Rodgers & Burton

Distinctive Waterfront Real Estate

  • Waterfront Homes & Estates
  • MLS Data
  • About
    • Rodgers & Burton
    • Chesapeake Voice Blog
    • Isabell K. Horsley Real Estate
    • Chesapeake Bay Waterfront Towns
    • Portfolio of Sold Homes
    • Press Room
    • Testimonials
  • Contact Us
You are here: Home / Area News & Information / A Workplace on the Water

A Workplace on the Water

John Ward looking out his “office” window.

Ward Tugs, Deltaville, Virginia

When John Ward looks out his office window he doesn’t see a parking lot. He doesn’t see any pavement; no grass or trees. He sees water. Everywhere. John’s “office” is the helm of a tugboat, chugging along somewhere on the Chesapeake Bay, where he serves as captain and co-owner of Ward Tugs, based in Deltaville, Virginia. Born and raised here, his entire life has centered around Jackson Creek. John joined the Coast Guard Reserves for six months after graduating from high school, then for a short time, attended business college in Richmond. But the water called him back home.

I went to business college in Richmond for a short while, but that wasn’t in my blood.” —John Ward

John’s grandfather, Captain Johnny Ward, Sr., walking the family dock to meet an incoming boat.

“I was born into it,” he says, sitting at the kitchen table in the home he shares with his wife, Luann, overlooking Jackson Creek. Together with his cousin Floyd and son Jay, they operate Ward Tugs with a fleet of seven tugboats sporting the latest state-of-the-art technology — a far cry from the wooden workboat his grandfather used when he started this multi-generational family business back in the mid-1920s. His grandfather started out hauling all kinds of cargo, from oysters and crabs, to grain and junk. When his three sons graduated from high school he bought each of them a boat and put them to work. The next generation included John and his eight cousins. “They all dabbled in the family business when they were young. But it wasn’t for everybody,” he says. John and Floyd jumped in and stayed with it.

‘The Ward Brothers’, a painting by John Barber.

Times Have Changed

During John’s first 15 years in the business, he worked alongside his father on The Ward Brothers, a boat that would later become the subject of a grand work of art painted by nationally acclaimed American artist John Barber (see photo). A framed copy dominates a wall in John and Luann’s home. In the mid-1980s the seafood business on the Chesapeake Bay started to decline and the grain business began to grow. At that time, the Wards purchased their first tugboat and began transporting corn, wheat, barley, and soybeans exclusively. With their newly purchased modern technology they went from a cargo capacity of about 1,800 bushels to a whopping 125,000. John and Floyd decided it was time to sell the last two boats from their wooden fleet. A businessman purchased the boats and they became floating dockside dining rooms for a restaurant on Baltimore’s Inner Harbor.

Ward family workboats
Two workboats in the Ward family fleet.
Milton W. tugboat
Milton W., a current member of the Ward Tugs fleet.

Back in the day, the family work ethic was intense, John recalls. “Holidays and birthdays didn’t stop you. You went to work. That’s just the way it was. The only time we really took off was maybe Thanksgiving and Christmas.” His weekends were the same as weekdays. If a boat needed repairing, they took care of it no matter what else was going on in their lives. Although John has reached retirement age, he currently has no plan to officially retire, or “walk away,” as he puts it, because “I like it.” He’s cut back on his schedule a bit, and now takes more opportunities for relaxation and family time. A health issue sidelined him for a few years during which his father’s own health was declining. John was able to be with his dad every day and found that time to be especially gratifying. He also likes to stay involved with the boat maintenance. “If we have repairs to be made on the boats I like to oversee the work and get in there and do some of the work if I can,” he says.

Ward Family
From left: Floyd Ward, David Cantara, John Ward, Melvin Ward (seated) and Milton Ward.

Some of John’s business challenges include staying current with regulations, and finding and keeping good help. “We try to run it like a big family. You can have great people who’ve been with you forever and the next thing you know they say, ‘I want to try something else.’ Sometimes an employee might want to advance and the size of our company can’t really offer but so much,” he says. Ward Tugs employs about 20 people, with three to four people on the tug at one time — a captain, mate and one or two deckhands. The crew takes turns cooking meals and everyone pitches in to help clean up. When they’re at dock they “grub up” (that’s tugboat talk for grocery shopping) for a few days.

Jay and John Ward
Father and son, Jay and John Ward.

John recalls a simpler time. “It’s just a family operation. Back when we had the bay boats they never left the dock unless a family member was operating it. We ran them ourselves. But when we got into the tugboats we added crew members and more employees,” he says.

The industry is constantly changing and the Ward Brothers continue to adapt to keep their legacy alive. When I contacted John to meet for our interview he was up in Delaware on his tug, using a crane to retrieve three boxcars from the Susquehanna River. Heavy wind had blown them off of an overpass. He makes it sound like just another day at the office.

Writer Carolyn AugustWritten by Carolyn August for Rodgers & Burton –
Carolyn is a writer and designer who has been working in the communications field for over 25 years. She will take on any topic to research and write about, and especially enjoys taking complex subjects and making them easy to understand. Often called a “renaissance woman” by her friends and colleagues, her many creative passions include writing, ceramic arts, music, fiber arts, gardening and winemaking. She and her husband share their Virginia farmhouse with two dogs, one cat and a pair of bald eagles who nest in their woods. When not creating, Carolyn prefers to be paddling on the waters of the Chesapeake Bay.

Filed Under: Area News & Information, Deltaville, VA, Historic Treasures, Life on the Waterfront

Sign up for our Newsletter!

You'll get up to the minute details on New Listings, Price Reductions and the latest news from the Chesapeake Voice.

We will NEVER share your information.

Blog Categories

  • Area News & Information (24)
  • Closing Issues (1)
  • Creeks Rivers & The Bay (3)
  • Deltaville, VA (11)
  • Dining & Entertainment (11)
  • Docks (2)
  • Docks Piers & Boat Lifts (1)
  • Environmental Regulations (1)
  • Explore the Area (17)
  • Flood Zones – Flood Insurance (1)
  • Historic Treasures (2)
  • Lay of the Land (3)
  • Life on the Waterfront (21)
  • Local Secrets (14)
  • Marinas – Boat Yards – Repair (3)
  • Market Updates (20)
  • Mathews, VA (4)
  • Permits & Zoning (3)
  • Piers (1)
  • Rip-Rap – Bulkheads – Erosion (1)
  • Sold (19)
Rodgers & Burton BlogChesapeake Voice Blog
Holiday lights
Click image to view the gallery

Connect with Us!

facebook google plus linkedin twitter youtube
SOLDHartfield110 Ridge RoadHartfield, Virginia 23071View Listing
Resort style estate home$1,150,000Resort Style1081 Holland Point RoadDutton, VA 23050View Listing
Locust Hill waterfront homeSOLDLocust Hill141 Mizpah RoadLocust Hill, Virginia 23092View Listing
Piankatank River view$245,000Land600 Pipe in TreeHartfield, Virginia 23071View Listing
Kilmarnock, Virginia

Things to do in Kilmarnock and White Stone

Due to the diversity of activities available year-round, the towns of White Stone and Kilmarnock are popular with locals, recent transplants as well as tourists alike. Situated on the southern end of the Northern Neck, these communities (along with Irvington) form an area that is also one of Virginia’s most affluent retirement communities. White Stone […]

View of Tides Inn from marina

Things to do in Irvington

Irvington is a charming village nestled on the shore where Carter’s Creek flows into the Rappahannock River barely 12 miles north of the Chesapeake Bay. With just over 600 residents, it offers an incredible array of activities to attract visitors of all ages to this region. Spend an afternoon spotting osprey along Carter’s Creek; stay […]

Be the First to Know!

New Listings, Price Reductions
and News from the Chesapeake Bay.

We will NEVER share your information.

Sort Listings by Feature

Neena Rodgers

VA Living 2019 Best of Badge
Neena’s team are your agents of choice for waterfront real estate in Virginia. Why? – Because we collaborate with all waterfront brokers, agents and lenders to bring you only the finest waterfront real estate throughout the Middle Peninsula and Northern Neck. We’ll stop at nothing to find the Virginia waterfront property of your dreams.
Learn more about how we work.

Connect with Us!

facebook google plus linkedin twitter youtube

Virginia’s finest waterfront property… all in one place.

Neena Rodgers

Distinctive Virginia waterfront homes, estates, and land on the Chesapeake Bay from the York River in Gloucester to the Piankatank River in Mathews and beyond to the great Rappahannock River in the Northern Neck including Urbanna, White Stone, and Kilmarnock. Learn more about the Middle Peninsula and Northern Neck

Several Office Locations to Serve You

Offices strategically located on the Northern Neck and Middle Peninsula of Virginia.

Deltaville, VA
17229 General Puller Hwy
Deltaville, VA 23043
Call: (804) 436-2326
Contact Us
Mathews, VA
208 Main Street
Mathews, VA 23109
Call: (804) 436-2326
Contact Us
White Stone, VA
608 Rappahannock Drive
White Stone, VA 22578
Call: (804) 436-2326
Contact Us
Urbanna, VA
61 Cross Street
Urbanna, VA 23175
Call: (804) 436-2326
Contact Us

Contents © 2021 Rodgers & Burton - VA Licensed Realtors Isabell K. Horsley Real Estate - Mathews & Deltaville Offices

Information deemed accurate but not guaranteed. Contact Us for up to the minute details on any listing.