Mill Creek, Northern Neck, Virginia

It's Wednesday, June 23, and Peter and I remain anchored in bucolic Mill Creek, where we arrived yesterday afternoon just before rain set in. Today, I am doing some laundry; we have a washing machine on board, and the life lines serve as clothes lines for drying. It is sunny but not hot and humid; the temperature is only 72 degrees, and there is virtually no wind (which is why we are not moving). Yesterday evening, we actually had to don sweatshirts because of the chill. 

Mill Creek in the late afternoon

Below is what I wrote yesterday. For some reason, the cell service signal was not strong enough to post then.

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Rain on Mill Creek

It's Tuesday, June 22, and I write as I listen to the rain falling all around and quiet rumblings of thunder. We have puttering around from anchorage to anchorage on the shores of the Northern Neck of Virginia, and the days have been mostly uneventful. On Sunday (June 20), we anchored just east of the easternmost fixed bridge on the Great Wicomico River in the afternoon and got the dinghy in the water for the first time. Peter suggested using the smaller (and older) of our two outboard engines, but a test drive proved that—no surprise to me—it would not work reliably. I cannot count the number of times Peter and other cruisers have worked on it, only to get a few hours of life out of it. Of course, Peter is sure he can fix it, so he took it apart again and identified the (a?) faulty part, which has to be ordered. So, we hauled out the heavier—but new and reliable—outboard motor (which we purchased a year ago in Guatemala). 

Peter shooing away Canada geese that wanted to come aboard

On Sunday evening, we dinghied over to the dock at the bottom of the riverfront property of our friends Mick and Christine, who own a sister ship to Mantra which was on the hard beside her at Norton’s boatyard in Deltaville. They are in the process of total restoration. They have a lovely home on a few acres of land. The house is on the National Register of Historic Places, having been constructed in 1832 when the surrounding area was one large plantation. We enjoyed a delicious meal with them and their teenage son Bay on their terrace while taking in their view of the river. The conversation, of course, was mostly about Sundeers (the type of boat Mantra is) and cruising, with a little bit devoted to Tesla’s. They are keeping Peter’s at their place for a few weeks until we pick it up to drive to the beach in mid-July.

 

We were going to go back to their place on Monday morning (June 21) and drive our car to a supermarket in Kilmarnock for groceries but decided we could just pick up the few things we needed (including Diet Coke!) at our next stop, Reedville, a small, historic town just a few miles away by water. 

 

Reedville was found by Elijah W. Reed, a sea captain and merchant from Maine who, in transporting lumber from Maine to Virginia on his schooner, noticed large schools of menhaden in the Chesapeake. These had been commercially fished in New England for decades and processed as high-protein feed, soap, stains and a variety of other products, and he recognized a business opportunity. In 1873, he purchased land on Cockrell Creek near the mouth of the Great Wicomico and established a fish processing industry there. The community grew and prospered; fortunes were made and Victorian mansions lined part of Main Street, known as Millionaire’s Row. By 1912, the Northern Neck had 15 large menhaden factories and about 60 ships supplying them. Wooden boat building also became a thriving industry. Reedville was at the heart of the burgeoning local economy and was one of the wealthiest towns, per capita, in the U.S. However, the Great Depression destroyed the market for the products, and Reedville never truly recovered.

 

The mansions of the plant owners and the sea captains survived, however, along with more modest houses, and they are well-maintained, surrounded by expansive lawns. Reedville is on a narrow peninsula; from Main Street, water is visible between the houses on either side of the quiet street. We had read that there is an excellent Fishermen’s Museum in Reedville, and we tied our dinghy up at its dock. Outdoors, there are a number of boats on display with informative signage; unfortunately, the museum is only open Thursday through Sunday. 

Skipjack Claud W. Somers

Peter looking at a three log canoe with the Claud W. Somers behind in the water

Striker boat used for fishing menhaden

Locally built skiff used for pound net fishing and also as a life boat

Peter and I decided to walk down Main Street toward the point of the peninsula to admire the architecture and gardens and find a store for supplies and a restaurant for lunch. We passed Reedville Marine Railway, a family-owned business which had been building wooden boats 106 years. The Butler family just sold it a few weeks ago, ending the tradition. As we continued on, we passed no people on the sidewalks. Deltaville Market was closed, but we saw an ice cream parlor ahead and our hopes were raised. Alas, it is only open Thursday through Sunday. Beside the shop stood a man with a tool belt talking with a couple in a van. We asked them if there was anything open, maybe a restaurant. No, apparently, everything in town is closed Monday through Wednesday. We inquired about the nearest grocery store and were told the closest one, a Dollar General, was five miles away. When we explained that we had arrived by dinghy, the couple offered to drive us there and back. With the supply of Diet Coke on board Mantra gone, we just had to accept. We enjoyed talking with them about traveling (They had camped in all of the 48 contiguous States and used to own a powerboat for cruising on the bay.) and about Reedville. 

Mansion on Main Street in Reedville

Menhaden processing is still happening in Reedville, as was apparent from the strong smell as we passed the plant near the mouth of Cockrell Creek in our dinghy on our way to and from the small, quaint town. We had chosen to anchor on the other side of the Great Wicomico in the bight of Sandy Point, having read about the odor. That was an excellent choice. However, Peter decided he liked the scenery better on Mill Creek, so at noon we pulled up anchor and motored here, further up the creek than before, just before the rain set in. 

 

As Peter performs various maintenance jobs and tackles sundry projects on board, I pass the long hours reading and doing word games. I just started an embroidery project. It is not a work of art, but the process passes the time. Today, as the weather is cooler and less humid, I am making chili, starting with dried beans (purchased in Guatemala) and fresh produce and an assorted mixture of herbs, middle Eastern spices and masala. I have made a large pot, so I hope it is tasty, because we are going to be having it for several meals.

Beginning of embroidery work