|
|
|
|
|
|
Wildcat Cove
Wildcat Cove is close
by the bay, separated from it by only 50 feet of low pine ridge and salt
marsh. The effect is that of a ship at sea and, given the oyster-shell path
that leads right to the water's edge, the launching of kayaks, canoes, and
windsurfer rigs is easy. Also, except in stormy conditions the dock and
mooring pilings now in place can securely accommodate shallow-draft skiffs
of up to about 18 feet.
Another distinctive and quite popular feature of Wildcat
Cove are the high decks. One is at the third-story level
(counting the pilings on which the house rests), where you find a hot-and-cold water shower stall from which by day you can enjoy the beauty of the bay or, on a clear night, marvel at the
brilliance of the stars here away from city lights. By climbing
two more flights of stairs you reach the sky deck, which at the
fifth-floor level is the highest point in Chincoteague accessible to a vacationer. To the northeast this deck looks out beneath the canopy of tall pines to a wide salt marsh and Assateague Bay; to the northwest one looks far up Chincoteague Bay.
|
On the first floor, designer Richard Vesely made a strong
statement by having the living room, dining room, and kitchen
flow from the bay on the west to the pine woods vista on the
east. Facing the bay, is the living room, enclosed on three sides by eight-foot high sliding glass doors; above it, a massively beamed ceiling rises gradually, then abruptly gives way to a high cathedral ceiling. An intriguing split-stairway leads to a second-story balcony that looks down upon the dining area immediately below. Beneath the balcony is Wildcat on the Bay's largest, brightest kitchen. Its glass-topped table breakfast area is enclosed by eight-foot high glass panels with a fine view of the pine grove and the salt marsh beyond.
A large black Vermont Castings "Defiant" woodstove, standing on a raised hearth of old brick, is a focal point of the living room. Creating a dramatic sculptural effect, the black stove pipe rises straight up eight feet through the wood-beamed ceiling. One looks beyond the stove and the low brick wall behind it through high glass panels to a screened porch that frames a great sweep of salt marsh and Chincoteague Bay. The living room has a 27-inch TV, with satellite picture quality, plus a VCR, and a stereo with high speakers which goes splendidly with the 31 music channels available by satellite. Our library of VCR tapes includes more than 200 films, including many classics and Academy Award winning productions. Birds by noted local carver Cork McGee are a feature of Wildcat Cove, as are painted furniture and panels by decorative artist Betsy Edgeworth. The four bedrooms are spacious and each has its own bath and private balcony, as does the upstairs library, a semi-private space with a sleep sofa. Also, now available to guests for day use is our Tower Room, which has its own independently programmable satellite TV, plus VCR. |
Wildcat Cove has two
screened porches. Besides the one on the north front, there is a spacious
porch on the south side of the house, with a large round table that invites
crabfests and the slicing of an ice cold watermelon. This porch is now equipped
with a state-of-the-art electric barbecue grill.
From late spring through early fall two 17-foot aluminum canoes are available to Wildcat Cove tenants on their own responsibility and subject to a few safety rules. Also, two crab pots are to be found beneath the house (if baited as instructed and placed by canoe a few hundred yards off shore, these pots should yield overnight the makings of a crabfest.) For reservations call Island Getaways, 757-336-1236 or toll free 888-757-0100, or e-mail igetaway@igetaway.net. The rate prime season, June 13 through September 1, is $2950 a week. Late spring and early summer, May 23 through June 12, the rate is $2400 a week. Off-season, September 2 through May 22, except for certain holiday weeks, the rate is $1890. For miniweek and weekend rates inquire with the Island Getaways staff. |