Solace

We have started our journey back to the southern part of the Chesapeake Bay in preparation for the return trip to Jekyll Island, come October. We have spent most of our time in the middle bay thus far. We leave St. Michael’s MD and head to Solomons Island on the Pautuxent River to meet some good friends on their boat. We have both been on the Chesapeake all summer, and because of different destinations and time schedules have only managed to hook up with them a couple of times. It is always a special evening when we are able to get together with Randy and Diana. Good snacks, good story telling, catching up on adventures, and, of course, guitar strumming. Randy and I listen, while Andy and Diana perform their latest and greatest. Diana surprised me with a special birthday song called Trip around the Sun, a Jimmy Buffett song that I was not familiar with. I loved it, and plan to make it one that I will learn. We said goodbye to them, hoping that we will see them at least one more time along the way to Jekyll.
Both, St Michaels MD and Solomons Island MD have wonderful Maritime Museums that I have spent many hours learning about the Chesapeake Bay. The one in St Michaels focuses on boating and water activities that have been present in the area for a century or more. Restoration of working boats, called Skipjacks and Deadrises, are a big part of what they do at this museum. There are buildings devoted to oystering, crabbing, duck hunting, and other boating activities that have been present on the Chesapeake Bay, both for leisure or for providing a means of living for so many years. The museum in Solomons Island shares the water activities which have been present in that area. This particular part of the Chesapeake made tobacco farming a huge part of their history. I was especially interested in the restoration of the Screwpile Lighthouse that was on the site. A sweet little 92 year old lady convinced the county to save the lighthouse and restore it. She donated $45,000 dollars to make this happen, so that it would be saved. Her reason….she was partial to it since she had been born prematurely in that very lighthouse. The lighthouses in the bay are amazing structures that have withstood time. Some are leaning, some have been lost to hurricanes or storms, but they continue to serve their purpose of providing a navigational tool to sailors. They are each unique and wonderful to spot on the bay, as well as provide landmarks for identifying points of land. It has been fun to see them all as we sail past, and I am glad to say that I can actually recognize and name a few of them.
On September 18th, we head for Reedville VA. The trip to Reedville will be a long day since we have more than forty miles to sail, so we get an early start. We head out in the early morning chill. Fall is in the air up here, with the evenings and mornings being quite chilly, and in the 50’s some nights. We have pulled the blankets out. Boo! Andy and I are pretty wimpy with the cold, so we are bundled up in layers as we head out of the anchorage on this morning. Our trip to Reedville was 8 ½ hours of motor sailing. We were headed into the wind on this trip, so we used the mainsail most of the way. I was at the helm for some of the trip, and I continue to practice holding our heading on the compass. Let me tell you , it is not as easy as steering a car! I still tend to “overcorrect” sometimes, which would have me killed in a car! But unlike a car, Solace is forgiving, and she allows me to pull her back and forth, without dumping us out.
As we make it to the Great Wicomico River, where Reedville lies, we make our way in very carefully because of the huge amount of fishing nets that are randomly placed in the waters at the entrance and in close proximity to the nautical markers used to get into the channel. The fishing nets are difficult to spot because they are simply a group of poles with nets attached below the water. We continue to be surprised at the fact that they are not marked in any way, and know that navigating in the dark through these, would be almost impossible if you did not know the waters.
One of the first things we see when we get to the river is a pelican and some dolphins. We are excited to see our familiar friends, and know that this is a sign that we are further south. The dolphins entertain us with a little show which involved three jumping simultaneously less than 15 feet from the boat. Of course, no photo . The next thing we see is a huge working fishing boat hightailing it in with a load of fish.
Reedville is a sleepy little town with an interesting history. They have some beautiful Victorian homes that line Main Street, and have been here since the 1700’s. Most of Main Street is referred to Millionaire’s Row, because, at one time, this little town was the richest town in America, per capita. The reason for this wealth at that time was the industry of processing Menhaden fish for oil. They continue to do this, even today, and this, and other fishing industry, is the only thing going on in this little town. Unfortunately, the town did not survive the depression years, so there are reminders of the failing economy…crumbled brick smoke stacks and buildings line the waterway. Oddly enough, I am intrigued by the rubble, and I can imagine the hustle and bustle of the business that occupied this area hundreds of years ago. The town is very proud of its history and they have restored and erected a smokestack that is truly a piece of art. We pass the Morris-Fisher stack as we motor into the tiny harbor, where modest homes line the water, with working boats, as well as leisure boats on their docks. We also observe the small planes which are used as spotter planes for the Menhaden fish. It is obvious that the business continues to be lucrative because we see the entire operation from our little vantage point.
After getting ourselves anchored and settled, we want to relax before we head to town to check things out. I am anxious to see the beautiful homes that Andy tells me about. It is not long before we are hit with the odor of the processing plant. The smell that is carried by a south wind is quite strong and smells like dead fish. I am sure you can all imagine it. It is not very pleasant, but we know it will be temporary, and dissipate with a change of wind direction. Even though the plant has put in machinery called “scrubbers”, the smell is impossible to cover up. Supposedly, the scrubbers have made the familiar smell more tolerable for the town. It is short lived, and we soon forget about it. We have a bit of difficulty locating a dinghy dock to use so that we can get into town, but eventually learn that we can use the town’s museum dock to tie up. We putt around and down another creek to locate that, and then we take our stroll down Millionaire’s Row. Again, my mind imagines the activity that must have taken place back in the day. That same activity is not present now, and it is clear that the residents in Reedville live a simple laid back life. This part of the bay is known as the northern neck, and Andy has told me how the people are much more laid back and unassuming than the folks in other areas. The next morning we travel up the Wicomico River to visit Tiffany’s Yacht Yard, where 25 years ago Andy found Solace and purchased her. The ride up the river was beautiful, and we had fun seeing her old home.

We plan to stay several days in the Reedville area, and explore nearby things and places. Tangier Island will be our next destination, and Andy has told me just enough to whet my appetite for the experience to be had on this tiny little island. Another adventure I am looking forward to.