Day 115 - Tangier Island

It was raining lightly when we woke up.  Time to check out and get on our way.  At 9:50 am we left Portsmouth for the Chesapeake Bay.  We proceeded north on the Elizabeth River, past more naval ships, Newport News and Hampton.  There was a NOAA boat and a Red Cross boat docked on the Norfolk (starboard) side.

At 10:40 am we heard a clunk from the stern of the boat.  It was the sunshade frame that had come apart at the rear corner.  Captain Randy stopped the boat and stood on the transom with a roll of duct tape that he wrapped around the frame to temporarily hold it together.  The water was rough so he put on a life jacket.  The duct tape seemed to work and the Captain powered up……right into the blue flashing lights of a Navy Security boat.  While we were repairing the sunshade frame a submarine had surfaced a short distance in front of us.  The partially submerged submarine was undergoing a “personnel change” and there were several people standing on it.  We needed to keep 500 yards away from it.  There was a tug between us and the sub and so we had not noticed it.  Fortunately, the security boat only came close to chase us away, not to arrest us!  The sub and patrol boat were behind us as we turned north into the Chesapeake Bay and they went east into the Atlantic.

The water where the Elizabeth River joins the Chesapeake Bay was rough, but the water calmed down to a 1-2 foot chop once we were in the Bay.  The weather was clearing too.  We could see land to the east, the Virginia east shore, and very little to the west as the Bay is quite wide at the southern end.  There are 2 harbor towns, Cape Charles and Onancock, but otherwise beach, trees and a few homes.  Our generator stopped working for some reason, so we will get that looked at during our next stop at Solomons Island.

We approached Tangier Island from the east.  The channel is lined with crab shanties, where the watermen dock their boats and process their catch.  We arrive at Parks Marina at 2:10 pm and Milton Parks was there to help us dock.  Milton Parks is in his 80’s and has been running the island’s commercial and recreational marina for years.

Tangier Island is a very unique place.  Like Ocracoke Island in the Outer Banks, Tangier is only accessible by water and that has kept it isolated over time.  There are only about 500 people living here, and many of the families have been here for several generations.  The earliest settlers come from Cornwall, England, and the population has maintained that English brogue.  There is one church, the Methodist church, and the people are very religious and conservative.  There is no alcohol served on the island, no cable TV, and limited internet and phone service.  Your family has to have been here for at least 3 generations in order to be considered a Tangierman.  The only business here is crabbing.  There are a few stores and restaurants serving the locals and tourists that visit for the day by ferry.  People get around with golf carts, scooters and bikes and there are very few cars or trucks.

We watched a video about the island’s history at the museum.  Due to further regulations shortening the crab season, the future of Tangier is in real jeopardy.  The economy of the island depends solely on the watermen.  It is amazing to be in a place that is so sheltered from the rest of the world, refreshing to me.  There is a portrait of Mr. Parks in the museum.

It was Sunday, but a few places were open.  Captain Randy bought a polo at Wanda’s Gift Shop.  We made our way down the “lane” to the Chesapeake House, where dinner is served family style until 5pm.  One of ladies led us to the back room to a large table set with 6 places and we sat down.  She poured us iced tea and started bringing out bowls of food:  cole slaw, potato salad, apple sauce, pickled beets, bread, green beans, corn pudding, clam fritters and the best crab cakes we ever ate!!  The pound cake for dessert was all butter and sugar and sinfully delicious.

 

We were just about finished eating when 4 sail boaters came in and sat down with us.  The four guys from the Norfolk area were sailing the Chesapeake, returning from a trip to Cape May.  Their 40 foot sailboat is named So Vein, as the owner is a doctor.  They provided some lively conversation and a few tips for us.  Later, we visited with another sailboat crew on Capricious that was docked around the corner from us.

Captain Randy set up the portable satellite dish so we could watch the US and Portugal in the World Cup as the sun went down over the Bay.