Best Two Boat Tours On - Or Around - Chincoteague Island

Chincoteague is an island in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Virginia, just south of the Maryland state line.  Until the year my mother was born, one could only reach it by a boat or ship of some type; then the causeway across multiple channels of water was built.  Chincoteague is protected from the violence of pounding surf by Assateague Island to the east; Assateague stretches for 33 miles from Ocean City, Maryland to a little past the southern tip of Chincoteague in Virginia.  All of Assateague Island is designated a National Seashore, but the southern end in Virginia is also a National Wildlife Refuge.  Confusingly, the NWR on Assateague Island in Virginia was named the Chincoteague NWR.  No person lives on Assateague at the current time.  Chincoteague, however, is (and has been) populated and now relies mainly on tourism for it's economy.  My mother's family has lived on Chincoteague since the 1650s, so I know what I'm talking about...
   If you plan on going to Chincoteague during a warm time of the year, two boat trips are a must.  Both of these trips are captained by fascinating men and they know the history and lore of the islands - their families have lived it.  I say there are two excursions to make, but if you can only take one, you need to decide if your overwhelming desire is to see the wild ponies on Assateague, or to have a hands-on experience investigating the life and times and ecology of the marine life system of the tidal marshes.  Both boating trips offer the historical perspectives of the island; you can sit back and look, and take photos on either excursion.  If you want to hop in the water and find out what's in a seine net, or have your kids help retrieve a crab pot, or look at oysters growing, or go shelling, look at dolphins and birds, then you definitely want to see Captain Barry.  If you want to see ponies on Assateague, dolphins and birds, then you want to see Captain Dan.  I'll write about Captain Barry first, because he comes first alphabetically, whether by first or last name...
  Captain Barry's Backbay Cruises are the hands-on type of cruise during his daylight hours of tours - there is also a Sunset Cruise for adults that does not involve the seine nets, crab pots, etc - unless you want it to.  His ecological tours leave the dock at 8 am, 10:30 am, 1 pm and 3:30 pm. When I went out with him, we explored several small islands, or tumps, in the Chincoteague Channel and the Chincoteague Bay.  We went shelling; we saw dolphins  and birds (I stopped counting after 25 different types); one of the kids on the cruise gaffed a crab pot buoy and then pulled the crab pot up.  Barry opened the pot and we all handled crabs (if we wanted to) and he showed us the safe way to pick them up, how to tell the difference between the boys and the girls, and we got to see eggs on a few of the ladies.  He showed us seed oysters and then pulled up some adult ones, and we could have them raw on the half-shell there on the deck.  We learned to identify different types of jellyfish, and to be able to identify the different type of small fish and crabs at the edges of the water.  The four children who were on the cruise with me were totally engrossed and talked about it for days.  I had one of the best times of my life...  The Sunset Cruises come with a bottle of champagne, and/or one can bring their own choice of beverage.  Sunset Cruises are usually adults only.  Captain Barry's boat can only take out 6 passengers at a time, so be sure to reserve a seat!   The boat leaves from 6262 Marlin Street on the Chincoteague Channel.  The number to call is (757) 336-6508.
  Captain Dan's Around the Island Tours is the other boat trip I would urge you to take.  Captain Dan is there, running the boat 99% of the time; when he can't make it for a serious reason - or when it's the really packed tourist weeks, his father, Captain Ray, will take the boat's wheel.  They have a couple of 6 passenger boats, and Dan just got his Coast Guard Safety Certification for an 18-passenger craft.  Dan's tour takes you,  literally, around the island of Chincoteague, and quite a ways up the western side of Assateague.  On this trip, besides learning the histories and tales of Chincoteague and Assateague, one can see many types of birds (including bald eagles), dolphins, but, most importantly, the ponies running free on Assateague.  (During Pony Penning week, July 21 through 27 this year, there will be no ponies roaming free on the Virginia end of Assateague - so, unless Dewey or some of the Maryland ponies make it past the state-line fence, you won't see ponies from the boat.)  Ponies are the big drawing card, other than the wide variety of birds to be seen on Assateague.  Captain Dan keeps pony identity books available on his tours, so you can see who you're looking at and taking photos of.  Dan knows most of the herds and the majority of ponies by sight.  This year, he and his clients have seen so many new foals (pony babies) that he's laughingly calling his tours "The Foal Patrol."  Both Dan, and his father Ray, have a lot to share and are always willing to answer questions.  Dan's boat leaves from the floating dock at the Robert Reed City Park just behind the Public Library on Main Street.  For reservations, call  (757) 894-0103.
   Severe weather may cancel scheduled outings.  Please be sure to check on Mother Nature's feelings. Both boats provide a "necessary room" as needed.  All are certified by the US Coast Guard, as are the Captains.

Go out on a boat and have a great time!

Fun Things to Do With Kids On Chincoteague Island

I love to do everything that is available on Chincoteague Island and it's eastern neighbor, Assateague.  Originally, Chincoteague had a small farming community - mainly subsistence farming - and the main source of income for most folks was from the water.  My ancestors were Chincoteague watermen, and I love the water and all the intriguing marine wildlife...  That is why my first choice of anything to do on Chincoteague is going out on Captain Barry's Back Bay Cruises (see my previous blogs:  http://bscrittersitter.blogspot.com/2015/06/chincoteague-dreams.html  and  http://bscrittersitter.blogspot.com/2015/06/captain-barry-fun-things-to-do-with.html) - Barry's Sea Life Expedition is a fantastic, informative, and (if you want) hands-on trip looking at the things that Chincoteague watermen did, and do.  There are many tour boats to choose from on Chincoteague, but if you want factual information about marine biology and ecology, and how the shallow bays around the islands the islands encourage and propagate sea life, Captain Barry is the best way to learn.
  A large amount of visitors to Chincoteague are there for one of two things - Chincoteague ponies and the birds at the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge - or both.  Me?  I'm as horse-crazy and bird crazy as one can be - and, yes, I do have some great suggestions about things to do...
  For those whose kids are pony crazy, or are fulfilling their own dreams (as adults) about Misty and the other famous Chincoteague ponies, I make these recommendations:
  Take a trip out with Captain Dan's Guaranteed Pony Tours - if it isn't the week of Pony Penning - and you will see the ponies (usually several different herds) going about their daily lives.  These Skippers know the individual ponies, and can give great background information.
  Visit the Chincoteague Pony Centre, open every day except Sunday, and meet some descendants of the real Misty of Chincoteague.
   Go across the bridge to Assateague and visit the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge - you can usually see some of the ponies from your vehicle, or you can walk the Woodland Trail to the Pony Overlook.  During the evening, one can drive along the Wildlife Loop, if you don't want to walk it during the day, and usually one can see several groups of ponies there, also.
   Visit the Refuge Inn, and see some of the Leonard family Chincoteague ponies in a pasture between the Inn and the McDonald's.  The Leonard family has been on the island for a long time, and they breed their own ponies, much as Grandpa Beebe did (in Misty of Chincoteague).
   For the people visiting for the bird watching, I can easily recommend:
  Visiting anywhere on the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge on Assateague Island.  The 14,000 acre CNWR is a part of the  Atlantic Fly Way, and sees over 300 kinds of birds each year.  You can get birding lists from the Visitor's Center, or print them out from your own computer.
   Take the free Wildlife Bus Tour and Lighthouse Tour on the CNWR during the weekends.
   Take Captain Dan's Around the Island Tour.
   Take Captain Charlie Birch's Chincoteague Island Tours & Nature Cruises.
   Take Daisy's Island Cruises.
Rent a bicycle and see the islands (and all the sights) in a relaxed fashion, at your own pace.
If you're there on the weekend (Friday or Saturday night), visit the 90th Annual Firemen's Carnival.
There are all kinds of shops - local artists, photography, painting, decoys, books - and restaurants to fit any budget.
Go the the Museum of Chincoteague Island, the Captain Timothy Hill House (imagine a family living in a space that small), or, head back to the mainland and visit the NASA Visitors Center for space and rocketry information.
 Hire a fishing guide, or rent your own boat, canoe or kayak.
Play on the beach, get a tan, and swim in the Atlantic Ocean at the Assateague National Seashore (the beach part of the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge).
Go clamming, crabbing, or fishing from a dock, from the water, or surf fish at the beach.
Swim.
Have a picnic and look at the cloud shapes.
Relax and have the kids read any of the multitude of childrens Chincoteague books, or study the new edition of The Field Guide to the Chincoteague Wild Ponies  Expanded, Revised & Updated by Kelly Lidard. Or look over the Chincoteague Pony Identification Cards by Lois Szymanski.  Check out bird identification books written for kids and/or adults.
** A few words of warning:  Ponies do bite and kick unexpectedly.  Ticks, mosquitoes, midges, and flies are plentiful.  It's very humid and you will sweat a lot - stay hydrated.  Take insect repellent. Use sunblock.  Wear a hat.  Wear sunglasses.  If you go out on the water, take something warm to wear; weather on the water changes quickly.**
  Enjoy the islands!

Carnival Season on the Eastern Shore

Yesterday I had a wonderful time watching young cottontail rabbits playing together, and squirrels chasing and playing with each other.  But, on my way back to Tess' in the afternoon, I saw something that made me cry.  Two young squirrels were running across a three-lane road.  One made it safely, the other didn't.  It seemed to take a glancing blow, but was dead immediately.  The survivor ran back into the street several times, avoiding traffic, and tried in vain to get the other to join him/her.  The dead one was not messily squashed - it looked like it was asleep in the middle of the road.  The survivor kept using a paw on the fallen one's shoulder, as if it were trying to awaken the other one.  I saw it go to the dead one five separate times, and try to get the fallen one to join it.  It was so sad….  I don't know if they were litter mates, friends, a courting couple, or what.  All I know was that the death of one little squirrel made the rest of my day mirthless.
   Race horse California Chrome, who is now in England, has a younger full-blood sister.  The filly was supposed to appear  in her first race on 15 May, but was scratched due to illness - a virus, says her trainer.  The youngster is now scheduled to have her first race on June 15.
  The fourth annual Tall Ships at Cape Charles will be taking place in two weeks time  - the 13 and 14 of June.  I'd certainly be there, if I were closer than Colorado.  More information can be found at:  http://www.tallshipscapecharles.com    There are all sorts of cultural, educational and heritage visits that can be made on the Eastern Shore in the summer.  And most of the Volunteer Fire Companies in Virginia and Maryland are holding their fund-raising Carnivals between now and Labor Day…  Please support our local Fire Fighters and EMT crews by visiting their Carnival, and contributing to the local economies.
   I also highly recommend Captain Barry's Back Bay Cruises from Chincoteague - both the daylight and evening cruises - and Captain Dan's Pony Tours from Chincoteague.   Barry Frishman is my favorite Captain and tour guide - and he's very hands-on and knowledgeable, and everyone has fun on his trips and tours.  If you only want to see ponies, birds, and dolphins the go out with Captain Dan.