This morning found us passing through the waters of Norfolk, VA, home of the largest Naval base in the world. We never could have imagined so many huge military vessels, especially in one place. It was another moment when we were just awestruck by the engineering marvels, only possible in a country like ours.
Leaving Norfolk, we entered Chesapeake Bay. The weather was warm, the water was calm and the traffic was light. This will be our pattern for the next several days, as Chesapeake Bay is huge, and we will be tucking in each night at little inlets along the way as we make our way north through it. We were once again rewarded with some dolphin sightings up ahead. Captain Mark and Sidekick Sue took a couple of ibuprofens and some extra water to offset last night’s indulgences for their anniversary celebration.
It was a short ride today as we pulled into Yorktown to a real marina with plans to take care of some chores (filling the water tanks, pumping the waste, etc.). The marina is actually a public marina, and surrounded by little beaches inside manmade breakwaters; it was a hot day, so the beaches were full. The most important activity of the day was nice warm showers at the marina. We have shower stalls and hot water on the boat, but they are small, with handheld sprayers and low pressure. We are also forced to conserve water, as we don’t have a water-maker on board, and the opportunities to fill our tanks at free docks or anchorages are limited. So at least once a week, we need to pay for lodging just to take care of business. As we move north through more populated areas, we are expecting the number of free docks to diminish, and we will be anchoring out more and more.
In between the chores and the showers, we took a long walk through the historic areas of Yorktown. They have a pretty little grid of some beautiful examples of colonial architecture. The city has done a great job at preservation and making the area a worthwhile tourist destination. We walked past the Watermen’s Museum, the American Revolution Museum, and the old battlefield. Having spent 20 years in the Boston area, surrounded by towns full of revolutionary history, we didn’t feel the urge to partake during our limited time, but we made note of the area as a potential spot to return to and spend more time on a future trip. Yorktown is regarded as the location of the last major battle in the Revolutionary War. It is the site of the siege and surrender of General Cornwallis to General George Washington and the French Fleet. Although the war technically continued for a year afterward, this defeat essentially marked the end of the fight. Our walk ended at the Yorktown Victory Monument, erected to memorialize the victory at Yorktown. At the top of the monument is “Liberty, herself”, and the 13 ladies near the base represent the original colonies. Each side of the monument tells a different part of the story about the battle, the alliance with France, and the treaty of peace with England.
After showers, we met up with Doug, a friend of Mark’s from his years at Solar Turbines, who lives in the area. Anticipating that we might welcome a chance to get off the boat, Doug took us on a nice scenic ride on the Colonial Parkway, that connects Yorktown with the other two colonial settlements of the “Historic Triangle”, Williamsburg and Jamestown. Again, it was an abbreviated tour, since we had limited time, but it definitely sealed the idea that we should return again to spend more time exploring the area (maybe a future bike trip?). Sidekick Sue had taken the kids to Colonial Williamsburg years ago, but there is definitely many more worthwhile sights to see. We had a nice dinner with Doug, who then encouraged us to use the opportunity to stop at a “real” grocery store to stock up on any heavy, bulky items that we might need. We decided we probably could use additional cases of water, since they might not be so easy to obtain via bicycle on future stops. LOL.
Neither Captain Mark or Sidekick Sue could resist a stop the Ben and Jerry’s next to the marina. The ice cream was delicious.
Mark, making peace deals with the French and the English. Someone looks a little underdressed for the occasion
Mark looks almost life size next to those statues.
He looks right at home (well except for the clothes).