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the Chesapeake
Cruise: Choptank version
...(borrowed from the 2011 announcement) |
| To all Wayfarers:
Those who have read or heard
about James Michener's renowned historical novel,
Chesapeake, are going to be
intrigued by this adventure. You
will experience sailing on
the historic waters of the Choptank River, seeing Tilghman
Island, and exploring the remote reaches of
the marshy creeks that feed the Little
Choptank River - including
the infamous Slaughter
Creek.
You'll be allowed to let
your imagination run free.
After cruising in one area for
five years - Tangier Sound - this
cruise will offer us a refreshing change
of scenery. We will be exploring and
learning new things about the Chesapeake. We
will be staying in excellent marinas with top
notch facilities. The focus will be on
cruising being a boat-camping experience, as the
original Chesapeake cruises were. As in the
past, this is an advanced skills cruise and is
intended for the experienced sailor with heavy
weather boat handling skills. All boats must
conform to the required cruise safety list and
rules. Due to the nature of this cruise, the
total number of participants will be limited and
accepted on a first come basis. Newcomers
will be asked to describe their prior sailing
experience.
The Cruise. The cruise
will start out from historic,
picturesque Oxford, located where the
Tred Avon River empties into the
Choptank. Everyone will congregate Sunday,
May 29th, in Oxford and launch their
boats. There we will enjoy a great
seafood dinner (for those so inclined) and
overnight in a nearby marina.
 From Oxford, Monday morning we will head
west to take in Tilghman
Island,
a popular tourist destination for people
who enjoy all kinds of water sports. It is a
main destination of sports fishermen, with
many charter boats to pick from. There are a
number of marinas and some good restaurants
on Tilghman Island.
 After Tilghman Island, we turn
south to the much quieter, off
the beaten path waters of the
Little Choptank River. This will be a fairly
lengthy sail. (See other
possibilities below.) The marina on
Slaughter Creek will be our first
port-o-call. A short walk from the marina is
a local bar and grill, situated in - if
things haven't changed - what was once a
really cool old general store loaded with
fascinating artifacts. This is also a place
where we may get to rub elbows with a local
waterman or two, relaxing after a hard day of
crabbing.
 Next we plan to poke our noses
into the upper reaches of the Little Choptank
River and Fishing Creek. Picking our way up
these marshy estuaries will be great fun, and
there should be a tremendous amount of wildlife to
see. There will be bald eagles,
surely! Now we'll be in an area
that even I haven't explored before, so I'll
be learning just like everyone else. If we
run across a nice spot to land and enjoy a picnic,
that will be great. The day will end at
Madison Bay Marina and Campground where we will
stay overnight.
If all has
gone as planned, the following day will be
Thursday; and it will be time to head back.
That means we need to retrace our
route to Tilghman Island, and then
finally to beautiful Oxford. (See other
possibilities below.) If we get back early
enough Friday, some may wish to retrieve their
boats. Otherwise, staying in the marina and
departing on
Saturday will be an option.
As always, unsuitable weather can
impact the plan and schedule. I'm hoping
that we can get one or two boats with an
engine in case we encounter a period of no wind.
About Oxford.
My
impression of Oxford is that it's a sailing
center, a quiet picturesque village, and a place
with a long history. The main thoroughfare is
lined by red brick sidewalks beneath a canopy
of shade trees. The residences are old
Victorian style homes or quaint cottages. It
is definitely up scale. There are a couple
of shops, but none of the tourist trap
places that are found lining the streets
in St. Michaels. I recall that
there was a small artist colony and one
could buy a nice painting for a good price.
Margie and I stayed in a marina
there one year and really enjoyed our
experience.
Oxford history. 'Oxford is
one of the oldest towns in Maryland, dating back
to before 1683. Until the American
Revolution, Oxford enjoyed
prominence as an international shipping center
surrounded by wealthy tobacco plantations. A
number of its citizens were prominent
players during the Revolution. After the
Revolution, Oxford's importance declined. Gone
were the British ships which used to bring in
trade. However, following the Civil War, things
changed when the railroad arrived in 1871, along
with improved methods of canning and packing
oysters, opened national markets for the oysters
from the Chesapeake's bountiful beds. In the
early twentieth century, when the beds finally
played out from over- fishing, the whole
industry went bust. The result was that
Oxford once again returned to a sleepy town
inhabited mainly by watermen who still worked the
waters of the Tred Avon.' Paraphrased by
D.H.
In recent times St.
Michaels and Oxford have emerged as the
epicenter of the Eastern Shore yachting world.
During the summer St. Michaels is a bustling,
hectic tourist destination. The waterfront
is lined with high-priced condos and fancy guest
houses. Glitzy shops, which line the streets
will be glad to take your money. However, the
world renowned Chesapeake Bay Marinetine
Museum is located there as
well. No visit to the Eastern Shore
is complete without
stopping at the Museum.
I can't say that describing Oxford
as a sleepy town is proper any more. When entering
town you'll notice a very
prominent, wealthy yacht club,
with mega-buck yachts
tailing from moorings or tied up in the
marina. Oxford is primarily
a yachting center. Yet it is laid
back; it doesn't beg tourism.
Contact Dick
Harrington at rmharrington@sbcglobal.net
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