They use many of the same tools and methods that their grandfathers used before them. Their days are spent on the open waters of the Bay and its rivers. Their workday begins before dawn and can last up to 12 hours. They work year-round in all kinds of weather. It is very hard work.
Most watermen live in small waterfront communities.
In some ways, life in these communities has changed very little through the years. This is especially true of the islands in the Bay, such as Tangier Island and Smith Island. Even the way the watermen talk and the words they use are often different. Sometimes, their speech is a lot like the speech of people in England hundreds of years ago. It can be very much like the speech of the early colonists who first settled the Bay region.