Knapp’s Narrows is man-made channel that shortens the time from working the Chesapeake Bay to unloading a catch on Tilghman Island. And this is a community that is heavily populated by watermen that take advantage of the cut. “Watermen,” not fishermen, is the appellation preferred in these parts covering crabbers, oyster bed farmers, shrimpers….and, yes, fishermen.
The waterway is dominated by boats like the ones you see in the photos below. They come in one basic shape….but in all kinds of conditions. Some look well cared for and others look like they might rust in place. The watermen themselves also run the gamut from tanned young men with a ready smile to craggy, sun-beaten men with scary laughs and cigarette raspy voices. I didn’t see any women on these boats.
Now, nothing to do is great for some of us. But not so great when you are 14 years old. I thought the “highlight” of our stay for Jassa might have been a dinghy ride down the narrows to the far side opening to the Chesapeake, a journey that took less than 30 minutes up and back….
When Jassa spoke to his mom after our ride, the conversation went something like this (I’m imagining Jessica’s part….)
Jessica: What did you do today?
Jassa: Nothing much.
Jessica: Did you have fun?
Jassa: Oh, yeah.
Grandparents: You had a wonderful time.
Jassa: I had a wonderful time.
Grandparents: You have the best grandparents in the world.
Jassa: I have the best grandparents in the world.
After the call, Jassa asked us what “Stockholm Syndrome” was.
Actually, Jassa got to do a bit more than go for a dinghy ride. He and Grandma got a private tour of a mini-ecology lab which featured aquariums and tanks filled with different types of turtles and crabs. At a touchtank of horseshoe crabs we learned that this critter has 10 eyes and is related in a Darwinian sense to spiders! We also saw baby turtles “learning” to fend for themselves by feeding on live shrimp….not as gruesome as it sounds.
