Krogens Cruise The Rappahannock
of two weeks in 2006, was with a journalist friend who
was working on an article for Smithsonian magazine about
the Virginia colony’s 400th anniversary. Since then, the
resources available to history-minded cruisers have
multiplied, including that article by Terry Smith and
numerous others; several new books, such as the one by
John Page Williams mentioned above; plus the National
Park Service designation of Smith’s entire route as the
2,300-mile Capt. John Smith Water Trail, which eventually
will incorporate a series of “smart buoys” that broadcast
historical and environmental messages via the web and
by telephone. (See the sidebar on page 107 for more.)
From virtually anywhere on Chesapeake Bay, you
can launch a cruise of as little as a day or as long as a
whole summer. Do a little research, follow Capt. Smith’s
wake, visualize what he saw and did, and compare the
Chesapeake then and now. It’s a great way to probe some
Photos by Bill Portlock
Bird life is plentiful on the Rappahannock River. Left: We saw
scores of eagles soaring off Fones Cliffs. Right: An osprey
hunts for nesting materials.
intriguing history about an intrepid explorer and the first
settlers in Virginia and combine it with an enhanced
understanding of the grave challenges and elusive
possibilities facing the Chesapeake four centuries later.
Rivers like the Chickahominy (which flows into the
James River), the Nanticoke on the Eastern Shore, and
the Rappahannock afford a different kind of cruising,
providing glimpses of wildlife and vegetation such
as freshwater grasses, lilies, and wild rice not found
elsewhere on the Bay and exposure to remote but
invariably welcoming communities. Cruising this region
offers a way to probe the sources of the Bay’s troubles a
little deeper and to catch heartening glimpses of how the
firm commitment to solutions, like spawning shad, is
slowly working its way upstream.
“Treasure the Chesapeake” is exactly right.
For a bit of history and local knowledge, read “A
Captain Smith Hotspot” under the Web Extras for this
issue at passagemaker.com.
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