Tangier Island: Working Watermen

As you walk around Tangier, you'll likely meet the island's mayor, James "Ooker" Eskridge. He's also a commercial waterman just like his father and grandfather. It's the thick of soft-shell crab season, so he wakes up at 2:30 every morning and heads to his shanty to prepare crabs for shipment.

Ooker's roots run deep. Many families, like his, trace their ancestries to the original settlers, who landed ashore from England three centuries ago. Hence, the accent: Talk to any local and you'll hear that Cornish-tinged dialect.

Left: Tangier Island mayor James "Ooker" Eskridge