Two Days in Deltaville and Overnight in Reedville

Since the summer is passing so rapidly, we're trying to pick up the pace so we can spend some time in Galesville, Maryland which is near where our oldest daughter and her husband live. In doing so, we left Gloucester Point on August 23rd even though it meant motoring the whole way.  Fortunately, it was a nice day so, although boring, it was not absolutely terrible to just motor and enjoy the scenery. 

Deltaville is a small town which seems to be centered around sailing life, with several boatyards, marinas, and not much else. 

Typical home in Deltaville

The main draw for us was an anchorage near a marina that allows boaters to use the dinghy dock and laundry facilities for a small fee.  It turns out laundry facilities are a big topic of conversation amongst cruisers.  Who'd have thought? The marina is a nice place though, with a swimming pool, screen room with gas grills, and a courtesy car that we can use.  It's not fancy but the folks here are friendly and the sunset was an ever-changing palette of pinks, blues and gold.

Deltaville Marina Bath House 

Sunset at Deltaville

Boat life continues to bring daily technical challenges.  One day, one-half of our newly installed solar panel array stopped charging the batteries. Trouble-shooting identified the issue as a melted fuse holder. Today, our inverter stopped working and it looks like we're going to need a new one.  :-(

After our two days in Deltaville, we took advantage of a favorable weather window to head for Reedville, another small town in Virginia along the Chesapeake. It was a short jaunt, and as predicted the winds were perfect for sailing. We've elected to forego the more efficient overnight sails we had done while crusing through the Caribbean and up the east coast while we're in the Chesapeake Bay since there are numerous crab pots, fish traps and shallow areas. In the interest of safety, we want to have sunlight on our side.

Our anchorage in Reedville

Our stop in Reedville was just an overnighter so we didn't see any of the town, but we did see the fishing boats that provide the economic engine for this small town, and have since the mid-1800's. Reedville is the home of the menhaden fishing industry and was once the wealthiest town in the U.S.

Menhaden is an oily fish that is rendered and used in the production of fertilizer and chicken feed. Interestingly, the Native Americans used menhaden as fertilizer for corn and introduced the early settlers to this practice. In earlier times, the oil from menhaden was also used for lighting lamps.

The number of boats supporting this industry was impressive.

Menhaden Fishing Vessels

Although we didn't see the town, we did take the opportunity to take the dinghy to a small beach near our anchorage and see a bit of the aquatic life in the area

Evidence of huge water level swings

Marsh Snails* in the Great Wicomico River

* I've been remiss in crediting my son-in-law, Dr. Will Ryan, with the identification of the aquatic life throughout my blog.  It's nice to have a marine biologist in the family!