Maryland Business

By: Richard Simon

Last night was The Daily Record’s 14th annual Top 100 Women event, a program designed to honor those Maryland women who have had a positive impact in their communities.

Several weeks ago, I traveled to the Eastern Shore to a small town called Oxford to interview Judy Bixler, a ferry boat captain, who was honored with her second Top 100 award last night.

Oxford is a quaint little town in Talbot County with bed and breakfasts, biker friendly roads and cute country stores that make you feel like you’ve landed in Mayberry.

But the town’s biggest attraction is the Oxford-Bellevue Ferry—a boat that can support nine vehicles, including cars, bikes and motorcycles—which is believed to be the oldest privately-operated ferry in the country (established 1683).

As captain, Bixler steers the ferry with ease and makes each passenger that comes on board feel right at home. I spent the day with her on the ferry and captured the video below.

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