Virginia

As we finished our journey in the Dismal Swamp Channel we crossed state lines from North Carolina into Virginia. Soon civilization started to appear in the form of the town of Norfolk as well as the waterway was much wider. Our first order of business was to take a hard right south on the ICW for fuel at $3.25 a gallon (a deal for fuel). We topped off at Top Rack Marina (an in/out marina). We decided to dock overnight at the marina but because it’s an in/out marina we were the only boat docked there that night which felt very strange. It was Mother’s Day so Tim treated me to a good steak dinner at the local restaurant that was associated with the marina. I was thankful as there was nothing else within walking distance and I didn’t have to cook =).

**It was a culture shock as we enjoyed the solitude and tranquility of the Dismal Swamp one day, and the next was Norfolk Naval Shipyard and all it entails.** **The Swamp separated the small quaint towns from the bustling industrial section we are now in**.

The next morning we headed to Waterside Marina in Norfolk. This was a short jaunt into Norfolk and we only had to wait for one railroad bridge to open. Waterside Marina is the place for the Spring Rendezvous for those planning, doing, or have done the loop. We’ve never attended at this site but it was fun to image what it would have been like by just being at that location. Upon our early arrival Tim meet up with 3 guys from another nordic tug at the marina. Tim joined them for a harbor boat tour and a tour of the battleship Wisconsin. I was left to my own devices for the day. I walked along the riverwalk around the battleship and many blocks of town. I also enjoyed window shopping the small shops in the area on my own. Dinner together was at the Blue Moon, one of the restaurant in the Waterside district.

**Tidewater Marina in Norfolk. Again we seem to be the little one in the crowd.**

Day 2 in Norfolk Tim went for a long walk as well as mailed a present to his Mom from the post office. While Tim was doing his errands, I joined another Canadian couple and provisioned at the local grocery store. Once we were both back at the boat it was time for boat chores–washing the outside, cleaning the inside, defrosting the fridge and putting the groceries away. Sounds like fun, aye. After all that fun we enjoyed a walk south on the riverwalk towards the baseball stadium.

**The rivers surrounding Norfolk are lined with shipyards repairing and upgrading Navy ships**

Day 3 in Norfolk-Today we walked north on the riverwalk and toured a couple of streets in the historic district. We tried to visit a fort, but there wasn’t much to see. We continued our walk on Freemason St. for lunch at Freemason Abbey (formally an old historic church). Freemason and Grandby Streets are two of the main streets in this area.

Day 4 in Norfolk we moved our boat to Tidewater Marina (city of Portsmouth) which was just across the river. Getting our laundry done was our objective since Waterside didn’t offer that service. It took 3 loads and long walks to and from the machines, but we got the job done. Dinner that night we tried the local marina restaurant which didn’t meet our expectations. Oh well, hopefully our next outing will be more to our liking.

Day 5 in Norfolk-Time to explore Portsmouth. We again walked on the riverwalk and explored the waterfront of Portsmouth. The Navy ships were everywhere, mostly getting retrofitted and modernized. We toured the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Museum. Lunch was at a local restaurant two blocks from our marina and it was very good. Our walk back to the marina went thru a couple historic streets. One thing that really struck us was all the red bricks used on the sidewalk. We have seen these bricks everywhere which makes each place have a certain appeal to me. We finished up our day with a round trip on the ferry that goes between Norfolk and Portsmouth. Time to relax and enjoy. Now it was time to get ready for moving north tomorrow as there is a good weather window.

Yorktown–Saturday is a go-day on the Chesapeake. A forty mile hike to Yorktown on a rather choppy Chesapeake. There were many boats headed north today as we all have been waiting for good weather. It took us almost an hour to get thru the Norfolk Harbor and into the bay. The bay was a bit choppy, but it was good to get underway to Yorktown. After turning west off the bay it was about 4 miles up the river to Yorktown where we docked. We spent the afternoon walking thru the American Revolution Museum where we learned so much about the revolution and the nations involved. As we have learned, the fight could have gone either way if the country of France and a Prussian general hadn’t joined forces with our new nation against England. I’m certain there were others who made a difference in the outcome, but those were two unexpected ones.

**Another early morning start for along trip up the Chesapeake Bay**

The museum had a an overwhelming amount of information dawns VERY well done. In addition to the displays and theater inside there was reenactment sections outdoors of a small farm and a military camp.

The marina was adjacent to the city riverwalk which made it interesting to people watch. Also there was a small beach very close to our boat so we could watch all the families enjoy the water and well as watch the couples share the sunset on the beach. The next morning we took the free trolley to the National Park visitor center which housed more history on the area as well as the battlefield where the French and American soldiers defeated General Cornwallis. Walking thru the actual battlefield and thinking about all we had learned was so overwhelming. What our young nation had to do to break the bondage of England!!

We also visited Yorktown Victory Monument which had the names of all the people who paid the ultimate sacrifice for freedom in this battle for Yorktown.

Later that evening, Tim & I walked the entire riverwalk in Yorktown. It made for a very pleasant way to end our stay in this area.

Onacock: 60+miles/7+hours of travel on a sort of good weather day. We left Yorktown at 6am as we had a long day of travel. It was a narrow channel into Onacock, but arrived safely. The boat needed to be washed due to all the salt water deposited on the decks from our journey (looking forward to fresh water motoring). We did a walking tour of the downtown which didn’t take long as most stores were closed up or closing for the day. We had dinner (outside) at the waterfront restaurant. That was a bad idea as the flies were a nuisance, but the food was good.

The next day we decided to take the ferry to Tangier Island. The winds made it a very bumpy and wet ride, but the captain was/is very experienced as he makes this trip many times a day. Tangier Island has a population of about 250+ people who live on this island year round. There are churches, a school, grocery store, post office, but very few cars–mostly golf carts as the street are very narrow. Most of the men are watermen who make a living from the surrounding waters. There are real concerns that this island is getting washed away and may not be there for the next generations. Such an interesting community isolated for the most part from the hurried life most American live. We did have lunch on the island and I tried crab cakes—not bad tasting especially since it was very fresh and probably caught by one of the local watermen.