Of all the places on the Chesapeake, the one 'must see' that everyone consistently spoke of was Tangier. So as we left Onancock on an overcast morning and set sail into Tangier Sound, the anticipation was high of what was to come. Our decision to approach from the Sound side was ideal. The minute we entered the channel we understood what makes Tangier Island so special. Along the channel was a long series of docks. The docks were filled with lots of local fishing boats, small shacks and more crab pots than we'd ever seen. It was an amazing view and in many respects we felt as if we'd stepped into Michener's novel "Chesapeake" for this was undoubtedly a community of watermen both past and present.
I'd read somewhere that over 60 million crab are fished out of the Bay each year. An unbelievable number. With a harvest that size annually it is amazing that the species is not overfished, but here is the amazing thing - just one female crab has the potential for laying 8 million eggs annually and the time to maturiity for a crab is 12-18 months. Talk about an amazing replenishing supply!!! I suppose the trick is to not contaminate the waters and somehow disrupt the ecosystem of the crab.
We eventually weaved our way up the channel and to Parks Marina where we tied up for the night. From there we set out on foot for a tour. The community has established plaquards to signify the location of historical places in the island's history. We enjoyed the stories of who's who in Tangier Island's past and quickly realized that the community was founded by about 5-6 families as the military monument and the cemetery headstones showed.
Unfortunately, our arrival was early in the tourist season and most of the island shops and restaurants were closed. In fact the only things we could find open were the grocery and the local sandwich shop. Nonetheless, we had a marvelous time.
The Admiral
5/13/2010
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