleasure to the senses.  Magnolia trees bloomed wildly and the rich, heady aroma filled the air.Lovely, old homes line the street of this town which was founded in 1680.  It was a port for steamboats that traveled between Baltimore and Norfolk.  Today the town has about 1500 people and is one of the largest towns on the eastern shore.A great blue heron watched us as we traveled around on Tangent, our dinghy.At the Onancock Wharf.Views from the anchorage.

Our first stop on the Bay was in a small, historic town named Onancock (pronounced oh-NAN-cock). We anchored in a basin near the town marina on the evening of June 9^th, and moved into the marina the following day. I was anxious to get to town for their weekly farmers’ market, and we are always happy to explore the little towns we find. Onancock is absolutely charming. The main street is filled with antique shops, churches, a movie theater, a playhouse, and adorable little restaurants and cafes. It is one of those towns that welcomes its visitors; the marina even gives lists of local resident volunteers who will come and pick up boaters and take them to stores around town for free. We stayed in Onancock until the 13^th, walking around town, taking a trip to the beautiful Tangier Island (see our previous post), riding the dinghy up and down the creeks, and just enjoying the spectacular scenery. It was a perfect beginning to our summer on the Chesapeake Bay.

One thing is for certain, ospreys have a thriving population in the Chesapeake Bay.

The next few days were traveling days, with runs that were longer and without a lot of scenery. The southern part of the eastern shore of the bay is spread out and we wanted to move up to the coast to get to some of the stops we had planned. We stayed in Crisfield, MD, then moved to St. John’s Creek in the Solomon Islands, and to Dun Cove, just north of Tilghman Island.

Walking from the dinghy dock near our anchorage to the town of St. Michaels.  That’s Jeff in blue and John in black.An antique and classic boat show was taking place on Father’s Day weekend.A picture to treasure.  AfterMath on the left and Prerequisite on the right.Prerequisite at anchor.It was great to have Jeff with us for the weekend.After Father’s Day breakfast in town.

On Friday, June 16^th, we moved AfterMath to the beautiful San Domingo Creek in St. Michaels, MD. St Michaels is just perfect, with shops, a maritime museum, homes lining the streets with perfectly manicured gardens and delightful porches, a multitude of restaurants, and easy access for boaters. One side of St. Michaels is lined with a busy marina, and we will go there soon, but for the weekend, we stayed in the quiet anchorage with almost no other boats. However, the best part of the stay there was that our son, Jeff, who lives in Annapolis, sailed down to see us on his Cape Dory, Prerequisite. We were so thrilled to have him join us for the weekend. St. Michaels is one of Jeff and his family’s favorite places, and we now understand why. Sarah and the kids were off to Texas for a few days while still she was still on maternity leave to visit her family and to introduce the rest of them to Ford, and Jeff, who is back to work in the Coast Guard, was up for a single handed sail.  He came over on Friday after work and stayed through till Sunday to celebrate Father’s Day with John. We had such a wonderful time together and we thank him so much for joining us at this beautiful spot.

The weather was a little unsettled on Monday, so we just stayed put in our anchorage, finally leaving yesterday, Tuesday the 20^th for a visit to Tilghman Island. Tilghman is a tiny island joined to the mainland by a bascule bridge over Knapp’s Narrows, a little inlet that separates the two. The bridge here is said to be the busiest in the nation and I believe it. It opens on demand for boats to pass through, and there are a lot of boats passing by every day! It seems that the bridge no sooner gets closed than it opens again.

That’s AfterMath docked at Knapp’s Narrows Marina, Tilghman Island, MDThese signs that show the boats of Tilghman Island line the streets.  People sponsor a boat to support the youth association and the museum.Tilghman Island Country Store is one of the few businesses on the island, and it has great ice cream!A park in town.A view from lunchOne of the never ending bridge openings at Knapp’s Narrows.  Crabbing is big business here and crab boats are constantly heading in and out.Sunset is different here, but gorgeous.

We are now docked at Knapp’s Narrows Marina, right near the busy bridge. The marina here has a pool, for which I am very happy! I haven’t been able to be in the water for a while. The southern part of the Chesapeake has a lot of stinging nettles, which are little jelly fish, and I have really missed swimming and floating. While the island does not have any tourist traps or entertainment, it is charming in its own way. There is a general store a little way down the road, a gas station that sells just about anything you can think of, some restaurants that serve very fresh seafood, boat traffic going by, crabbers leaving and returning with their catch, and, especially that pool! So, although we planned to stay here just one night, we decided to stay an extra day. Tomorrow we will go back to St. Michaels and stay at an anchorage on the marina side.

We are finding our life on AfterMath to be relaxing now, just as we hoped for. In a week we will be at Jeff’s house and have time with our family. We are anxious to see all of them, of course!  Our summer is going just as we expected and all is well in our world.

Here is where we are today:

I don’t know when it was that I first heard about Tangier Island, but I know it was a long time ago. As you may have realized by now, remote places fascinate us and Tangier Island fit the bill! The Chesapeake Bay is contained to the east by what is called the Eastern Shore; to the west of this shore, in the middle of the bay, is the small island known as Tangier. It is only accessible by boat or by small airplane and it has remained a world to itself. For me, visiting this island was a bucket list item and I couldn’t have been more excited to get there.

Captain Mark Crockett.  Crockett is one of the three most common names on Tangier.  The others are Pruitt and Parks.Plenty of colorful lifejackets aboard the Joyce Marie Ferry to Tangier

After much research, John decided that taking AfterMath to Tangier could be difficult. The tides, the current, the lack of anchorages, and the small marina there all made the trip sound riskier than we liked, so we docked at a quaint little marina in Onancock (pronounced oh-NAN-cock, more to come on this town in another post) and found a small ferry at the same marina that made the trip to Tangier every day except Monday. The ferry is really just a crabbing vessel that has been converted to take passengers on the one-hour trip to the island. It is run by Captain Mark Crockett, who has lived his whole life on Tangier. He comes to the Onancock Wharf at 8:00 each morning makes a trip back to Tangier at 10:00 AM, returns passengers back to the mainland at 3:30, and then he heads back to Tangier again for the night at 5:00. Captain Mark was a very friendly man who ran a punctual and comfortable boat service. There are bigger ferries from other towns going to Tangier, but we were happy to be riding on this small vessel that made us feel part of the town before we even arrived.

Crab shacks in all states of repair line the harbor at Tangier.At the docks, this young man was happy to show off his catch of the day

Tangier Island has historically depended on its watermen. Crabs, oysters and fish have always been the main source of income, especially the crabs. The island is known as the soft shell crab capital of the U.S. and as soon as our ferry neared the island we saw a multitude of crab shacks on posts out on the water. In these shacks the crabbers keep their freshly caught crabs in large saltwater basins where they are watched over until they shed their hard shells. As soon as their shells are shed, the crabs are removed and packed up to be shipped to New York and other large cities throughout the states.

Milton Parks, at 86, is quite the legend.  He owns the marina and generally entertains everyone he meets.The walk around town brought us past some lovely houses and beautiful gardens.The most common mode of transportation on Tangier is the golf cart.  Bridges just aren’t wide enough for cars and it’s a very small town!A bed and breakfast on Tangier.It seems that everyone drops their shoes off on the path to the beach.  The maximum elevation of the island is 4 feet.  This is how many residents keep their vehicles just a little bit higher.The local fire departmentMany homes have graveyards in their front yard.  This is not being done anymore, but lots remain on Tangier.Tangier’s museumThere seems to be an abundance of graveyards on Tangier.  This one is next to the Methodist Church.  Many graveyards have washed away as the island has shrunk over the years.The island’s medical center.  Two nurses live on the island and a doctor comes in once a week.Boats bring mail in each day.  There is no mail delivery, though.  Residents must head to the post office to get their mail.

Another interesting characteristic about Tangier Island is the language of the residents. Because almost everyone on the island is a life long resident, descended from English settlers almost 400 years ago, the dialect has remained unique and charming. It is hard to explain, but, to me, it sounded somewhere between a southern accent with an Irish tone but it is described to be more Elizabethan than anything else.

The Methodist Church

Tangier is an island that is strongly based on religion. There are two churches in town, one Methodist and one non-denominational Christian church. Most businesses are closed on Sunday and there is no alcohol sold on the island ever.

Unfortunately, Tangier Island is shrinking. It is shrinking in economy, population, and physical size. The economy is shrinking because of regulations placed on the crabbing industry by our government. Watermen have had five months of crabbing removed from their season, and, while the cost of gasoline, maintenance, and crew has risen, the price paid for crabs has remained stable over the years. This means that many of the watermen are giving up their businesses and are becoming tugboat crew on the Chesapeake Bay. Islanders are trying to improve their tourist industry by adding little gift shops, but there are only a couple of restaurants on shore and only two were opened yesterday, Sunday, when we visited.

The white building on the left is the K-12 school.  All of the teachers are life long residents.  They go to college and come back to teach here.

There is only one school on Tangier and it houses grades K – 12. On average, eight or less students are in each grade. Every grade does have its own teacher, though, and high school students are provided with teachers for each subject as well as the opportunity to take distance-learning classes. The boys of the graduating class traditionally went on to work with their fathers on the water, but in the past few years they have, instead, joined the military or gone on to college, most never returning to live on Tangier. That fact and the fact that the island is physically shrinking due to erosion and literally sinking land, has brought the population down from 727 residents in 2010 to about 450 this year. It is expected that Tangier Island will completely disappear in the next 30 years if something is not done to stop the loss of acreage.

Heading back to the dock.Our ferry, the Joyce Marie.

So, this trip to this beautiful, quirky, friendly island with the proud, friendly people who live there was pure joy for me. We left the dock in the morning, took a $5 a person golf cart “historical tour” that encircled the whole island in 15 minutes, had delicious crab cake sandwiches at Lorraine’s for lunch, walked to the marina to meet Milton Parks, an 86 year old legend who owns the marina there and who entertains without even trying, walked to the beach, walked the one and one-half mile circle of the island, were stopped by some local residents just to chat and hear about where we were from, checked out the museum and watched its video, went in to see the gorgeous historic Methodist Church there, and returned in time to get back on the Joyce Marie that brought us back to Onancock. This was a day I will always remember. It is probable that this island will disappear in our lifetime. It was a glorious way to spend a day and it reminded us again to live our lives when we can. Tomorrow is never guaranteed.