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| Onancock Wharf & Marina |
The rain continued this morning until around 8:00am. Yet, the wind continued to blow from the northeast at 10-15MPH with higher gusts (small craft warnings were in effect for waves 3-5 feet and higher). Currents on the Chesapeake Bay were flowing south. So, we said to ourselves, “What, me worry?” and decided to make a run for Onancock (pronounced Nancock). We topped off with fuel then headed out not far behind another trawler heading north. Once we passed the no wake zone buoy we
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Exterior of Mallards: Formerly
Hopkins & Bros. |
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Inside Mallards: Old mercantile
counter |
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Inside Mallard's: Steamboat
ticket window |
trotted up to 18,000 RPM (10 - 14 knots depending on whether we are climbing a wave or sliding down the other side). All-in-all it was a great ride for us. But the trawler that preceded us out radioed back to Somer’s Cove Marina that they were returning. We had the advantage actually of being able to run close to marshes and the shallow waters of Great Fox Island, Little Fox Island, and Watts Island to try to reduce the size of the waves we’d experience as we headed south. We also had the current with us. Once we got into the protection of the Onancock Creek everything went quiet. It was like night and day. The water was smooth. The wind was light. We idled up the creek and enjoyed the views. After docking and checking in at the
Onancock Wharf and Marina, we had lunch at
Mallards At The Wharf restaurant next door. It
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| Sunset on Onancock Creek |
was so pleasant, we elected to eat outside and were joined by many others shortly after. Hopkins & Bros. was founded in 1842 as a waterfront store, warehouse, shipping business, steamboat ticket office, and occasionally a bank. Some Marylanders were sympathetic to the Confederacy at the start of the Civil War and the owner Steven Hopkins had to take an oath of allegiance to the United States to continue operations. Although the location of the 1842 building has moved and the outbuildings have been removed, the business operated until 1965. The remaining buildings and all of the business records were donated to the Virginia Historical Society (VHS), Eastern Shore. The building has been leased from the VHS and has operated as Mallards since 2010. We gave Splash Down a well deserved washing when we got back from lunch. Then we walked the town and had dinner at the
Charlotte Hotel and Restaurant. They had great gluten-free food options. Returning to the boat, we looked at the weather and decided to stay put for a day or two and not beat ourselves up trying to get to the western shore. There is much more exploring to do in Onancock.
