Onancock Wharf and Marina - Onancock, VA
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Most Recent Visit: August 20-22, 2021
Our first visit to Onancock was a last minute stop on our circuitous cruise around the Bay. We stopped there based on a recommendation to stop at Tangier Island for a couple of hours and then cruise over to Onancock. It was an excellent recommendation. There are only 12 slips and a long bulkhead for larger boats, but it is a very quiet and accommodating marina after a pleasant cruise up the Onancock Creek. Our second trip was more enjoyable as we stayed for two nights and had more time to spend in town. |
Fuel and pumpout are available at the Wharf, as well as clean private bathrooms with showers and free laundry facilities (new in 2021) in the small marina building. It is a short walk to the downtown area through some quiet neighborhoods where you can find a few nice restaurants. Also new to the marina for the 2021 season are a couple of golf carts that can be rented by the hour or the day. One popular eatery is immediately adjacent to the docks. Onancock, like many other small, quiet historic Eastern Shore towns has a few Bed & Breakfast Inns for travelers. There is not much to offer cruisers in the way of extensive provisioning or supplies, although we happened to be there on a Saturday when the town runs a small farmers and artisan market from 9 to 12. Fresh produce, seafood, baked goods, frozen meats are available as well as products from local artists. There is a very nice store in town with wine, cheese, olive oils, crackers and other entertaining items. They also feature work by local artists which is a theme of a few shops in town. The local bakery is very popular, however it was closed during our visit.
We enjoyed the winding and scenic cruise up Onancock Creek as we approached the town. There are a couple of anchorages along the way and you do need to be on the lookout for commercial traffic as well as crab traps. Many nice homes dot the shoreline. You will need to follow your chartplotter as the passage can be a bit confusing. There are plenty of daymarks along the way, but the channel makes a few dogleg turns between some of them. There seems to be good water outside the channel, but deep draft boats may need to pay close attention.
We highly recommend a stop in Onancock. The people are very friendly and welcoming to boaters. The marina seems to be making continuous improvements and upgrades. The staff indicated that they would likely be replacing the power pedestals in the near future. This will be a worthwhile improvement as the pedestal at our slip was not working correctly and we had to move our shore power cable to the next pedestal. It worked out fine for us.
We enjoyed the winding and scenic cruise up Onancock Creek as we approached the town. There are a couple of anchorages along the way and you do need to be on the lookout for commercial traffic as well as crab traps. Many nice homes dot the shoreline. You will need to follow your chartplotter as the passage can be a bit confusing. There are plenty of daymarks along the way, but the channel makes a few dogleg turns between some of them. There seems to be good water outside the channel, but deep draft boats may need to pay close attention.
We highly recommend a stop in Onancock. The people are very friendly and welcoming to boaters. The marina seems to be making continuous improvements and upgrades. The staff indicated that they would likely be replacing the power pedestals in the near future. This will be a worthwhile improvement as the pedestal at our slip was not working correctly and we had to move our shore power cable to the next pedestal. It worked out fine for us.
As mentioned above, we stopped in Onancock after spending some time on Tangier Island. We arrived at the island after a two hour cruise from Deltaville and spent a couple of hours touring with a golf cart guide and having lunch. We enjoyed learning about the history of the island, the unique way of life, and the challenges facing the residents. We met the legendary Mr. Parks as he helped us tie up on the docks. The trip to Onancock was about an hour and half from Tangier. It was a very pleasant day!
