Day 2 - Mobjack, VA

Our first night on the boat was spent in Mobjack, VA along a floating dock. We woke to a beautiful sunny day with mild temperatures. Being just 375 miles south of Syracuse, it was surprising how much warmth the morning sun provides.

Docked at Compass Marina, Mobjack, VA

Distant Horizon's Bowsprit and carved ornament

After breakfast, we walked to the village... it's not really large enough to be a village. Officially, it is listed as the "Community of Mobjack". This community consisted of several captain's house, two churches, the marina, and the Mobjack Nursery... for trees, not children.

Mobjack Church

Typical house in Mobjack

A rocking chair on the porch was common

Remnants of more prosperous times

Here, in front of the old oil company, a man was giving a lecture on the history of Mobjack to a cycling club. It turns out that this was a primary destination for Steamships before World War I. Anyone from this peninsula coming or going to Virginia Beach or Norfolk came through Mobjack. Oysters created a more recent industry, but that has dried up too. 

Lecture on the History of Mobjack

Coincidentally, when Keith the marina owner moved here 8 years ago, there were no oysters. With help from a conservation group, he has been growing oysters in the marina. Each oyster filters about 200 gallons of water a day. He has several floating bins; each containing several dozen oysters. Once they reach a mature state, he releases them around the point in the big Mobjack Bay. Now, you see oysters everywhere at low tide. They are making a comeback.

After our walk, I completed several tasks on the boat: connecting a portion of the new house bank; trouble shooting the AIS; storing items in more permanent locations. Keith also helped me test the AIS transponder. He is a receiving site for AIS. With Keith's help, we were able to receive information and he verified I was transmitting. It would be the last time I was able to confirm I was transmitting.

Oh, AIS stands for Automatic Identification System. It is part of the collision avoidance system big ships use and is optional for us smaller boats. Distant Horizon has a class B (small boat) AIS transponder installed. This means, Distant Horizon sends basic information: boat name, speed, heading (direction). It also receives all AIS information; especially that from big ships.

Before the sun set, we turned the boat around, so the bow pointed out. This would make our departure in the morning much easier.