"A-Foot in Tangier" Tangier Island Travelogue by grandmaR

Parks Marina with boat across the end of slips

After we get out of the Wicomico River, Bob puts up the main and jib, and turns off the engine. We have the VHF radio on (as always) and hear someone inquiring of another boater if he was trying to avoid submarines by zig zagging.

The wind decreased and at 1207, Bob started the engine. We are coming into Tangier. We yell across to the dockmaster at Parks who is on one of the other boats (they don't answer the radio any more than the marina in Reedville does), and she puts us alongside of the little house with the bathrooms. This is perfect for us, as I don't have to climb over the lifelines. Also we are not aground at low tide as I think we would be if we were in a slip. We have come 16.9 nm at an average speed of 4.4 knots. The charge for a boat over about 35 feet is $25.00.

There's a boat up at the other end of the marina which is across the ends of the slips up there. We find out later that this is a common practice.

Me taking my picture

I decided that we should have lunch in town, and we both had Tangier crab soup and apple pan dowdy at the Fisherman's Corner. The apple pan dowdy turned out to be apples and granola and ice cream in a tall glass. I used the bathroom, and took my picture in the bathroom mirror. There are crabs stenciled all over the walls.

Bob tries to push the boat out to fix fenders

Then we walked out in town, (I bought a map from a box on a fence for $1.00) and got a tour on a golf cart tour vehicle for $4.00 each. Bob got some ice at the grocery story (we aren't running the refrigeration just for this weekend).

There is a LOT of current in the marina when we get back. We can see the water rushing past the pilings. The fenders have gotten out of position, and Bob tries to push the boat away from the pier so he can put them into position, but he can't do it by himself. After I take the picture, I go to help.

Tigger tied to the ends of the slips waiting

A power cat is tied up at the end of our dock, and a big power boat named TIGGER comes in who has been promised that spot. They tied up to the pilings across the ends of the slips (the 3 pm boat leaves so that he won't be blocked in) to wait for him to vacate the space - he was only going to be an hour, but his hour is up and there is no sign of him.

Methodist church after dinner

I've decided to eat dinner at Crocketts family style which is up past the church. Mr. Parks tells us that she doesn't seat anyone after 5:15, so we start at 4:30 and hike up there as fast as I can.

Dinner is $17.00 each for all you can eat. They start out putting the cold dishes on the table (cole slaw, potato salad, pickled beets, ham, and applesauce), and then add rolls, green beans, corn pudding, fried clam fritters, and then you ask for either one or two crab cakes (which are round). It finishes up with home made pound cake.

One of the guys at our table flew in his private plane, and he came down to see our boat after dinner. He is staying at Crockett's B&B because Shirley's Bay View (over by the airport) is full. We walk back more leisurely, and I stop and sit on the bench by the church.

His kids are riding bikes and they have ice cream after dinner at Spanky's. The power cat is gone, and TIGGER is tied up with their bow sticking across in front of ours. They intend to go to St. Leonard creek tomorrow.

Tigger and RosalieAnn at Parks Marina

We really can't leave until TIGGER does. There is a boat behind us so we can't back up, and the wind is blowing us toward the dock. She walks out in town to take some photos (b&w), so it is fortunate we are in no hurry as we are only going to Crisfield today.

After they leave Bob takes off the lines (the boat doesn't move from the dock as the wind keeps us alongside) and we motor east out the channel toward Tangier Sound. The depth sounder does go off, and Bob sees as little as 6 feet.

It doesn't take us very long to get to Crisfield.

Leaving Tangier harbor

After we motor out of the Crisfield harbor and down the river, we turned south toward Tangier as Bob thinks that going through Tangier rather than north around Smith will give us a better angle on the wind to get from there to the Potomac. So we motor though Tangier harbor, this time from east to west.

The menhaden boats are out in force, and we see some schools of menhaden on the surface between Tangier and Smith Point. But they lied about the winds again. Nothing we can do gives us any wind for sailing. We had chicken for lunch, and I ate the last nectarine and Bob had a banana.

We got in to the marina just before 4 pm after 36.5 nm at an average speed of 5.2 knots. We got fuel first (50 gallons - we carry 100 gallons) before we went to our slip. We've used the engine about 14 hours on this trip.

After we get the boat unloaded, we go down to Courtney's for dinner (Scheibles is closed on Monday and the Spinnaker rebuilr after Isabel has not been completed).