DAY 4: DELTAVILLE, VA TO TANGIER ISLAND

"On a day when the wind is perfect, the sail just needs to open and the world is full of beauty. Today is such a day". – Rumi

Short stay and an early morning rise in Deltaville saw us in route to Tangier Island in the middle of the Chesapeake. Tangier is a place I always wanted to go to, explore and talk to locals. The winds are good and we make sail almost the whole way allowing ourselves to motor in just before the entrance to a canal that bisects the island.

Tangier is an old place. It's has a rich history of prosperity and loss. Countless hurricanes have collided with this place. For almost 400 years waterman have fished the Bay from it's port. Founded in 1608, many of the original settler's descendants still live here. An older English dialect is still spoken here. This is a place of families. It's not uncommon to see a couple of family grave markers in the front yards of the homes along the Island's Main Street.

Main Street

The crabbing season is not as good as it has been in the past and many of the crabbing boats sit idle next to weather beaten shacks. Cats, cats cats call this island home, perhaps with  lineage dating to the 1600's when that first mouser crossed that gangplank.

This is a tourist spot where one sees named tagged school children dressed in matching school t-shirts bound off the daily ferry that also brings goods and needed supplies. There are few cars here. The streets are barely one lane wide and the need for a car is, well, not really needed. But there are golf carts, everywhere golf carts buzzing down the road, parked in golf cart size driveways and for sale in the used go cart lot.

Everyone is friendly. Always a wave or a hello. It is obvious I am not from this place but it doesn't seem to matter, I am asked how my day is....and they seem to mean it. I will be back, but tomorrow is a long day on the water  Knapps Narrows at Tilghman Island

Hey! Who let the cat on the boat!!

DAY 3: YORKTOWN, VA TO DELTAVILLE, VA

Leaving Yorktown this morning was met with fine weather. We are heading to Deltaville, a sailor's paradise located on the West shore of Virginia. It won't be a long day and we should arrive with plenty of time to

House boats!

 hang out and enjoy the accommodations.

JOHN AT THE HELM

We arrive at a marina recommended by another boater John knew. The rates were good and we settled into our slip. We were looking forward to a pizza and a beer but apparently Deltaville shuts down early so I hang out in the marina lounge, enjoy the sunset and begin my dime store detective novel I picked up from the marina lending library. It's an easy read about an Amish serial killer.....a killer in the worst way. Apparently he is very polite as he tortures his victims with, you got it, manual tools by candle light....gotta love the Amish.


We'll awake early and head to Tangier Island.....a stop I have been looking forward to.

DAY 2: PORTSMOUTH, VA TO YORKTOWN, VA

THE CROSSING BRIDGE AT YORKTOWN

Waking at sunrise this morning will probably be our standard routine. We will try to get out early and arrive early at our destinations allowing time to explore, relax and hang out a bit. The sailing (I mean motoring....which will happen a lot I suspect) is uneventful with a beautiful weather pattern that burns our skin a bit and lulls me to laziness.

It doesn't take long to get to Yorktown and we arrive about 1PM. The town is quaint in a touristy sort of way. Much Revolutionary War history, home style restaurants and a quick "hello" from passerby's. It's an easy going place....very nice.

CLASSIC SAILBOATS AT SUNRISE

The City Dock is well kept with dock attendants ready to help. It's a floating dock to accommodate the rising tides and occasional flooding.

But at about 4PM mother nature bares it all with a 25kt winds and pelting rain. This keeps up though the night. The boat is a leaker and John covers himself with his raincoat while trying to sleep. I experience a sort of Chinese water torture with intermittent water drops plinking my forehead as I drift off to sleep. I move my position but the water drops follow me and I surrender and dream of mermaids. Come morning I will dry out my clothes.