Chesapeake Chase Day 40: Onancock

July 21, 2022

Today’s destination was Onancock, VA and the Onancock Wharf Marina.  We left Smith Island just after 6:30 AM.  This was too early for most of us, but we had to time our departure with the tide. 

Fred had warned us that once we were back out in the bay, the water would be rougher today.  It was!!  Between the heat and wave action, the ride to Onancock was miserable!  We do like to provide the full boating experience for our guests, but sometimes the experience is more than we plan for.

We arrived safely at Onancock at about 12:30 PM and had assistance docking from two nice young men. It’s a small marina with only 12 slips in a well-protected area, and it had all the amenities we needed, including free laundry.  Not only was laundry free, but the machines were large and new!  There were six private bathrooms with showers, and the price was right.  After our raucous day on the water, we needed a break.

We took care of all the necessary things such as laundry, rinsing the salt off the boat, checking for water in the bilge, taking a walk and searching out a place for ice cream. 

We decided to eat dinner next door at Mallards on the Wharf.  Just before leaving for the restaurant, the wind intensified, and a storm threatened.  This is the time when you want to make sure all your lines are secure, and fenders are where you might need them.  Fred also helped the man on the boat next to us with his lines.

Dinner was wonderful! 

The storm was more bark than bite.  We did get rain, but the storm itself was not as fierce as ones we have already experienced, and the rain was not enough to stop us from finding ice cream.  Between the drizzle, the time of day, and the small size of the town, there wasn’t much going on. 

We did find Scoops but were a little disappointed when we saw they sold Hershey’s ice cream and not something more local.  Did this stop us?  Fred and I had delicious milkshakes and Jess and Debbie had ice cream.  They even provided paper straws.

On the return walk, we passed The Corner Bakery.  It was closed for the day.  Too bad!  We didn’t want anything right now, but cinnamon buns in the morning would have tasted good.

We ended the night watching the beautiful sunset and playing Skip Bo again.  The pounding we had received earlier was now just a memory and the evening had ended well.

Captain’s Comments:

The Admiral has a way of keeping your feet to the fire…