Entering the Chesapeake Bay and Traveling to Smith Island

After spending a day and a half exploring Portsmouth and Norfolk, Virginia we leave the free Portsmouth City dock and head north towards the Chesapeake Bay. Today was our longest cruising day yet at over 12 hours! The weather window was predicted to be good for the day, however, the morning was scheduled to be a little rough given the winds were hitting us on the broad side of our boat. The afternoon brought clear skies and wind from the south giving us an extra push we needed to gain some good speed and make wipe an hour off our already long cruising day. 

Our destination for today is Smith Island. An archipelago of islands in the Chesapeake Bay that is only accessible by boat. For those who do not have a private boat like ourselves, a ferry leaves the public docks at Crisfield, Maryland everyday at 12:30 and 5pm sharp. Smith Island is a small archipelago with 3 towns, Ewell, Tylerton and Rhodes Point. Two of these towns are accessible by land, making Tylerton accessible by ferry or dinghy. Smith Island is the last of Maryland’s remaining residents in these offshore islands. There are only a few public buildings in town for the less than 300 residents. The distance from the mainland and remoteness of the island gives the town of Ewell some unique small town charm. 

We made prior arrangements to stay at the Smith Island Bakery dock in Ewell, the largest town on Smith Island. Once we docked PIVOT, we enjoyed walking around the town and exploring this unique place.