Chillin or chilly in Solomons Islands!

Life on the water is not all sunsets and cocktails!  Sometimes the captain has to work for his pay!?!?  Before I tell you about what lead to the picture above, let me tell you about Solomons, MD. 

We arrived on Sunday and enjoyed a beautiful day just relaxing in the sunshine at Spring Cove Marina!   Solomons is another town that its focus is on fishing!  Last weekend was the opening of Rock fish season.  We spoke with a couple on the dock that were cleaning a couple big Rock fish.  Requirement is the fish must be 28 inches long and 1 fish is allowed per person!  To catch these big fish the fishermen use planer boards with multiple lines attached.  Many boats had 10 poles/lines attached to these boards.  This is a big deal in this part of the Chesapeake and there were many boats out fishing when we arrived!

Now let’s talk about the Captain and his diving into the chilly waters of the Bay!  We noticed coming back to the boat that the one trim tab was missing its zinc. The zinc acts as a sacrificial anode so rather than the stray electrical current attacking the main parts of the boat it attacks the zincs.  Upon further examination the trim tab hydraulic ram was not functioning properly!  Long story short, it needed to be fixed.  After talking to the marina, it would cost $450 to haul the boat so Ken could work on it on land and in a warm, dry environment!  So, he was going to fix it in the water.  After a couple trips to West Marine to purchase the supplies, it was time to get in the water.  He had already jumped in yesterday to diagnose the problem but this was going to take a little longer!  Water 62 degrees!  Go for it Captain!   After a second and third trip into the chilly water, all is fixed!    Wonderful to have a Captain that can fix everything! 

The Captain's foot!

Time to go explore Solomons!  We headed out on courtesy bikes from the marina and toured the town.  We stopped at one of the local watering holes and then on to dinner! 

These towns on the Chesapeake are all about boating and fishing!  All industry surrounds tourists and fishing! 

Tomorrow the plan is to head further north to Oxford, MD.  The weather is looking iffy so we will wait until morning to make a final check of the weather!  Until then.....time to blow the conch!  Pat

 

Tangier Island!

Our destination today is the small island of Tangier, which lies in the east side of the Chesapeake, about 1/2 way up the bay.  As we approached the island, we could see smoke. It came from what appeared to be the location of the marina we were going to.  As we got closer to the island, we could see it was a trash pile burning. It was located next to the City water, sewer, and maintenance building.

Tangier is a small, hard working fishing island.  Their main products are crab and clam.  The main channel coming in is lined with working docks and fish processing buildings. What you see above is a small portion of what is here. The docks and buildings are older, and many are in need of repair.

As we were coming in the channel, we tried to hail Parks Marina on the VHF, but no answer. We had been told that if no one answered, just ask the nearest person where to park!  There was a small boat approaching us that looked like locals, and when we flagged them down, they said Mr. Parks was off island and over in Crisfield. Just take any slip. There are only 500 people here, so everyone knows everyone!

After we got the boat secured, we took a walk into town. The first thing we noticed was that the roads are very narrow!

That's because there are only a couple of cars on the island. Everyone uses golf carts!

As it was well after noon, and we hadn’t yet eaten, we headed for Hilda’s for lunch. We had been told “it was the place to go”! There is no menu, and is served family style. You get what they bring you!

Potato salad, apple sauce, beets, green beans, cole slaw, corn pudding, crab cakes, fresh baked bread, ham, clam fritters, and pound cake!

We’ll let you decide - was it worth the $15.00???

PS - we were the only two there, and the first customers of the 2012 season!!!!

It was opening day! And, I even ate the crab cakes & clam fritters!!!

I just had to mention that for Marc, who has a fish sandwich every day!

Now for our walk thru town - here are a few photos. 

Due to the limited availability of land, it is very common to see graves in the yards.

We were told that property tends to remain in the same family for generations. 

Unfortunately the history museum was not open. We did find this plaque with some information.

When we got back to the boat, there was a dredge working in the channel. It had gotten something entangled on the cutter head, and the deck hand was trying to untangle it.

We wondered if it was some stray crab pots he found!  We just love dodging all those floats out in the water!!!

Here are some statistics Pat located for the Chesapeake Blue Crab:

In 1896 the Blue Crab was named by a Smithsonian scientist.

60 million pounds of blue crab are harvested every year in the Chesapeake.

8 million eggs produced by one female in one mating season.

Only 87 calories in three oz. of cooked crab.

A blue crab will molt / shed its shell 20 times in an average life.

It takes 12 to 18 months for a blue crab to reach maturity.

As the weather looks good for tomorrow - we will be off to Solomon.

We have no phone or internet service here. However, our Glomex TV antenna on the boat is pulling in four perfect HD channels! As we’re in Virginia, we better watch the Richmond NASCAR Race! Gotta Go!

Captn Ken

The gardens of Williamsburg!

The gardens, flowers and landscaping in Williamsburg were so beautiful I decided they deserved their own page in the blog.  Whether at the government buildings or private homes they were spectacular!

The maze is photographed from the top of the ice house at the governor’s mansion.

The pond and gardens were also behind the governor’s mansion.

The vegetable garden was out behind the kitchen.  If only I had access to a vegetable garden like this!!!

The rest of the pictures are taken around Williamsburg!  I hope you enjoy them as much as we did!

Another wonderful day has come to an end!  The sun has set and my conch blowing tonight created quite a bit of squawking from the birds in the marina!  

Oh well you can’t please everyone with your talents!  :>)

Good Night!  Pat

Colonial Williamsburg!

We ended up staying an additional day in Deltaville to let the winds on the mighty Chesapeake die down some more. We arranged for a rental car this AM, and drove into Colonial Williamsburg to spend the day. And what a day it was!!! As you most likely already know, Williamsburg is where the  events leading up to the American Revolution began.

The photo above is a replica of the Virginia Capitol Building from the 1700’s. It is built on the original foundation. The two prior buildings were lost to fires. 

These are some interior shots of the Capitol Building. We had a narrated tour here, as we also did in some of the other buildings. It is amazing how much detail went into the construction over 300 years ago!

The Governors Palace sat at the opposite end of town.

Of course they had no refrigeration back then, so all the perishables were kept in the cool cellar. 

Down the main street between the Palace and the Capitol Building were homes, merchants, and other Government buildings.

The Magazine housed muskets, pistols, bayonets, and personal supplies needed by men sent out on expeditions. 

Blacksmith and wheelwright shops produced needed materials for the residents.

Millinery shops and taverns also lined the streets.

Some of these original homes are owned and occupied by private citizens.

And all along I thought Dr. Spring was the inventor of the self closing gate!

And of course a courthouse was necessary to levy discipline on any ruffians in town!

Where are the rotten tomatoes!

What I have shown here is just the tip of the iceberg on Williamsburg! We both said you could easily spend weeks in this area, and not see all the history which is such an important part of our Country’s roots.

Many of the buildings also had magnificent gardens. Not just for show, but also to provide staples to sustain the residents. 

I’ll let Pat show you those!

Hopefully, off to Tangier tomorrow  morning!   Captn Ken