Tangier Island, VA

Good sunset at Tangier Island

The crab shacks all have running water and some have electric so they can have all the comforts of home. They have tubs that they put the crabs in and they very carefully watch for them to molt so they can get the softshell crabs and ship them.

We were trying to decide where to eat dinner. The restaurants closed early, one as early as 5 pm on Sat.

All the trash cans looked like this

A ferry runs from Crisfield and this is the welcoming sign. We tried to engage the locals in conversation. Capt John Smith stopped here during his landmark 1608 exploration of the Chesapeake. It was settled by the Methodist in the early 1800's and the speech is Elizabethan influenced. It is also a dry town.

Looking off the stern of the boat at the crab shacks along the water.

The man on the scooter is the owner of Parks Marina. He had been a waterman--you better listen to him when you are docking at his marina. He knows the tides and winds--we have since heard stories of sailboaters disregarding his direction and getting into some trouble. He is a character!

Tangier Island is a very unique place

Diane was determined to learn how I stow the lines

Our friends, Bob and Diane, came to visit for a night.

37 49.805N

75 59.631W

Somers Cove Marina, Cristfield, MD Eastern Shore

This town was the crabbing capital of the Chesapeake. They have since put condos on the site of the crab processing plants. Unfortunately, the housing market dip and most of them are empty.

He was waiting for us on the dock

37 58.669N

75 51.469W

Anchorage Jackson Creek, Deltaville, VA

Just a lovely site

Every daymark along the way had an osprey nest with several babies--this one had three

View from our anchorage in south fork of Jackson Creek

Getting the lines ready for the next stop

This guy kept buzzing our boat

Aircraft carrier for repairs

37 32.669N

76 20.051W

Free Dock Ferry Landing Portsmouth, VA

Each table had a phone so that you could call in your dinner orders. It was very comfortable. The sound was wonderful and the screen was huge! It was a fun night.

Inside the Commodore Theater

Commodore Theater--dinner and a movie

Customs House in Norfolk

One can hope!

This fighter pilot had some unusal skills!

Just checking out the possibilities of a new windless but I don't think it will fit on Shore Thing

A couple links of this chain would keep us anchored!

Nauticus has the Wisconsin

Nauticus in Norfolk

Free dock at the ferry landing

Drydock along the waterway

ICW waiting for bridges to open going through Norfolk and Portsmouth

As we came out of the Dismal Swamp we had culture shock. Boats, tugs, tows every where we looked.

36 50.301N

76 17.778W

Dismal Swamp

Lock Master at Deep Creek playing a conch shell for us. It was a real treat! He gave us some hints of things to do in Portsmouth.

Free dockage at Welcome Center Dismal Swamp

Where does the sky end and the water begin?

Only 600 more miles to go!! And we are still talking!

One of the last two locks we have to go through.

Along the Dismal Swamp Canal--looks like they have had enough rain here.

Tannic Acid--our boat now has a brown mustache. The acid is released from decaying vegetation.

Pontoon RR Bridge on our way towards the Dismal Swamp

Free dock in Elizabeth City

Coast Guard Air Station, Elizabeth City, they filmed part of the movies The Guardian and The Perfect Storm here

Pilots were practicing--we watched for over an hour as they made turns over the river

Blimp hangar

This is where they bring the blimps down to earth

Coast Guard Air Station is nearby as well

We were surprised to see a blimp flying over the river. This is the Naval Blimp Hangar just off Albemarle Sound in the Pasquotank River

Crab pots everywhere--worse than Long Island Sound in Mystic

36 30.402N

76 21.355W

Anchorage South Lake off Alligator River

This one also passed us by but at midnight we were not so lucky

Evening brought threats of storms--this one passed us by

We had low humidity and bright skies

Along the Alligator-Pungo Canal looking for deadheads

35 5.642N

75 54.789W