THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, August 28, 1994 TAG: 9408260289
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 02 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: Coastal Journal
SOURCE: Mary Reid Barrow
LENGTH: Medium: 99 lines
No wonder Tangier Island is called the ``soft-shell crab capital of the world.''
The deep-water channel leading to the Chesapeake Bay island's little harbor is lined on either side by crab farms, all built on pilings right out on the water. Each ``farm'' is a white shingled crab house, adjacent to a long row of shallow tubs, called shedding tanks. Wire crab pots are neatly stacked to the side of each house, ready for the next day of crabbing.
Shedding tanks are to the crab farmer what a field of soybeans is to the dirt farmer. Blue crabs, about to molt, are kept there and monitored by Tangier crabbers until the moment they shed their shells and are ready for the soft-shell crab market.
Last week as our excursion boat, the ``Capt. Eulice,'' cruised by the crab farms on the way into Tangier harbor, traditional Chesapeake Bay deadrise boats motored from crab house to crab house. The scene was postcard-pretty, a truly picturesque introduction to Tangier.
The Capt. Eulice leaves for the island from the charming little Eastern Shore harbor town of Onancock. A round-trip ticket costs $17.50. They say no reservations are necessary on this sturdy tour boat, which plies the waters to Tangier daily except Sundays through Sept. 30. It still might be a good idea to call Tangier Cruises at 1-804-787-8220 a day or so ahead and check.
The Capt. Eulice docks in front of the Hopkins & Bro. Store, an 1842 general store owned by the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities. The store is open daily, except Mondays, for purchases. A restaurant is on the premises, too.
The Capt. Eulice leaves Onancock at 10 a.m., travels the 17 miles across half the Chesapeake Bay, pulling into Tangier around 11:30 a.m.
It spends two hours in Tangier and returns to Onancock by 3 p.m. in plenty of time to poke around the historic town and make the 1 1/2-hour trip back to the Beach for supper. (In the morning, allow two hours to be safe.)
This was our first trip to Tangier and the only thing we knew about the island was Hilda Crockett's Chesapeake House restaurant, famous for decades for its crab cakes. We had a hard time but we made the decision not to indulge in this bit of tradition, figuring that after a big family-style seafood dinner for $11.25 (the only choice), we would be too full, too sleepy and too pressed for time to enjoy the rest of the island.
If you can't resist Chesapeake House, take a $2 ride on a golf cart for a quick island tour. Bicycles also are available for rent, but we chose to walk. Although the island is 2 1/2 miles long and 1 mile wide, much is marsh and only a small part is inhabited by its 700 or so residents.
They live in white clapboard houses, most with green or blue shutters, built closely almost like townhouses. Each yard is fenced off from the next and many are planted with flowers. Some residents have their own family cemetery plots within their tiny yards. And most also have friendly long-legged cats, which laze in front of the houses waiting to greet passing tourists.
Except for a maintenance vehicle or two, no automobiles traverse the island's bike-path size roadways. Bicycles, motor scooters and golf carts are the favorite form of transportation. Moms riding bicycles with babies in the baskets or driving golf carts with youngsters sitting in their laps are familiar sights.
Traffic signs say the speed limit is 15 mph. Below is the caution: ``Speed checked by radar.''
Although Tangier is only 7 feet above sea level and the island is virtually covered by water in the mildest of hurricanes, the 1899 Swain Memorial Methodist Church and its picturesque cemetery has stood through it all.
Take several quarters with you because wooden boxes nailed on posts hold island maps that you can purchase on the honor system for 25 cents. The Tangier recipe fence is a long row of wooden boxes, each holding recipes that range from crabbed stuffed tomatoes to lemon upside-down pudding. Each recipe costs 25 cents, on the honor system, too. Clothespins hold sheets of plastic that can be pulled over the recipe boxes in case it rains.
Tangier has a few gift shops that feature island crafts and plenty of island history booklets to read on the return trip to Onancock. A few other restaurants are found on the island, and we stopped at one for a quick lunch. And what did we have?
Why, crisp fried soft-shell crab sandwiches, of course.
P.S. ARE DEER EATING YOUR SHRUBS? Shirley Todd called to say her daughter, who lives outside Richmond, has had great success with a product called Hinder, available at Southern States stores. Since her daughter began spraying Hinder on her azaleas once a month, the deer have not munched on a single one.
MONK PARAKEETS are causing a flurry of calls again. There's a group nesting in the Pembroke area and also in Norfolk's Riverfront. Has anybody seen the flock of monk parakeets this summer that have been up and down the North End and in Fort Story for several years? MEMO: What unusual nature have you seen this week? And what do you know about
Tidewater traditions and lore? Call me on INFOLINE, 640-5555. Enter
category 2290. Or, send a computer message to my Internet address:
mbarrow(AT)infi.net. ILLUSTRATION: Photo by MARY REID BARROW
Take several quarters to spend at the Tangier Island recipe fence -
where you can buy recipes for 25 cents each - on the honor system.
by CNB