The glamour of it all
Of course a sailing journey is full of exotic anchorages with gorgeous scenery. At least that is the romantic image of what cruising aboard a sailboat is. Water lapping gently on the side of the boat while the sun dips behind a breathtaking vista. Well, we have had some of those and have shared them in this blog. Not so all the time however. Quite often the anchorage area in a town leads to the not-so-savoury part of town. The “vista’ bestowed upon us in the picture above is a prime example. Not the romantic moon we had envisioned. And we couldn’t believe how long this fisher person stayed in that exact position perhaps proudly demonstrating that he too could wear his pants like those young city kids do! This did provoke a number of belly chuckles from our cabin but it also made me think that we’ve been fortunate to have the wide mix of landing experiences. Dinghying in to shore and landing in a spot not geared towards tourists but full of local folks living and sometimes struggling through their lives is a rich experience. Like a little while ago when we were in a not so lavish location and spoke with a teenage brother and sister. Through a heavy southern accent we learned their story of how “Mamma just got fired from her job that day and now they had to move…but we can make some good come out of all this”. Real life by the river. Dropping in and out of real people’s lives is fascinating and often shifts what we are thinking and feeling as this adventure continues to unfold.
Of course a sailing journey is full of exotic anchorages with gorgeous scenery. At least that is the romantic image of what cruising aboard a sailboat is. Water lapping gently on the side of the boat while the sun dips behind a breathtaking vista. Well, we have had some of those and have shared them in this blog. Not so all the time however. Quite often the anchorage area in a town leads to the not-so-savoury part of town. The “vista’ bestowed upon us in the picture above is a prime example. Not the romantic moon we had envisioned. And we couldn’t believe how long this fisher person stayed in that exact position perhaps proudly demonstrating that he too could wear his pants like those young city kids do! This did provoke a number of belly chuckles from our cabin but it also made me think that we’ve been fortunate to have the wide mix of landing experiences. Dinghying in to shore and landing in a spot not geared towards tourists but full of local folks living and sometimes struggling through their lives is a rich experience. Like a little while ago when we were in a not so lavish location and spoke with a teenage brother and sister. Through a heavy southern accent we learned their story of how “Mamma just got fired from her job that day and now they had to move…but we can make some good come out of all this”. Real life by the river. Dropping in and out of real people’s lives is fascinating and often shifts what we are thinking and feeling as this adventure continues to unfold.
Just because it says 2009, don’t you go thinkin’ that means up-to date….. 
Before we headed north from Norfolk we thought that perhaps a brand new guidebook for the Chesapeake Bay might be nice. Heading north we have more time to explore, so a book just dedicated to the Bay, rather than one geared for people cruising on through, was in order. What luck! We found a 2009 illustrated cruising guide for Chesapeake Bay for half price! (Maybe that should have been a red flag……)
Following the advice of the guidebook, rather than go straight from Deltaville to Solomons Island we would spend a day and night anchored where we could visit the “pearl” of the Bay, Grog Island. There was a lovely drawing of a treed island with a lovely beach. The book read “It’s sandy beach shines gold in the morning sun with a fringe of trees silhouetted against the sky”. Sigh…. Doesn’t that sound beautiful honey?
There was more….”it features a nice sandy beach, perfect for picnics, and children have a chance to run and explore.” Now, to be fair, it did mention that the island was suffering some erosion into the Bay but….”for now, however, it is one of the true gems of the Chesapeake.”
“For now” was obviously not in 2009, or judging by what was left of the trees (see photo) any time in recent memory. And the children running and exploring the beach? They better be wearing lifejackets and flippers. As well, make sure that picnic floats and attach a tether to it because the wave action is pretty brisk! As there didn’t appear to be any Grog Island we thought perhaps we were in the wrong spot. After anchoring Tiffany Rose, we got in the dinghy and went over to where a couple was sitting in a small motor boat anchored off of what once might have been the end of the island. “There used to be an island here,” the lady said. “When I was young there were two ponds on it as well.” “Was this Grog Island? we asked. “Yes” she said sadly, “things change”. Yes they do, but I guess not the guidebook. Once again, as travellers, we’d dropped right in the middle of someone else’s real life experience.
Before we headed north from Norfolk we thought that perhaps a brand new guidebook for the Chesapeake Bay might be nice. Heading north we have more time to explore, so a book just dedicated to the Bay, rather than one geared for people cruising on through, was in order. What luck! We found a 2009 illustrated cruising guide for Chesapeake Bay for half price! (Maybe that should have been a red flag……)
Following the advice of the guidebook, rather than go straight from Deltaville to Solomons Island we would spend a day and night anchored where we could visit the “pearl” of the Bay, Grog Island. There was a lovely drawing of a treed island with a lovely beach. The book read “It’s sandy beach shines gold in the morning sun with a fringe of trees silhouetted against the sky”. Sigh…. Doesn’t that sound beautiful honey?
There was more….”it features a nice sandy beach, perfect for picnics, and children have a chance to run and explore.” Now, to be fair, it did mention that the island was suffering some erosion into the Bay but….”for now, however, it is one of the true gems of the Chesapeake.”
“For now” was obviously not in 2009, or judging by what was left of the trees (see photo) any time in recent memory. And the children running and exploring the beach? They better be wearing lifejackets and flippers. As well, make sure that picnic floats and attach a tether to it because the wave action is pretty brisk! As there didn’t appear to be any Grog Island we thought perhaps we were in the wrong spot. After anchoring Tiffany Rose, we got in the dinghy and went over to where a couple was sitting in a small motor boat anchored off of what once might have been the end of the island. “There used to be an island here,” the lady said. “When I was young there were two ponds on it as well.” “Was this Grog Island? we asked. “Yes” she said sadly, “things change”. Yes they do, but I guess not the guidebook. Once again, as travellers, we’d dropped right in the middle of someone else’s real life experience.
2 comments:
I own a property on the bay nearby what remains of that island. As little as 8 years ago, it covered nearly that entire sandbar I'm sure you saw expanding away from the few dead trees and was covered in trees. Hurricane Isabel in 2003, however, destroyed a good chunk of it and shifted the currents around the island, permanently stopping whatever natural mechanism it was that kept that island intact for so many decades. It's a shame, really.
Thanks for this info. It sure was a funny encounter we had with the island based on the guidebook! But what a beautiful area. You must thoroughly enjoy your property there. Maybe on our next journey we can visit you there!
Dave, Shirley and Christopher
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