CJS - Deltaville Maritime Museum Traditional Geocache

Over four hundred years ago, Englishman John Smith and a small crew set out in an open boat to explore the Chesapeake Bay. Between 1607 and 1609 Smith mapped and documented nearly 3,000 miles of the Bay and its rivers. Along the way he visited many thriving American Indians communities and gathered information about this “fruitful and delightsome land.” In December 2006 the U.S. Congress designated the routes of Smith’s explorations of the Chesapeake as a national historic trail—the first national water trail.

Are you ready to follow in the wake of Captain John Smith? Visit sites along the National Historic Trail and learn about the native cultures and the natural environment of the 17th-century Chesapeake through the Captain John Smith Chesapeake Geotrail. The Trail provides opportunities for you to experience the Bay through the routes and places associated with Smith’s explorations. Caches will be located in museums, refuges, parks, and towns in Virginia, Maryland and Delaware along the rivers and creeks that Smith and his crew explored four centuries ago.

The Captain John Smith (CJS) Geotrail launched June 4, 2011 with over 40 caches within Maryland, Virginia and Delaware. A trackable geo coin will be awarded to the first 400 geocachers, while supplies last, for locating at least 15 CJS caches. To be eligible for the coin, geocachers must download a passport from either the CJS Geotrail or Maryland Geocaching Society website. Geocachers must find and log at least 15 finds, record the code word from each cache on their passport and post a picture of themselve at each cache location. After discovering the 15 required caches, geocachers may have thier passports validated in person or via mail at the National Park Service, Chesapeake Bay Office located at 410 Severn Ave, Suite 314, Annapolis, MD 21403. Please refer to the passport for complete validation instructions.

Participating in the CJS geotrail is fun and we hope that many people join in. However, it is not a requirement for logging your find on this cache once you find the container.

You are seeking a traditional hide. A Lock & Lock container stocked with a variety of items. This site is only open dawn till dusk. Please no night caching!


Located in Middlesex County on Mill Creek, just off the Chesapeake Bay in the heart of Deltaville, Virginia, the Deltaville Maritime Museum and the adjoining Holly Point Nature Park offer a unique opportunity to enjoy the maritime history and culture of the region. The museum has a long history interpreting and sharing the story of Captain John Smith, and it is home to a replica of Smith’s Discovery Barge or shallop. In addition, you can explore a host of other Chesapeake Bay workboats, including the newly restored F.D. Crockett, a nearly century old log buyboat – a truly unique bay artifact. Both the museum and the park are a place to study, to learn, and also to relax and enjoy the tranquility of this area. Appropriately, the museum welcomes visits by boat.
Deltaville Maritime Museum shares a strong geographic connection to the Smith Trail. It is located on Stingray Point, which gained its name from a harrowing encounter Smith had in the summer of 1608. After spending a month exploring the Potomac River, Smith and his crew turned their attention to the mouth of the Rappahannock - where they promptly got stuck on a shoal. While waiting for the tide to shift and float the boat free, the men decided to fish the surrounding waters by impaling the unfortunate animals on their swords. Smith had the misfortune to spear a cow-nose ray, which sank its tail spine into his wrist as he tried to remove it from his sword. The effects of the slimy toxin caused his arm and chest to swell so severely that he began to order preparations for his burial, including the digging of a grave. However, Dr. Russell, the ship’s physician, applied a “precious oyle,” and by evening Smith had recovered enough to enjoy the stingray for dinner. He promptly named the land, “Stingray Ile,” which survives today at Stingray Point.
To learn more about Stingray Point, in the 17th century and today, visitors can call 1-877-BUOY BAY, or visit Buoy Bay for a historical summary as well as near-real-time data on the weather and water conditions.