Captain Barry's Back Back Cruises - Chincoteague Island, Virginia

I grew up spending summers on Chincoteague Island, and I also lived there for several years in two and three year lengths of time.  I know what it's like to live there year round and to watch the visitors fade away and then come back like a flooding tide.  I know a lot of the island's history and the history of many families on both Assateague and Chincoteague.  I know about the ponies and wildlife on Assateague.  I can identify most fish in the area, and am knowledgeable about the shellfish industry there.  But I took a cruise with Captain Barry Frishman of Captain Barry's Back Back Cruises, and was astounded at all the thing I didn't know.  Captain Barry gave me an education in one tour - and I learn more each time I go out with him; and, believe me, that's pretty humbling for the granddaughter of a Chincoteague waterman.

   Captain Barry conducts a hands-on cruise.  You learn how to do things, like setting the anchor and how to seine net with partners.  You wander the tumps and hummocks in the Chincoteague Channel and Chincoteague Bay and learn to identify the different small fish, jelly fish, birds, crabs, clams and oysters found on the land and marshes and in the water.  He teaches you how to handle crabs without doing damage to them, and shows you how to identify females and you get to see their egg cases.  He shows you the smallest oysters that just tiny specks, shows you growing ones, and then (usually) opens one or two and offers you a fresh saltwater oyster right on the shell.  Sometimes you'll deploy a drag net and take it up at the end of the trip to view and discuss what you've netted.  He teaches you, in an easy-going way, the importance of the ecosystems of the marshes and why everyone should care about the state of of oceans and waterways.  You may be spotting bird nests of sea gulls, ospreys, and ducks; or you might stop and do some shell collecting....

   Captain Barry is a former tug boat captain, and he also ran a "hands-on aquarium," with his wife and family, in the old Landmark Plaza on north Main Street.  He is a volunteer with the Red Cross, and he and his wife travel to other countries during the off-season to do relief work after natural disasters.  He has been taking people out on eco-tours for over 25 years now, and is highly recommended by all.  His usual tours last for two hours (and he does have a restroom facility on board); his mooring spot is at 6262 Marlin Street, beside The Ropewalk.  He also does a Sunset Cruise (for adults only).

Other reviews have said:
  The ultimate high energy adventure cruise with hands-on, feet-wet, mind-on experiences.  "An interactive experience that differs from all others."
  Forbes Magazine describes Captain Barry as, "a whirlwind of energy and an encyclopedia of Chincoteague wildlife. He keeps the tours limited to six, so he can 'crawl around on his hands and knees' with every passenger."

Reservations are required.  The contact number is (757) 336-6508.  Captain Barry's website may be viewed at   https://captainbarry.net/   -  along with a video...

   You'll enjoy it!!  You can be as hands-on as you like, or just sit in a chair on deck and observe everything, and everyone else.

Returning from a sunset cruise...