Is this in the United States?

Some of us got up early on Saturday and by 7:30 AM we were motoring back down the Potomac.  There was no current or wind at the dock, so it was easy to untie and shove off without waking the entire crew.  I went north out of the channel and didn't have to negotiate the fixed bridge to the south.

A nice tide and current pushed us along at 10+ MPH and we arrived at Tangier Island before 2 PM.  We had read alot about this unique place, but really were not sure what to expect.  We knew it was a fishing village, crabbing to be specific, and that was quite evident as we pulled into the channel.

BTW, if you haven't figured it out yet, you can double click on pictures to get a larger image.

I had called ahead to the only marina on the island and just like we had read, the owner, Milton Parks was there to guide us into a slip and catch our line. 

We talked for quite awhile to the soon to be 80 yr old Mr Parks and when I said we had read there were guided tours of the island available, he said he would take us on one.  Soon we were land cruising in a golf cart all over the island.  Everyone knows everyone, so we had to stop several times as locals were wanting to know how Milton was doing since he had just gotten out of the hospital. 

Rather than me trying to write about Tangier Island and its history, here is a short cut to an article published in "Soundings" magazine less than a year ago. http://www.soundingsonline.com/features/destinations/263742-tangier-island-va

While maybe redundant to the above article, there are a few things we think are worth talking more about.  We thought the idea of burying family members in the front or back yard of your home was a bit unusual.  Actually, the term Denise used was "creepy."  In fact, Denise thought the whole experience was creepy.  She said something about a movie with Jack Nicholson.

There are three restaurants in town that feature locally caught seafood, mostly some kind of crab, but also Flounder and oysters.  We chose Fisherman's Corner and had a very nice dinner.

For me, the most interesting story in the history of Tangier Island is this one:

Remember, double click the picture to get a larger view.

While the island is as "interesting" as advertised, one day is about all you need.  We were anxious to leave, so I was up early again on Sunday morning, only to hear there was a severe thunderstorm warning for the area.  It came at 8:30 AM, just as forecasted.  The brunt of it was north of the island, but we got some rain and decided to put off our departure until it had cleared a little.  I ran into Milton again and talked for awhile about the crabbing industry.  He certainly knows alot about it after having been a crabber for nearly 60 years. 

I then decided this was a good time to take a short walk and take a few more pictures.  I thought the church parking lot was interesting.

But then I remembered the story about being shot for not being in church and decided we had better go.

We met one of the mainland ferry's in the channel as we were exiting and I figured if they were running, the bay must be ok.

The Chesapeake was a little rough for the first hour or so and then settled down and became a nice cruise as we headed north west.  It was already almost noon, which limited how far we could go and chose Solomon's Island, MD as are destination.

I was thinking that in the last month we were back and forth alot between Virginia and Maryland as we landed on both sides of the Potomac, both up and back down the river.  But then I discovered that in fact we were mostly in Maryland.  An interesting fact (to me anyway) is that the border between the two states is not the middle of the Potomac river, as you would normally expect.  The border is actually the low water or low tide mark on the Virginia side of the river.  In other words, at low tide, the Potomac River is entirely in Maryland.  This has been debated in the courts several times since it was first established in 1632 and was most recently upheld by the Supreme Court in 2003.  Not surprisingly, there are many interesting stories that have resulted.  Including a time when slot machines were legal in Maryland, but not Virginia.  Slot machines were installed at the end of piers from the Virginia side into the river to the low water mark, so that a Virginian only had to walk to the end of a pier to legally gamble.

Obviously, this doesn't have a lot to do with the Great Loop adventure, but is an example of the kinds of things I find myself exploring as we make our way.  Maybe it will help me win at Trivial Pursuit, if that is still being played.

Along the way up the Chesapeake to Solomon's Island we were near another US Navy training area.  Anchored in relatively shallow water was a ship used for target practice.

This was also clearly marked on the charts as a restricted area.

Now that we are back in the US, we should normally have internet and cell phone service and there shouldn't be big gaps in time between posts, unless I just get lazy.  Coming up; a stop in Annapolis, MD.