We spent the first days of June deciding which chores could be delayed until July and finishing up the chores that were started. Alex spent time napping on Jim's visors on the lower helm station. As soon as that was accomplished, we left Sailcraft and headed north.

On Friday, June 12, we were in the Alligator-Pungo Canal when we came up behind a huge dredge/barges/pipes/tug named Goose Creek. Naturally, the ICW is a narrow channel here....it was pass it or travel at 3 knots! We slowly passed trying to stay in deep water. Later, we found out that it was over 3,000' long. On Saturday, June 13 we were approaching one of the drawbridges in VA and who was waiting for the opening? Goose Creek and it was a narrow channel again. On Tuesday, June 16 we arrived in Waterside Marina in Norfolk which is one of Jim's favorite cities as the river traffic is fascinating to watch. One night we took the Elizabeth River Ferry over to Portsmouth. The ferry is the oldest in America, well not the actual ferry but the route, as it was established in 1636. We had dinner at The Bier Garden, a wonderful German restaurant that is now on our return list.

On Wednesday, June 24, we cruised from Norfolk up to Onancock, VA which has been described as "one the eastern shore's prettiest towns". It is filled with 19th century Victorian homes, has a population of around 1500, has about ten restaurants within walking distance of the town wharf, and a well-run marina. We toured Ker Place, shown above, which was build 1799-1803 and is considered the finest example of Federal architecture on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. The home was built for a prosperous merchant-farmer and his wife and has been restored to its original appearance.

On Friday, June 26 we cruised about 30 miles north to Somers Cove Marina in Crisfield, MD. When the railroad arrived, this was known as "the seafood capital of the world". We toured the J. Millard Tawes Museum which traces the history of the watermen from the Native Americans and then early colonists through the seafood harvesting, processing, and transport to markets throughout the United States and the world. With that we worked up an appetite for some crab and walked over to the Watermen's Inn for a wonderful meal.

On Saturday, June 27 we took the ferry to Tangier Island which is 12 miles from Crisfield and a step back in time. The island was first visited by John Smith in 1608 and was then settled by John Crockett in 1686. Today is it home to about 700 people who speak with an Elizabethan accent. There is no industry just the harvesting of crabs and oysters. The picture shows the crab houses that line both sides of the channel when entering from Tangier Sound. There are no cars, only golf carts which zip around taking tourists on tours of the island. Our tour guide gave a running commentary of everything on the island, and we found it fascinating. Once again, we were in need of a seafood meal which we enjoyed at Fisherman's Cove followed by a walk of several blocks to Spanky's Place for ice cream. Jim thoroughly enjoyed the trip as he did not have to worry about the shallow water; the ferry really kicked up the mud when he turned into the channel.

On Monday, June 29 we took the museum's escorted walking tour of the city. The highlight was Metompkin's Soft Shell Crab processing factory. We saw big boxes on pallets that were ready to go to the airport in DC and were headed to many destinations in California and Nevada. The soft shells shown here were then covered with straw and ice and were going by truck to NYC's Fulton Street Fish Market. Metompkin trucks leave daily for DC, Baltimore, Philadelphia, NYC, and Boston. We learned the size classifications of soft shells, and the only one I can remember is the largest are called "whales". We passed by Metompkin Bay Oyster Co which is one of three oyster processing companies left in Crisfield. The city had 150 seafood processing houses at its peak!