John Smith's Chesapeake Voyage
Landfall:
Recreating Captain
John Smith's
1608 Chesapeake Voyage
There is but one entrance
by sea … at the mouth of a very goodly bay… Within is a country that
may have the prerogative over the most pleasant places known, for large
and pleasant navigable rivers, heaven and earth never agreed better to
frame a place for man's habitation. Capt. John Smith, 1612
OVERVIEW
Approaching the 400th Commemoration of Jamestown in 2007, the LANDFALL
expedition will recreate Captain John Smith's 1608 voyage around the
Chesapeake Bay. From the water Susan Schmidt and her crew will imagine
how John Smith and early colonists saw the new-world shoreline. What
plants and animals did they find on this continent? At the beginning of
the seventeenth century, as new waves of scientific thinking were
forming in Europe, North American natural history influenced the
colonists' knowledge and understanding. Their beliefs and behavior have
subsequently determined how we their descendents have changed this
continent in the last four hundred years. On their expedition they will
record Bay water quality, fisheries, and stories of watermen. Observing
plants and wildlife, Schmidt will compare her findings to natural
history in early colonists' journals.
Click
here for Susan Schmidt's journey pages
Click
below to see Susan's Book,
Landfall along the Chesapeake: In the Wake of Captain John Smith
EXPEDITION SCHEDULE - Susan
Schmidt
"March 29, 2002, I trailered my boat to Jamestown, VA, and
cruised on the cold, windy James and River for a week. Beginning
on May 8, 2002, for ten weeks, starting at Cape Henry like
Smith, I will circle the Bay counter-clockwise. My research
vessel, Landfall, is a C-Dory-22 Cruiser (that draws 2 feet),
white pilothouse motorboat with blue strip and two kayaks tied
on top. Crewmembers will be my students, friends, and
godchildren. First mate is Molly Brown, Boykin spaniel. We will
kayak up rivers that Smith explored: the James, Nanticoke,
Patuxent, Potomac, and Rappahannock." |
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HISTORY
John Smith began his voyage on June 2, 1608, and returned
September 7. He traveled with thirteen men in an open ship's
boat, perhaps 24 feet, powered by seven pairs of oars and a
sail. The ship Phenix towed Smith's boat to Cape Henry. From
there they crossed the mouth of the Bay to Cape Charles and
followed the Eastern Shore north, passing Tangier Sound and
Smith Island. After exploring the Nanticoke River, they crossed
to the Bay's western shore at Calvert Cliffs; sailed north to
the South or Severn river; then turned south. They proceeded 100
miles up the Potomac River to Little Falls. In mid-July, at the
mouth of the Rappahannock, a stingray bit Smith's hand, so the
company returned for two days to Jamestown. On the second leg,
Smith's crew sailed directly north to the Sassafras and
Susquehanna rivers. Heading south they entered the Patuxent and
Rappahannock before returning to the James. John Smith never
found gold or cross-continent passage to India, but he
befriended native tribes, recorded wildlife, and composed
accurate maps. |
SPONSORS
LANDFALL expedition costs exceed $55,000. NC Arts Council awarded a
small stipend for research. Outer Banks Outfitters donated a Raymarine
VHF and a Garmin GPS; Hurricane Aquasport a kayak; Doublecase a computer
case. Walsh Marine, Havelock Signs, Potomac Water Sports, and Wilderness
Systems gave discounts. Generous hosts are Jamestown Yacht Basin,
Colonial Harbor, Rebel Marine, and Horn Point Lab. I will gratefully
acknowledge all sponsors who help me pay the operating expenses of my
voyage by free docking, discounts, and donations.
Capt. Susan Schmidt
1527 Ann Street, Beaufort, NC 28516
(252) 728-4240 home/
messages
(252) 241-6405 cell afloat
susu@starfishnet.com
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