Finally after months of anticipation we were on our way to the Chesapeake. As we left Norfolk and entered the wide mouth of the Chesapeake we were greeted by a cruise ship a barge and a sailboat all on their way. Our first stop was a 4 hour cruise to Yorktown, Virginia. Growing up we both learned about battles at Yorktown and knew we were about to enter a historic place. While we were at Yorktown we also planned to tour Jamestown and Williamsburg. Our arrival in Yorktown was uneventful. We tied up, checked in and were anxious to find out what was going on. We were informed that the shuttle into Yorktown wasn’t running that day because the marina was short staffed. Our marina was just across the bridge but would require a car to get into Yorktown. After a little bit we decided just to stick around the marina for the afternoon and swim and relax. We would rent a car and tour in the days to come. The next day we got our car and drove to Yorktown. We toured the battle grounds by car as it was a rainy day and the map gave us the information and tour stops along the way. I read as Jeff drove and navigated. The grounds were beautiful wide open spaces of green lush trees and rolling hills. We were glad we could do it on our own and in our own car.
Large Yacht at Yorktown Marina
Heron On Our Dock
Heron
Yorktown Battle Ground
Yorktown-House Where Surrender Documents Signed Ending Revolutionary War
Yorktown
Tidings in Yorktown
The next day we decided to see both Williamsburg and Jamestown. Everything is very close to Yorktown all within a 15-20 minute drive so that was nice. When we arrived in Williamsburg we got to this huge parking lot filled with cars at 9a.m. We had no idea what was going on. We followed the crowds to the visitors center and got in line for tickets. I decided I wanted to ask at the guest services desk just what was going on and what we were supposed to see. A nice elderly woman kinda chuckled at me and then presented me a map of the grounds and explained there was a shuttle that could take you all around to see the historic old buildings and guided tours. We still didn’t quiet understand. Jeff got our tickets and we made our way to a mock trial between Patrick Henry and someone else who I can’t remember right now. We watched for a few minutes but couldn’t get over the theatrics of it. When we went to walk through the “historic” buildings we learned that they were all rebuilt and created for Williamsburg. Ah ha finally we understood - we were in Disneyland for colonial times. A contrived area of costumed workers, fake buildings and reenactments of historic events. We were not into it at all and felt gipped. We hopped on the tour bus and made our way back to the parking lot. That was enough of Williamsburg.
Williamsburg
Williamsburg
Williamsburg
We decided that there was still enough time to make it to Jamestown and were hoping it wasn’t going to be like Williamsburg. Fortunately it wasn’t. We took a walking tour of the grounds with a very interesting tour guide who told us the story of Jamestown and explained some of the historic buildings and structures to us. Unlike Williamsburg these foundations and locations were all authentic and nothing had been reconstructed for a show. It wasn’t until the early 90’s did anyone every take a historical interest in Jamestown when a then anthropology grad student asked why nobody was digging in Jamestown. He got a permit and they have been digging and discovering artifacts ever since. The settlement is set right on the James River which was wide and beautiful to look at as we walked through the grounds. There was a museum that we walked though just as the it was closing. A very full and historical day.
Jamestown
Jamestown
Jamestown
Jamestown
Jamestown
Jamestown
The next day we decided we would give Yorktown another go. This time we went to the Revolutionary War Museum. While it was interesting it was very wordy. By this I mean there wasn’t a lot of hands on exhibits or interactive things to see and do. It was mostly just pictures with long descriptions. After about four rooms of this I was hitting a wall. While informative it wasn’t presented in the best way. There was an outdoor native village set up with tents and shops. That was interesting to see. After a couple of hours we were done and on our way to lunch. We strolled the small main street of two shops, three restaurants and marina. Afterwards we walked through the historic district which was a bunch of old homes and stores that had been preserved and closed up but you could walk by them and read their history. The streets were closed off to cars. We did this for the few minutes it took to see them then headed back to the marina. The next day we would move on.
Yorktown
Bridge in Yorktown
Sunset at Yorktown Marian
The next day we got an early start and made our way 57 miles north on the Chesapeake to an anchorage called Mill Creek. After being at a marina or in a town for several days I’m so happy to get to an anchorage and have some privacy and just feel like we’re really boating. I often compare boating to camping. Being at a marina is like taking your R.V. to a trailer park where there is electricity, amenities and everything you might need to make your camping experience that much easier. But, is it really camping? While anchoring to me is like taking your tent and all your necessities to the most beautiful spot in the woods, away from civilization and all those comforts and luxuries. Just you and nature. That to me is what anchoring is all about. Jeff and I call it true boating. Anyhow, our friends Scott and Karen gave us the recommendation for Mill Creek and we were so thankful. It was a quiet serene beautiful place. There were several places you could anchor along the creek and the few boats that were there all respected everyone else's privacy and spread way out. We were all alone in our little cove. We sat outside most of the day and listened to the birds, watched dolphins and saw jelly fish. It was a nice relaxing peaceful day and evening.
Mill Creek
Mill Creek Anchorage
Fisherman on Mill Creek
Dolphin Swimming Mill Creek
Every morning Jeff and I read the AGLCA (Americas Great Loop Cruisers Association) forum where people post questions, give advice, and give general information. We learned that a fellow looper who live in Solomon’s Island and belonged to the Yacht club there arranged for loopers to be able to use the club and dock for a reduced rate so we took him up on his offer. We had heard that Solomon’s Island was this great stop and everyone who cruises there loves it. When we pulled into the yacht club it was empty except for three other boats. After tying up and checking in we decided to hit the town. We were told we were right in town. So we both put on flip flops and began our stroll in 90 degree heat with 90% humidity. I think we both sweated out 5lbs. We passed a couple of restaurants, a public park and one or two shops and then we were in neighborhoods. We were so confused. Where was town? What is it we were supposed to do? After walking and sweating a bit more we came to the maritime museum. On the loop we have seen countless maritime museums and weren’t too thrilled about seeing another one. But, it was air conditioned so we walked in and lingered in the gift shop for awhile. Finally we decided it was too hot and too far to walk back to the yacht club so we called an Uber and went back to the boat. We were baffled. What was so great about Solomon’s Island people had talked about? What were we supposed to see because there was nothing here? We cooled down in the air conditioning a bit then went to the bar at the yacht club where we were each given a free drink for staying there. Everyone knew each other and the bar tender and we were defiantly the outsiders. We drank our drink and went back to the boat. A quiet evening on board with dinner and reading and we would be on our way in the morning.
At Yacht Club
Solomon's Island
Not all the loop stops can be winners and Solomon’s was defiantly not. The next morning we would be making our first cross over to the east side of the Chesapeake. Up until now we had been cruising on the west side but would make our way east to Cambridge, Maryland. This too proved to be an interesting stop. I found a free town wall for us to go to. It didn’t have power or water but was free and right in town. Sounded perfect. When we arrived there was already a sailboat docked there. When we went to go behind him and tie up to the wall we heard this awful scraping noise. What was that? We were baffled until we realized that towards the stern it got very shallow and we were scraping our props on the bottom. Not a sound any boater ever wants to hear! Ever! Jeff was understandably frazzled and I went into troubleshooting mode. I left a message at a boat yard and suggested we push off the wall and get out of that shallow spot which we did. Ahead of the sailboat there was plenty of water and we were well off the bottom. It was a Sunday so all the boatyards were closed and there was nothing that could be done at the moment. We decided to go about our day and see the town. We walked down a main street which was filled with rundown buildings, abandoned businesses and a couple of bars and restaurants which were opened. We stopped into a brewery to grab and beer and try and grapple with the fact that our props might be severely damaged. Little did we know that there was a triathlon in town and the place was packed with them. We had one beer then decided to move on. We strolled down by the water then made our way back to the boat. So much for a town in Cambridge.
Church Cambridge
Cambridge Harbor
Cambridge
The next morning we had a short two hour cruise to Oxford, Maryland. We were both nervous how the boat would perform. When you have prop damage the easiest way to tell is by the boat making a vibration while underway. The higher the vibration usually the more the damage. We headed out and held our breath as we listened and felt for the vibration. As I took the helm I felt it immediately but Jeff said he didn’t. Either way we would get a diver to come take a look while we were anchored in Oxford. Fortunately they had someone available the next morning and he would come before we left. Meanwhile Oxford was an adorable town. It was sweet and charming and all of the houses and the two shops were so wholesome. We both loved it. We went into the free town museum which was filled with personal artifacts and the towns history. A lovely woman who worked there told us about Oxford and recommended a place for lunch. We slowly walked along the streets admiring the homes and shops and felt we were somewhere really special. It felt like the kind of place that if you had kids you would want to raise them there because it was safe and secure and they could roam the streets without fear of anything bad happening. Lunch was good at a restaurant called Capsized (which I didn’t like the name) set right on the water overlooking our anchorage and the Tidings. After we dinghied around the basin we then spent a quiet afternoon reading and relaxing on the boat.
Boat at Oxford
Downtown Oxford
Tidings Anchored in Oxford
Wood Boat Shop
Wood Boat Shop
Sunset at Oxford
Around 8a.m. the following morning the diver swam out to our boat and took a look at our props. Fortunately it was good news. He told us they were a little scraped up but no major damage occurred and we would be fine to keep cruising but eventually it would need to be cleaned up. Shew!!!! What a relief. Finally we could relax and get back to looping. We up anchored around 8:45 and made the two and a half hour cruise to St. Michaels. Maryland. This was another stop we both have been looking forward to and came highly recommend by people who have done the loop before us. Again our friends Scott and Karen gave us some great advice. They told us the best way to access St. Michaels is through the backdoor - a small anchorage around the backside of the town. There is a dingy dock at the end of the creek and it’s just a short two block walk into town. Perfect. We would much rather be at anchor then in a marina any day. This turned out to be great advice. The anchorage was beautiful surrounded by vacation cottages and treelined. There was only room for 3-4 boats and we were one of three the first night. We had no idea we were any where near St. Michaels because it felt like we were in the middle of nowhere. We quickly hopped in the dinghy and went to town. We strolled along Talbot Street which is the main street and is lined with cute shops, restaurants and bars. Again it felt like a thousand degrees and ducking into the shops was a nice respite from the heat. All the shops were boutiquey and charming. We were told we needed to visit the maritime museum while we were there that it was a good one. Reluctant, Jeff convinced me saying it would be air conditioned and a nice break from the heat. I agreed but unfortunately when we arrived we learned that the museum was spread out over several acres a lot of the exhibits outside and most of the buildings were not air conditioned. We started by visiting the air conditioned buildings. One of the most interesting buildings and the coolest in temperature was a photo gallery which depicted the crabbing and oyster industry in the Chesapeake. It was very well done and a great way to learn the history. We saw old wood boats, old hunting artifacts, old lighthouses and on and on. It was an impressive museum but I would have liked it better had it been cooler. Afterwards we decided to reward ourself with a cold beer and a snack at the Crab Claw Restaurant right next door. Beer was cold and the food was o.k. but it was nice to be out of the heat. We made our way back to the dinghy and the boat and stayed inside in the air conditioning the rest of the night.
Dinghy Dock St. Michaels
Shop in St. Michaels
Maritime Museum St. Michaels
Church St. Michaels
House on Stilts St. Michaels
Cemetery St. Michaels
Church St. Michaels
Anchorage
Anchorage
Our second and final day in St. Michael's there wasn’t a lot to do. We walked along Talbot Street again but didn’t find any shops to go into. We were going to go to the local museum but it was closed. We walked some the neighborhoods and checked out the charming old historic homes. After exhausting everything there was to do in St. Michaels we made our way back up the creek to the boat and settled in for the night.
Anchorage St. Michaels
Anchorage
Pretty House at Anchorage
Our next and current stop/location was back over to the west side of the Chesapeake to Annapolis, Maryland where we would grab a mooring ball for a few days and then head into the city marina where we currently sit. Once again Scott and Karen who had already been to Annapolis suggested mooring ball number 65 which was situated down the creek a bit away from the hullabaloo of the town, wakes, tour boats and weekend boaters. It is tucked into a little cove facing several cottages and nicely nestled in out of the wake and current. We were so happy to find it and be here. The first day we dinghied into town and strolled Main Street and saw all the shops and restaurants. The town was cute with brick lined streets and sidewalks. Annapolis is very catering to boaters. At the end of every street is a dinghy dock making it very easy to get anywhere via boat. That night we dinghied across the creek to a dinghy dock where were tied up to go to dinner. I had pinned a website telling us where to get the best crab cakes in the Chesapeake and The Boatyard Restaurant was one of them. When we arrived the restaurant was packed and we had to wait at the bar for our table. We grabbed a drink and enjoyed the live music being played. Our table happened to be right next to the guitar player so we were entertained. Jeff loved his crab cake and said it was the best one he ever had. Good find. After dinner we dinged back to the boat.
Capital Building Annapolis
Downtown Annapolis
Downtown Annapolis
Dinghy Ride to Dinner
Boatyard Restaurant
Boatyard Restaurant
Jeff and Musician Boatyard
Boatyard Restaurant
The next day we decided to sleep in an then stick around Annapolis. We dinghied into town and went to The Navel Academy. We both were interested in seeing this and learning about the history. We had a very nice retired navy man who gave us our walking tour along with five others. We saw the dorms, the pool and wrestling facility, the church, a crypt of John Paul Jones and heard over and over about their rivalry with army. I learned a lot and was glad we went. Several loopers told us we had to eat at Chick and Nelly’s so we made our way there. It was a small deli where the waitstaff and everyone who worked there were super high energy and yelling things across the restaurant and making their way down the one narrow walkway to the tables. Jeff again had a crab cake and I had a salad. The tables were all super close to one another because the restaurant was so small and I could hear every word a man and his grandson were saying next to us. It was quiet the experience. Afterwards we were tired and make our way back to the boat to relax.
Naval Academy Mascot
Naval Academy Pools
Hall Naval Academy
Dorms Naval Academy
Meeting Hall Naval Acadamy
The Yard Naval Acadamy
Church Naval Academy
Tidings of Joy Moored in Annapolis
Day three in Annapolis we decided to make our way into D.C. We were told it was very easy from Annapolis that you just hop on a bus and it goes right there. Well it was a Saturday and the regular express bus wasn’t running. We dinghied to shore then walked a couple blocks to the bus station. We couldn’t find it and Jeff had to call to figure it out. We roamed around and finally came across the small obscure sign. It was only 8a.m. and already hot as hell. The bus was 10 minutes late and when it arrived it was quiet the ride. It was a combo bus/van. When we entered the driver was rocking out to 70’s R&B sap. He was singing, playing the drums and doing five counts on his fingers - 1-2-3-4-5. He blasted the music as he drove us around. Our first and only stop was at a gas station where he proceeded to fill up the bus. He showed us a cooler he had on the floor and told us to help ourselves to gatorade and water. I just looked at Jeff and he got a gatorade. We arrived at the train station and said goodbye to the bus driver. Our next leg was a 20 minute train ride to the Smithsonian Museums. Two hours after leaving the boat we were there. But what to see first? We decided to walk to the castle which was the visitors center for the Smithsonian and gave a sampling of all of the museums. The information guy told us to see American History, Natural History and Air and Space. We made our way to The American History Museum. It was a Saturday in the summer so everybody and their brother was out touring around. Again it was 1000 degrees and wall to wall of people. We entered on the second of three floors to the museum and made our way around. Three hours later we still had a floor and a half to see and decided to get lunch in the cafeteria and to take a break. Food was lousy but it was nice to take a break. The museum was full of interesting things - first ladies inaugural dresses, white house china from each president, Abe Lincoln’s hat, Indiana Jones’s whip and on and on. It was a long day at the museum but interesting none the less. It was only early afternoon so we decided to see a few more things. We made our way to the mall and saw the Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, WWII Memorial and the Vietnam Memorial. I remembered seeing these as a kid but it was fun to see them again. The reflection pool was emptied which was weird to see.Finally we decided to make our way back to the train and back to the boat in Annapolis. The train was easy but we didn’t time it right for the bus so decided to Uber to the dinghy instead. It had been a long day and we were happy to get back to the boat.
Washington Monument
Indiana Jones at Smithsonian
WWII Memorial
WWII Memoria and Washington Monument
Lincoln Memorial
Lincoln Memorial
We decided after the long day in D.C. we needed a day to just chill in Annapolis again. Yesterday (Father’s Day) we slept in and made a pancake breakfast on the boat. We lazed around and read and enjoyed the mooring field. Jeff wanted to go back to the Naval Academy and see the museum on campus. It was just okay in my opinion. It chronicled all the wars starting from the Revolutionary War to Present from the Naval perspective. A lot of pictures of Naval leaders, their uniforms and weaponry. The top floor was all model ships. A couple were interesting but it went on and on. We walked the town a little, grabbed some lunch then made our way back to the boat. Today we left our morning ball sadly and came into the City Marina so a boat mechanic could come aboard and do some regularly scheduled maintenance - oil changes, coolant changes ext. It was a day of chores - laundry and marketing. We miss our great morning ball but are glad to be right in town. Tomorrow we will head back to D.C. to see the Library of Congress, Supreme Court, The Capital and maybe one more Smithsonian.
