Tangier Island

It was a short trip yesterday to Tangier Island. We came into Parks Marina and were met by Milton Parks an active 80 year old gentleman who owns and operates the marina. The current and the wind made docking a challenge but we managed to get tied up without incident. Park's Marina is rustic to say the least but the power was good and water plentiful, so Bill and I did some boat washing before an afternoon walk around the island.  The streets here are very busy with golf carts and mopeds.  It was around 3:30-4:00 and we were told this is rush hour here with the kids all getting out of school and people getting home from their jobs.  The watermen are a very busy group and full of waves and smiles as they go about their business.  The waterway through the island is a well orchestrated ballet with boats coming and going to their fish houses.  It fascinated me to watch the speed with which they enter a slip and then with power still well on and into the slip a quick reverse and she's parked.  Its crab season now through October and then oyster season starts in November.  There is a buy boat that comes to the island regularly to buy all of the crabs the waterman have brought in. It was here today.

We met Todd who came by the dock to chat.  He told us that he works for a man that farms oysters on the south end of Tangier island and offered to get us a bag if we were interested.  He delivered 100 oysters the next morning for $25.00 and we steamed them up for lunch. They were pretty good too.  Todd is originally from upstate New York and is quite the talker.

Tangier is a small community of about 700 people.  The only way to get to Tangier Island is by boat. We had a very nice dinner at Lorraine's Restaurant, (flounder and crabcakes) it's a short walk from the marina. We had ice tea and lemonade with dinner instead of our usual bottle/s of wine since there is no alcohol on the island.


This is a picture of the ferry dock where they bring all of the visitors and supplies to the island.  They need to bring in Diesel, gas and heating oil.  Milk here sells for $6.00 a gallon and bread for $3.00 a loaf, what you would pay$3.00 and $1.00 for at Walmart on the mainland.  There is a boat nicknamed the grub boat that does regular runs to Crisfield to provision for the people on the island.


It seemed unusual to see graves in front of houses but the information placard told us this was done in many places along the eastern shore.

Sunrise looking out the east entrance at high tide

One of the watermen out early on the high tide.  The fish houses line both sides of the channel in and out of Tangiers.  They are nothing more than a shack to keep all of your traps and equipment in, with no access other than by water