We left around 8:30am and headed north up the Chesapeake Bay. Today’s trip is about forty five miles, which will take about six hours. I called and left a message at the only marina on the island, Parks Marina, while we were en route. I received a call back and Mr. Parks confirmed there was space available for us. He told me he would call me on the VHF around 2pm to tell me how to get there and where to dock. We continued our journey and it was a nice day for a boat ride. Around 2pm I was waiting, listening to the radio for his call, but it never came. When we finally got close to entering the channel to the island, I tried calling him on the VHF, and then the telephone, to no avail. Mr. Parks is in his eighties, maybe even ninety years old, so I chalked it up as being forgetful. Soon we were entering the channel and I had no idea where to go. I tried calling again to no response. We were now at the T of the channel and not sure where to go, so we were just floating there. The radio came to life and it was Mr. Parks directing me to turn right and the marina was on the left. We slowly made our way over there and he told me to dock wherever I want. I was coming in to the dock next to the office, and he started to tell me to go around the post that was there. Hmmm… I backed off and reversed out. Then he told me to come on the other side of the office pier to the other dock. Okay- got it. We maneuvered over there and pulled in, with him helping with a line. He kept directing me forward, then told me to stop. Got it. I hopped down to assist with the rest of the lines, and he kept telling me where and how to tie them. I wasn’t going to argue, so I just did what he told me. We eventually were tied up to his satisfaction and he continued chatting with me for a bit. He is eighty nine years old and has had the marina forever. His daughters (his oldest is sixty-something) are doctors, and one still lives on the island. Lauren took Frank for a walk while we chatted and eventually another boat pulled up. I could see Mr. Parks talking into the radio, but he wasn’t pressing the button, so that’s why we couldn’t hear him! The other boat, like us, got close enough he could talk to them and told them the same- pick a spot- and when they went for the slip, he told them to go around the post and come in bow out. I was able to break away at this point while he told them how to tie off… Here is a little bit about Tangier: “Tangier Island is a squiggle of mud and marsh in the middle of the Chesapeake Bay, which is about 30 miles wide at that point, and a dozen miles from the nearest mainland port, Crisfield, Maryland, and the only way to get here is by boat or a very small plane. It is home to roughly 460 people, all of them descended from the first settler on the island, a guy named Joseph Crocket, who moved there in 1778. Though it’s only 100 miles from Washington, D.C., it’s among the most isolated communities in the East. The island’s isolation has spawned a style of speech that you’ll not hear anywhere else in America. For 240 years the islanders have earned their sustenance from the waters surrounding the island, which are rich in fish, crab, and oysters. They’ve especially made a name for themselves in harvesting the Chesapeake Bay blue crab, which is the chief ingredient for Maryland-style crab cakes. They are also the world’s primary source for soft shell crab, a delicacy that many restaurants on the Eastern seaboard serve. Rising sea levels may make the island uninhabitable in 50 years.” It sits only a few feet above sea level and loses 16 feet of shoreline a year. The islands population is also dwindling as the younger generation loses interest in this traditional way of life.
Lauren and I eventually took the bikes for a ride around the small town. We found a beach and walked around, then explored more of the island. We noticed many of the small homes had graves tucked away in the corner of the yard. This was done to protect from grave robbers (back when that was a thing) and so the family members could tend them easily. It also was due to lack of space on the small island. Unfortunately most shops were closed but there was one restaurant serving take out. We ordered some soft shell crab (of course!) and returned to the boat. The crab was an appetizer, so we made dinner and figured out our next stop: Crisfield, Maryland. It seems like we blew through Virginia, unintentionally. We still had to pay for our slip, which was a bargain at $35. I figured I would see Mr. Parks in the morning to cash out…
