Excerpt from Free Lance Star 

On the Northern Neck, the lower Rappahannock was full of personal watercraft yesterday morning, according to Richmond County crabber Russ Messick. "There were so many Jet Skis and Sea-Doos out there that it looked like a race. The odd thing was that nobody was on any of them," he said. The extreme high tide that launched many unmanned boats and set them adrift in the lower Rappahannock and Potomac rivers also threatened the low-lying community of Lewisetta, said Northumberland County Administrator Kenneth D. Eades. The tide there was about 2 feet above normal, he said. "The only way in was by truck. The fire department went door-to-door offering to evacuate residents to a shelter, but no one took us up on it," Eades said. High winds downed power lines to hundreds of homes in the Northern Neck, but the only serious damage reported yesterday was a pickup crushed by a falling tree in Colonial Beach.

Copied from Free Lance Star 

SOME SAID they got into the winery business after carefully researching the business of growing grapes, making wine and struggling to make a profit.

Others at a special reception launching a video on "The Vineyards and Wineries of the Northern Neck" said their businesses grew out of hobbies.

One newcomer even "blamed" the jump into the wine business on a home kit purchased at Kmart, that grew from a basement operation to a garage-filling experiment to a full-fledged vineyard.

"I'm just surprised that so many people want to lose so much money these days," joked veteran Doug Flemer of Ingleside Vineyards, hosting the event for the video that highlights stops on the relatively new Northern Neck Wine Trail.

Flemer said that when his family got into the wine business in Westmoreland County's Oak Grove in 1980, there were eight wineries in Virginia.

"I think the latest count is 150 wineries in the state," he said. "And the number is still growing."

Flemer and Patty Long of the Northern Neck Tourism Council, which coordinated the making of the video, said they hope it will become an effective marketing tool.

Long, whose position was recently discontinued by the Tourism Council due to funding shortages, said the video on the vineyards and wineries grew from a different idea.

"Initially, we had talked about making a DVD that could be used to market the entire Northern Neck," Long said.

When it became clear that might be too much for one video, the Tourism Council and video producer Mark Huffman of Northumberland County, decided to split the subjects up.

One video includes museums and historic attractions, and has sold out all but a handful of its first run.

Huffman, who got his start in radio, said making a video featuring the interesting operations on the Northern Neck Wine Trail was a natural.

Included on the video are Athena Vineyards and Winery in Burgess, Belle Mount Vineyards in Warsaw, Ingleside Vineyards in Oak Grove, Oak Crest Vineyard and Winery in King George, Vault Field Vineyard in Kinsale and White Fences Vineyard and Winery in Irvington.

Also on the trail are Potomac Point Vineyard and Winery in Stafford and New Kent Winery.

Huffman said the video came together nicely, and features different aspects of the business–types of grapes, equipment used, how to taste wine and personal stories of those starting the vineyards.

"One of my favorites is a whole section on how to correctly taste wine, done by one of the wine-makers known to all," Long said. "I never knew so much went into tasting wine the right way."

Flemer said most people outside his industry don't know how important tourism and marketing tools like the wine trail are to small wineries like those featured on the DVD.

"It's so important to get people to visit the wineries," where they can buy wines directly, he said. "We are never going to be a force in the open market. There is too much competition for shelf space from the big companies and conglomerates."

Others agreed, noting the many ways they welcome visitors for tours, tastings or to enjoy the natural beauty of their properties.

The DVD is being sold for $12.95 at the vineyards and wineries, at Northern Neck museums and historic attractions and through the Wine Trail Web site.

www.northernneckwinetrail.com  

Rob Hedelt: 540/374-5415
Email: rhedelt@freelancestar.com

On Tuesday, April 23, VMRC will impose more regulations on the crabbers.

The crabbers have been accused of overfishing for years but they have started fighting back. Too late but they are fighting.

For over 30 years commercial waterman have been screaming about the degradation of the Chesapeake Bay that has been causing the decline of life in the Bay.

Although the crabbers will take another hit they have united and several environmental organizations have joined with them as they have threated suit.

Lawyers have advised them that they do have grounds for such a suit. This week the Virgina Waterman's Association will meet with an environmental group that has passed word to them that they have already prepared the legal work for such a suit. They have just been waiting for the right group to come along. They think the Virginia Waterman's Association is that group. 

Virginia bay town turns away payday lender

By the Associated Press

March 18, 2008

KILMARNOCK, Va. - There's no welcome mat for payday lenders in the town of Kilmarnock.

The town council voted down a request Monday night to allow payday-lending company Advance America to open an office in the Northern Neck community.

The council voted after a short public hearing at which ministers, business owners and social advocates spoke against allowing cash-advance businesses in commercial zones.

The district manager for Advance America–which runs a cash advance business in nearby Warsaw–said the company wanted to open an office in Kilmarnock to meet local demand.

Virginia's General Assembly this session passed legislation capping the fees and interest rates that payday lenders can charge.

Easter weekend was cool here in the Northern Neck. The days before we had tempertures in the 70's but late Saturday night a front came through and bought the cooler tempertures.

Trees have started to bloom as well as some flowers. The water temperature has warmed so it won't be long before crabs start to run and the fish start biting.

Take a weekend and ride down to experience the beauty property owners have here in the Northern Neck and if you like what you see then give me a call and we'll see if we can't find you that perfect piece of Northern Neck Real Estate.

Waterfront property in the Northern Neck is priced better than it has been in in years.

There are some exceptional prices out there if you compare them to the last 3 years.

Waterfront lots seem to be the best price of the the different catergories.

It looks like if you look at what people are asking for a waterfront home in the Northern Neck and you price it on X number of dollars per square foot and then add the price of what lots are selling for then I think the homes are a little high.

Keep search the Northern Neck MLS and give me a call.

Tougher crabbing limits are set in Virginia

Harsher restraints may come in April if numbers worsen, say regulators

Copied from the Times Dispatch. These regs will make it much rougher on Northern Neck and Chesapeake Bay crabbers. 

By LAWRENCE LATANE III

TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER

NEWPORT NEWS — State regulators passed new limits on the blue crab harvest and promised more to come after a bleak public hearing on the economically important species yesterday.

The measures enacted unanimously by the Virginia Marine Resources Commission are expected "to go a long way towards restoring this iconic resource for the commonwealth," commissioner Steve Bowman said.

Watermen packed the commission's meeting room and complained that water pollution — not harvest — has driven the crab population to its lowest point in decades.

"In this context of a declining ecosystem, today's fishing is tomorrow's overfishing," said Williamsburg waterman Kelly Place.

Many of the eight commissioners agreed but said the only tools immediately available to improve crab numbers are mandatory restrictions that will leave more crabs in the water to multiply.

Rules approved yesterday will go into effect on the March 17 opening of this year's crabbing season.

They include a requirement for watermen to leave two escape hatches open in all crab pots no matter where they are set. Previously, watermen crabbing in the mainstem of the bay and parts of the Eastern Shore had been able to crab legally with only one of the escape hatches open.

The hatches allow undersized crabs, especially small females, to avoid capture. Called cull rings, the hatches were mandated in 1996 when the commission enacted a series of 22 measures designed to reduce fishing pressure on blue crabs.

Last year, a commission study panel concluded the early restrictions had failed to buoy the crab population. It recommended that new conservation measures be implemented this spring.

The study panel said crab numbers have plunged 70 percent since 1991 and pointed out that the crab population is so low it has been overfished seven out of the past 10 years.

The commission said it needs to wait until its April 22 meeting to consider even harsher restraints on crab harvesting.

A Chesapeake Bay census of hibernating blue crabs is expected by April 1; scientists fear it may show the crab in even deeper trouble.

If the survey is as bad as expected, the commission will consider reducing by half the number of crab pots that watermen can fish for both hard crabs and "peelers," which produce high-priced soft crabs.

The commission also voted unanimously yesterday to advertise for public hearing at its April meeting a measure to curtail or close Virginia's historic winter crab dredge fishery. Totaling more than 300 boats a couple of decades ago, the fleet has shrunk to 55 this year because of declining catches, low prices and rising boat operating costs.

Watermen told the commission that they are as endangered as the crab seems to be.

"You're putting us out of business," said Tangier Island waterman Charles Pruitt.

But Bowman said doing nothing puts the crab population in danger of collapse. "If something is not done, I fear you won't have any crabs to deal with later on."
Contact Lawrence Latané III at (804) 333-3461 or llatane@timesdispatch.com.

Find out more about the Virginia Waterman 

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New listings are added daily. Prices change. The biggest advantage to create an account is that you can save or search criteria and be notified by email when your criteria is met.

Don't wait. Create your account today and be on top of this market. Where you can find waterfront property, farms, golf course homes, and acreage.

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