Day 67: Deltaville to Tangier Island, VA

Once clear of the western shore and shoals we set a course for NNE up the Chesapeake Bay for Tangier Island.  This island was settled in the late 1600s by Englishmen from Cornwall.  For the last 330 years or so descendants of these early settlers have lived on the island which measures one mile by three miles.  Today it is only 4 feet above sea lever in the higher parts.  450 people live on the island now and most earn their living as watermen or tug boat captains in nearby Crisfield on the Delmarva Peninsula.

The trip up the bay was an easy one and we covered the 32 miles in 2 hours 15 minutes.  Most of the way we were making 17 knots over the bottom thanks to a little help from Mother Nature.  When entering the Tangier Island channel crab shacks can be seen both left and right.

We tied up at Mr. Parks dock, the only one on the island for transients.  We had just come to walk around, see the island, have lunch and then be on our way.  For that, Mr. Parks charged us only $5.  Mr. Parks himself came down the dock on his motor scooter and helped us tie up even though he is 82. 

After some terrific fried soft shell crabs for lunch we pushed off.  Our plan called for us to stop at Smith Island too, but as it is more or less like Tangier Island we decided to push on north up the bay to Solomons Island, 34 nmiles north. 

The area referred to as Solomons Island is more than just that island and actually refers to three creeks that all converge at Solomons Island.  These creeks are full of boats, including many powerboats. Actually, we had the impression that there was a greater concentration of powerboats in one place than most any place on the east coast north of Florida. After cruising around the harbor we tied up at a gas dock and called it a day.