May on the Bay: cruising at its finest! There are two sets of cruisers on the Bay at this time of year. Local cruisers are finishing their spring commissioning work, testing out new systems from their winter upgrades, and planning for summertime exploration. There is also an armada sharing our waters this month. It is the spring migration of snowbirds who have wintered somewhere warm and are now homeward bound.
Both fleets will find themselves in and about Deltaville, VA, this month. For any cruisers in the Deltaville area, a side trip up the beautiful Rappahannock to the historic tidewater village of Urbanna is most rewarding. The river is pretty, scenic, wide and deep, and generally lightly trafficked. Seven miles upriver you will pass under the Norris Bridge. This bridge is quite distinctive; during a recent five-year repainting project, the span has been repainted a lovely light blue. For some reason, they only painted about halfway out to the center from either shore leaving the center part of the bridge the rusting, peeling, grey bridge it has been for a generation.
Once you pass under the bridge, you will pass Carter Creek on the north shore, home to the celebrated Tides Inn. A mile and a half farther you pass the entrance to the Corrotoman (cor –o-TOE-man). This is a delightful river with many fine anchorages, but tarry not; this trip we are Urbanna bound.
Entering Urbanna Creek is straight forward. There is a low jetty on the north side of the entrance; the entrance is deep and well-marked. Just past G”7,” the creek widens out, and there is room to anchor on the east side. You will notice that the creek is fairly ringed with floating docks. Most of these are private, belonging to the Urbanna Harbor YC. The club does not cater to short term transient rentals. But that is fine as there are marinas on the west side of the creek, in the village itself, which cater extensively to transients.
The first marina to starboard as you enter the creek is the Urbanna Town Marina at Upton Point. This friendly marina also has a dinghy dock if you choose to anchor. The next set of floating docks to starboard are part of a condo association, but immediately past that is Dozier’s Port Urbanna Marina. Hail them on Channel 16. Wendy Otterstedt will cheerily guide you to a slip. This facility has a lovely second floor club house and deck on which to enjoy an evening drink, and watch the goings on in the harbor.
The marinas in Urbanna are almost assured to have open slips except during the two big annual events. May 17 brings the 2014 Urbanna Cup. A weekend of powerboat races in the harbor for the diminutive wooden Cocktail Class racers powered by 6- and 8-hp outboards. The other big weekend is the grand daddy of them all: the Urbanna Oyster Festival, November 7-8, one of the largest craft fairs and street festivals on the east coast. If you have not attended, then this is the year to do it!
The incentive for coming up the river is to enjoy the quaint and historic village of Urbanna. This small village retains many of its colonial-era buildings. A walk up the brick-walled, heavily shaded Prettymans Rolling road takes you back in time. You are walking a lane that is little changed in 250 years since it was used to roll hogsheads of the finest Virginia tobacco down to the ships waiting to load and carry the produce from the colonies back to mother England. On the left you will see the Factor Store or Old Tobacco Warehouse where colonial farmers brought their tobacco to trade for cash and European products. On the right behind the trees is the old Customs House.
At the top of the hill you may turn to the left on Cross Street to visit several shops and stop in to Marshall’s Drug Store to enjoy a root beer float at their old-time soda fountain. If you proceed up Virginia Street, you will pass the original court house, one of the few remaining colonial courthouses in Virginia, which was repurposed as a church in 1852. There are several restaurants here including Virginia Street Café and the ever-popular Ostra. Here, too, you find the new and very trendy Something Different with its menu of “Fine Neanderthal Cuisine.” The homemade ice cream is as delicious as it may be unconventional. Try the chocolate with chili ice cream. I promise you will be surprised but will like it.
Farther up the street you’ll find the ABC store and the post office.
Continuing up Virginia St. you pass Lansdowne the very handsome 1750 colonial home of the eminent Lee family of Virginia. Just beyond you come to more shops including the very attractive Cyndy’s Bynn. Next on the right is a cruisers goal, the Urbanna Market. Yes, Urbanna is one of the very few towns on the Bay where it is a short walk to a real grocery store.
So Urbanna is a bit off the beaten path, but you do not go cruising to rush from one place to another. Slow down and explore. Urbanna will pay you handsomely for taking the time to discover.
by Tom Hale
