Deltaville

 Yeah, I know. Supposed to be keeping a blog. It appears the Reedville post didn't go thru, so I just posted it now. But that is ancient history. I just had my third night here in Deltaville and I also had a night on Tangier Island.

A bit about Tangier. What a cool place. It's a small island in the middle of the Bay, and it supports a community of about 450 souls. Crab fishing is the main industry, along with a tiny bit of tourism. Tangier is a slice of America that no longer exists. It was really special going there. Leaving Reedville I had a nice breeze, and I could just see the top of the water tower on Tangier. The breeze died a bit and I slowly watched the island rise out of the sea. It seemed incredibly fragile and exposed. I reached the entrance, dropped the sails, and motored slowly in at dead low tide. The channel cuts all the way thru the island and makes a sort of crab boat thorofare. On one side, a line of fish shacks and docks, made for a quintessential working waterfront. The other side was similar, but snuggled right up against the streets of the town. The streets were very narrow, and mainly used by golf carts and pedestrians.

I had tied up at Parks Marina, and I was the only pleasure boat in town, although 3 other sailboats did come in late. I managed to find one of the owners, who was installing a new engine in a crabber, and paid him the docking fee of $35. Anchoring is not an option in the harbor. I spent the afternoon walking around, going to the museum, and eating crab cakes. Needless to say, the crab cakes were fabulous.

It was painful to leave early the next morning but the forecast was a bit worrisome, and I didn't want to get stuck in the marina for days while going thru dockage fees. So I continued on to Deltaville where I met up with my friend Emily Greenberg. I first attempted Jackson Creek, where I went aground right in the entrance. I had been going very slowly, so just backed off, said screw it, and motored around to Fishing Bay. Emily has her boat at a dock nearby and is wrapping up some work before heading to Oriental, NC. We are going to 'buddy' boat down to Elizabeth City thru the Dismal Swamp. Emily does a lot of freelance writing, including a number of recent articles in SAIL magazine.

There is a gale warning in effect for tonight and tomorrow, so I will be hunkered down. The high winds will be from the north and this is a great spot.

Best to all, Charlie