Day 82 – N 36° 50.496’ W 76° 17.973’ Norfolk/Portsmouth, VA

Our great nephew, Josiah Mahoney, has been faithfully following our blog, and decided to plot each stop we’ve made on Google Maps.  It looks great!  Click here for a link to Josiah’s project. 

In order to make it to the Gilmerton Bridge for its first opening of the day (09:30), our planned departure from Hampton was 06:00.  We wanted to catch the first opening so that we could make it all the way to Coinjock, NC where there is a nice marina where we stayed on the way north.  We planned to ride out Andrea at this marina, then continue our journey southward in the ICW on Saturday.  But things do not always go according to our plans, and this was one of those times. 

We were underway a few minutes before 06:00, and motored out the Hampton River and its narrow entrance channel.  Then we turned southwest toward Norfolk and put out the jib to get some extra speed from the strong east wind that was blowing.  We crossed to Norfolk at almost 7 knots, motorsailing!  Then as we turned back toward the south southeast, we had to take in the jib and go back to just motoring.  There was a lot of commercial shipping traffic in the Norfolk area and in order to get out of the way of a tug that was crossing our path, we gave the engine full-throttle.  That was immediately followed by a thick cloud of black smoke from our exhaust and an increase in RPM of only 100 (we were expecting over 300).  After a short time, we started losing power, so Peter reduced the throttle until the black smoke stopped.  We were just entering the Norfolk area, and we knew that there would be nothing after Norfolk if we needed help with an engine problem, so we decided to stop at the same marina we had used when we first arrived, and seek professional help for the engine.  

We were tied up at the marina by 08:00 and called a mechanic recommended by the marina, who said he could get to us by early afternoon.  Bruce, the mechanic, arrived at 14:00, as promised, and Peter described the symptoms to him.  Bruce thought it could be the result of (1) bad fuel, (2) restricted air intake, or (3) fouled propeller.  Peter said that he had cleaned the bottom and propeller a week ago and knew it was OK.  The fuel filter had been replaced only 70 hours ago, so it was not likely clogged, so that left the air cleaner, which had been neglected for the last 500 hours of operation.  Bruce started with that, and it was a mess.  He took the filter element out, noted that it was disintegrating, and said that this posed a great risk of sending metal particles into the engine, and we’d be better off without it.  So he put the empty filter housing back on the engine and refitted the foam external filter.  Then, for good measure he checked the fuel filter, which was clean, and pronounced the problem “solved”.  He said we could write him a check for $100 or he’d accept $75 cash.  Cash sounded pretty good to us.  As he was walking down the dock, Peter started up the engine and gave it full throttle, straining against the mooring lines, and to our relief it revved up to maximum RPM, and after belching some black goo initially, the exhaust was clear.

It was too late to make it to Coinjock, NC by the time Bruce was finished, so we decided to wait out Tropical Storm Andrea right here in Portsmouth.  It should pass through here late this afternoon, and we’ll be up early to resume our return to Florida.

Day 80 – N 37° 01.472’ W 76° 20.457’ Hampton, VA

In spite of the strong northeast winds and high waves yesterday, our passage from Yorktown to Hampton was really quite nice.  We sailed most of the way and as we were travelling east and south for the most part, the wind was either on our beam or behind us.  We were surfing down some 5-foot waves, but this is preferred to trying to push through against them.  In fact, we put out our sails before leaving the mooring, and just sailed off the mooring.  This later came back to haunt us when Peter went to start the engine before taking in the sails, the key was not in the ignition, as it usually is when we have started out motoring, and we had to search a bit to find it.  We arrived in Hampton before 14:00 and decided to take a slip at the city marina.  The anchorage just looked too small and congested.

Space capsules at VASC

We spent the afternoon after arriving taking care of some chores to get ready for our departure from the Bay and our trip down the ICW through VA and NC.  Peter took the dinghy out of the water for the first time in 2 weeks, and found it almost totally encrusted with tiny barnacles.  It took quite a while to scrub all that mess off, then we deflated it and stowed it aboard.  We also topped off the water tanks and washed and dried the dirty laundry.  After doing the chores, we took a walk for a few blocks in the vicinity of the city piers, and found the Virginia Air and Space Center.

Fighter aircraft view from 2nd level

Scale model rockets - Saturn V in the center

Today was dedicated to enjoying the Air and Space Center, a NASA museum that traced the history of manned flight from pre-Wright Brothers to the present and conjecture on the future.  It featured real aircraft suspended from cables in the ceiling, models of rockets, and simulators that could be tried, a very hands-on place.  The exhibits could be viewed from three levels, and on the top level there was also a pavilion overlooking the Hampton River.  The view took in the entire Hampton River plus the mouth of the James River, with Norfolk in the background.  We spent the entire morning there until 12:30, then we went up the street to Marker 20 for a crabcake lunch, followed by ice cream cones from the ice cream shop we passed while walking to Marker 20.  The Air and Space Center also featured an IMAX theater, and they were showing the latest Star Trek 3D movie, so we upgraded our tickets to include the afternoon showing of Star Trek.  There were only six people in the entire theater when the movie started, so we had our choice of seating.  The 3D was spectacular, and Peter found himself ducking to avoid objects that were flying off the screen at times.

View south down Hampton River to Norfolk from VASC

So that wraps up our exploration of the Chesapeake Bay.  Early tomorrow morning we will head south, past Norfolk into the Elizabeth River and begin our trek home.  After passing through the ICW to Morehead City, NC, we hope to get into the Atlantic Ocean for a good part of the return trip, but of course that will depend on the weather.  We are already watching Tropical Storm Andrea, and planning an extra day (Friday) at the marina in Coinjock, NC while she passes by that area.

Day 78 N 37° 14.071’ W 76° 30.067’ Yorktown, VA

We spent the last two days taking advantage of a free bus service from Yorktown to Jamestown and Williamsburg, the two other cities from Colonial times that make up the “historical triangle” in this area.

60 ft. square-rigger "Susan Constant"

Jamestown was the site of an English colony established in 1607. You can visit replicas of the 3 ships that brought the original 100 colonist and their supplies.  They were square-riggers and the largest was only 60 feet long.  You can also visit a recreation of the fort and a typical village of the Powhatan people that lived in that area. Lyn had visited the settlement as a child with her family, and she found it was a much more “hands on” place now than what she remembered.  At the fort, people could put on the soldiers’ helmets and torso armor.  The Powhatan village had thatched-roofed cabins with beds covered with furs and hanging tools we could examine.  People in costume were making a dugout canoe by using fire to burn out the large log and scraping the ash away using oyster shells. Visitors were encouraged to try scraping.

Burning to make a dugout canoe

Inside a Powhatan lodge

In just the last decade, archeologists have uncovered the site of the actual Jamestown settlement, and you can now visit this area.  Archeologists used all the latest forensic anthropology techniques to uncover the story of two human remains that were found. The display was like an episode of the TV series “Bones” that included facial reconstructions so you could see what the person looked like, and x-rays and DNA analysis to determine how they lived and how they died.

When we returned to Yorktown that evening, we were treated to a view of the Yorktown Fife and Drum Corps as they marched through the town.  We had to get a photo for the benefit of many of Peter’s relatives who participated in Fife and Drum Corps in Connecticut and New Hampshire for many years.

The next day we were off to Williamsburg and happy to have the bus take us right to it since it was a rainy day. Williamsburg was the capitol of the Colony of Virginia and the place where much of the formative ideas for independence began.  There are many buildings to visit where you are treated to authentic craftsmen at work in costume and in character.  In one of the buildings, a coffee house of the period, we were treated to the performance of “Edith” who came in complaining of her money troubles to the woman serving coffee.  Then she noticed us and introduced herself as a free woman (she was black) who had a business cleaning linens for tavern owners and she was owed money.  She went on to disparage the rules that would not let a Negro take a case to court against a white person, and to talk about how men only get us into trouble and only want to marry you if you are wealthy.  She was a great character and the serving woman played right along.

Edith speaking her mind

Another building we particularly enjoyed was the cabinet makers where Lyn was encouraged to try playing a harpsichord, and Peter enjoyed watching a man using a series of planes to shape a board into a piece of moulding. It was not possible to see everything in a day, and we had to catch the bus back to Yorktown, but despite the rain it was a thoroughly enjoyable day.

Harpsichord

 

Cabinetmaker

 

Day 76 – N 37° 14.071’ W 76° 30.067’ Yorktown, VA

Leaving Deltaville yesterday morning promised to be a good day of sailing.  As soon as we got out of the channel exiting the harbor, we put up the sails and killed the engine.  But the wind was light, and we were going in the direction of the wind for the first few miles, and that made the wind seem even lighter.  We ghosted along at about 3 knots, until we reached the buoy where we turned more southerly, and then the wind was coming across the boat.  Our speed slowly increased to about 5 knots and we were happy to be making good progress.  A short while later, we were obliged to turn, again more southerly, and this course was as close as we could go upwind.  And then Peter observed that “this is perfect,” a steady breeze on relatively smooth seas, giving us good boat speed and a comfortable ride.  So immediately after saying that, the wind suddenly shifted more to the south, so we were no longer able to make the course we needed without motoring.  Adding insult to injury, the wind got lighter too. So after only 1.5 hours of sailing, we were obliged to use the motor for the rest of the 6-hour passage to Yorktown, VA.  It wasn’t all bad, though.  The tide in the Bay was ebbing in the direction we wanted to go, adding a free 1.5 knots to our speed.  And when we entered the York River, the tide in the river was changing over to flood, so we got a boost to travel up the river to Yorktown, too. 

Crab at a Farmers Market?  Why not!?

Back in 1970, Peter went to Coast Guard officer training at the Training Center in Yorktown.  That was a pretty intensive program, so there was no opportunity to go off base and see the attractions of Yorktown.  It is the site of the decisive battle of the Revolutionary War, where General Cornwallis surrendered to Geo. Washington.  Not far away is Colonial Williamsburg, a restored village where life is reenacted in the colonial style, and a short distance from there is Jamestown, where the English first settled in Virginia in 1608 and Capt. John Smith launched his exploration of the Chesapeake Bay and married Pocahontas (ok, maybe that last part is exaggerated but there

Lyn fires cannon at Yorktown

is a lot of history here).  We plan to spend the weekend plus Monday in Yorktown, and since it was a weekend, Peter contacted his sister Ann, who lives in Richmond, VA with husband Mike, and arranged to meet with them today.  We had time this morning before Ann arrived, to shop in the Farmers Market conveniently held on the green next to the marina, and to see the Yorktown Battleground and the monument commemorating it.  The National Park Service offers a 15-minute movie describing  the key elements of the battle and how, through alliance with the French, we were able to win a decisive victory.  It was quite interesting.  We had lunch in a unique restaurant in the historic district called “the Carrot Tree.”  Excellent quiches, and the house specialty, carrot cake, was perfect!

It was another hot day, in the high 80s, with a nice breeze blowing in from the south.  We took a slip at the marina for the night to make it easier to meet with Ann.  Ann and daughter Jen arrived around 16:00.  We all sat out in Kite’s cockpit, in the shade of our bimini and enjoyed the cooling breezes while catching up on the goings-on of the Burdick family.  We all went to dinner at a nearby waterfront restaurant and again sampled the excellent crabcakes of the Chesapeake Bay.  As hot as it is, we will be glad to have air conditioning while we sleep tonight.

Ann and Jen aboard Kite with Lyn and Peter