Bon Voyage get-togethers are staged in many styles and fashions with beach parties, cocktail parties, receptions and more. Memories, goodbyes, and best wishes are the main topics of conversation, spiced by gourmet foods waiting for the tasting.

In one Mathews community, Cherry Point, you can count on a full-blown bon voyage party whenever a neighbor moves away.

Mathews County occupies 54,673 acres or 85 square miles of space in this world. Gwynn’s Island claims 1,429 acres or 2.2 square miles of this area. On this island a small tract of land known as Cherry Point extends into the Chesapeake Bay with the Piankatank River in view and flanked by Kibble Creek. The point claims 21 acres (0.03 square miles or 900,000 square feet) of the island’s acreage. This was the setting for a recent bon voyage party.

The point has 40 homes with 20 permanent family residents and 20 family weekenders residing in them. They have formed the Cherry Point Home Owners Association which br...