Chesapeake Bay Part I

 TRAVEL DAY 44 - Portsmouth to Hampton

May 7, 2023

1.9 Hours/14.2 Miles

    We shoved off a little before noon to make the short trip out of Portsmouth & Norfolk across the James River and into the Hampton River. We didn't have far to go up the river to downtown Hampton and the downtown Hampton Docks. 

Downtown Hampton

    Coincidentally (and planned) Bull Island Brewing Co. is right at the docks. Like an old Army buddy always said "Proper, prior planning, prevents piss-poor performance".

Bull Island Brewing Co.

Martini Practice

    This was a short overnight stop before heading to Yorktown in the morning, coupled with a little adventure and a mysterious message in a bottle floating in the Hampton River. Most likely a prank, but we tossed it back into the river just to be sure it got to the right authorities who could help.

Message in a bottle

Portsmouth to Hampton

TRAVEL DAY 45 - Hampton to Yorktown

May 8, 2023

4 Hours/31.4 Miles

    It looked as though we had a good weather window to get to Yorktown before some less desirable conditions developed so we set out at 8 am for Riverwalk Landing Pier. It was a beautiful day and for the first time in awhile, the air temperature was pleasant.

Yorktown!

    A rising tide pushes you "UP" the bay and that is what we had.  Out of the James River and over the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel, we passed Fort Monroe at Old Point Comfort and broke out into the Chesapeake Bay. The Chesapeake is a massive body of water, especially in the lower section. Winds from the east (from the Atlantic) and the north with it's long fetch can make the bay tough. We didn't have that problem today.

A beautiful day to be on the Chesapeake Bay

    As we pulled into the marina in Yorktown on the York River, there was only 1 other boat as all the Loopers had migrated north toward Deltaville. The current is pretty strong here at times and although we had plenty of room to maneuver, it was a little tough, but the dockmaster helped us. Once we got docked, we realized we didn't have enough power cord to reach our shore power receptacle, so we started the engines back up and moved the boat to the opposite side of the dock.

Riverwalk Landing Pier

    We explored the waterfront in Yorktown and the sun shown strong, warming it up to over 80 degrees. The waterfront is lined with shops, brick buildings with slate roofs. Above on the hill is the actual town of Yorktown, full of beautiful colonial style homes and assorted shops. There is also a beach on the York River.

    Yorktown Riverwalk
    
Yorktown Victory Monument

    Later in the afternoon, we noticed the east side of the dock (the side Pau Hana was on) was pretty "rollie". We noticed the current was starting to slow down and we had about 20 minutes of slack tide. We fired up the Volvo, untied the mooring lines and moved the boat to the west side. It was like night and day and we had a restful night.

School of Cownose Rays

I explain to George & the boys our strategy to whip Cornwallis

It didn't take long to get into trouble

Hampton to Yorktown

    The following day we hopped on the trolley to visit the battlefield and the museums in Yorktown. We went to the American Revolution Museum and the Waterman's Museum. Yorktown is the site of the siege and ultimate surrender of General George Cornwallis to General George Washington and the French Fleet during the American Revolutionary War on October 19, 1781. 

Musket demonstration

Revolutionary War Cannon

    Although we didn't get to visit them, nearby in what is called the Historic Triangle is Jamestown and Williamsburg. There was so much to see and do that it kept us busy all day. Not only were there historic displays, there were demonstrations in the outdoor area at the Continental Army Encampment and the Revolution Era Farm.

After a long day of "soldiering"

"Re-created" Tobacco Barn
    
    We wandered back to our boat later in the afternoon and saw this big boy at our docks. It is a Runnymede-class large landing craft operated by the US Army.
 
Landing Craft

    Back at Pau Hana we met up with the crew of Compass Rose, friends of ours that are Gold Loopers, meaning they have completed the loop. We went across the York River and had a fun dinner, with tales of docking fails and a forecast of some of the cool stuff we were still yet to see. Afterwards since they had a car, they offered to take us by the grocery store for items we needed. The constant generosity and comradery of Loopers never ceases to amaze us. Tomorrow it's off to more of the Chesapeake Bay.

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