Sun Dried Tomatoes

Stingray Point Marina

With all that spare time, we’ve managed to bike our way around Deltaville and get to know the environs fairly well.  The village is spread out along a 4 mile stretch of road that starts at the supermarket and ends at Stingray Point (more or less).  Given the area’s maritime history and current recreational boat standing there are several gift shops, two West Marines and lots of boat yards and marinas.  Other boat accessory shops (canvas, sails, surveys, electronics etc) are scattered along the road too.  Even so, the road remains fairly quiet; the feeling is definitely rural with a nautical bent.

Nautical Nostalgia, Deltaville

Chesapeake Bay was known to be explored by the Spanish as early as 1525.  An expedition was launched out of Hispaniola.  (This is now current day Dominican Republic/Haiti but back then it was prospering New World colonies founded by Columbus after his voyages in 1492 & 1493.)  

Captain John Smith, an Englishman, made a thorough survey of the Bay during 1607 to 1609 in search of foods & supplies vital to Jamestown’s survival.  Stingray Point was named by him after he was stung there by a cownose ray.  His life was saved by local Native Americans who administered an antidote.  Smith’s voyage route was declared a National Historic Trail (all water) in 2006.  Unless you own a river punt drawing 2 inches, then forget it! 

Classic Deadrise ready for repair 

The American Revolutionary War did not leave the Chesapeake unscarred.  In 1781, the French Fleet defeated the Royal Navy in the Battle of Chesapeake.  Many towns dotted around the Bay, large & small, have direct links to battles during those war-torn years.  Lush county vistas contradict the military complexity and political preferences that split brothers, families and towns.

Renamed in 1909 from Sandy Bottom, Deltaville now supports a small community of up to 800.  It’s location on the delta between the Rappahannock River to the north and Piankatank River to the South made it the perfect commercial boat building centre.  Many designs were customised to the needs of the local oyster and crab watermen and Deltaville’s most famous is the Deadrise.

F D Crockett

Holly Point Maritime Museum has an interesting exhibition of restored craft including a log bottom buyboat, the F.D. Crockett.  These larger craft plied the bay buying from watermen and getting a fresh catch to market. And yes, these boats were actually crafted from whole logs - an amazing skill.  Our photos do not do them justice. 

Hmmm..... I wonder if we could make a swap?

The museum also has a shallop, Explorer, launched in 2007.  After much research, it was build as a replica of Captain’s Smith’s versatile, open wooden workboat, that had a wooden mast and sails of hemp canvas.  Smith’s original shallop was though to have been transported in the Susan Constant to Jamestown in 1607 with the first colonists.  See our previous post to remind yourself how small this ship really was!!

Likewise, WJ3 is loaded to the gunnels….and there’s only the two of us.  We have a shed load of tools (from a fantastic local hardware store that we now almost own) and our two trusty bikes.