We completed our errands on Solomons Island
early, and were underway for Crisfield, MD at 09:30, very pleased with our
efficiency. We were even able to sail
for almost an hour before the wind gradually diminished and we had to motor
with our main sail up for an assist. We
were making good time when we kept hearing a Navy boat on the radio as it identified
passing boats and told them to go around the area because they were about to do
an exercise with “live fire”. We had
also heard this the day before but that day we knew we were outside of the
charted restricted zone. We were rather
surprised when the Navy boat came our way and gave us the same message,
pointing out a “target ship” in the distance.
This was NOT in a charted restricted zone so the Navy boats were kept
quite busy directing boating traffic to keep a distance of 3 miles from the
target ship. We had to alter our course,
but it did not significantly affect our expected arrival time. We kept watching
the “target ship” for some action, but nothing happened. Eventually the Navy
announced a cancellation of the exercise, just as we had heard them do the day
before. We never know what we will
encounter out in the Bay!
Now we are back in Crisfield, MD where 3
weeks ago we spent an awful night re-setting the anchor three times when very
gusty winds caused our anchor to drag.
We chose to anchor again the day of our arrival because the forecast was
not for such strong winds. We made sure
the anchor was well set, but then the winds did strengthen some after dark,
making us both uneasy and Peter decided to stand an anchor watch while Lyn got
some sleep, then Lyn would have a turn. Fortunately for Lyn, the anchor was
holding well and as the winds became a little lighter again Peter decided to
get some sleep too. In the morning, we
were happy to see all was well and we had not dragged the anchor. Then we moved Kite to a slip in the marina
for the day since storms were predicted and we didn’t want to worry about it
while we took a small cruise boat to visit Tangier Island – a trip we didn’t
want to make in our own boat without local knowledge of the shoals around the
island.
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| The approach to Tangier Island |
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| You have to be 16 and get a license to drive the golf carts |
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Tangier Island lies about 11 miles west of
Crisfield, almost in the middle of the Bay. It has been inhabited for the last
two hundred years by people who make their living “crabbing, oystering, fishing
and clamming.” It’s only 2.5 miles long and 1 mile wide and 4 ft. above sea
level. There are almost no cars on the
island and people get around in golf-carts and bicycles on the narrow roads
lined with small houses. Some 500 people
live there today, still making their living as “watermen.” Many of them still have a distinctive accent
attributed to their relative isolation in the past, but today they are well
connected to the mainland for communication and supplies. Although it was raining most of the day, we
still took a short golf-card tour ride and then walked around on our own. The houses and “crab shacks” (where they hold
crabs near molting stage so they can market “soft-shell” crabs) are all quite
picturesque and we enjoyed the day despite the weather.
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| Crab shacks and working boats |
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Before returning to the
boat, we just had to try the local crab cakes in a small restaurant ---
delicious.
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