Side Trips to Washington D.C. and Yorktown

1 MAY 2022

As we got closer to completing our journey from Florida up the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) to Norfolk, VA (Mile Zero), we realized we had an extra 11 days before the start of the AGLCA Rendezvous in Norfolk (America’s Great Loop Cruisers’ Assn.). So we decided to take a side trip up the Potomac River to Washingon, D.C. and a shorter one up the York River to Yorktown. What fun adventures we had!

This was the first time since Lake Michigan that we had to figure things out on our own so it felt like “uncharted territory.” Again, we are so grateful we have several navigational aids—electronic and paper—and remarkable chart plotters that not only help us plot a course, but help us STAY on course!

We were a little nervous about getting through the Norfolk/Portsmouth/ Hampton Roads area—a nautical crossroad that is home to vessels of all kinds and sizes including those at the world’s largest naval base. (We plan to take a 2-hour boat tour before we leave so we can find out more about all the Navy ships that are here.) This area is said to be “as busy as New York Harbor.” For the first time, we were also dealing with all the tides, winds and challenges of the Chesapeake Bay, AND, this is “all part of the adventure,” so away we went. We saw lots and lots of military and commercial ships, but most of them were docked so there was very little traffic on the water. The same was true when we returned to Norfolk 11 days later. Whew!

There is very heavy security around most naval ships—24/7 patrol boats plus “barriers” strung across the water for added protection (far left and far right).

As we cruised across the open waters of the Chesapeake, it got very choppy and we weren’t sure our experience was going to be much fun. Fortunately, once we got across the south opening of the Bay (that goes out into the Atlantic), cruising became a pleasure again. The same thing happened on our return to get back to Norfolk …quite rough for 1.5 hours and then pretty smooth. Remember, S.L.O. Dancer IS a PLEASURE boat…and that’s the kind of cruising we prefer! AND we’re glad our boat is sturdy and so are we!  🙂 🙂

We made three stops on our way to D.C.—Deltaville, VA on the Rappahannock River, Drayden, MD on the St. Mary’s River and Colonial Beach, VA on the Potomac—all charming little towns with friendly marinas. We especially enjoyed seeing so many ospreys nested atop the channel markers enroute and the abundance of spring flowers.

We had good weather most of the way and got very excited as we approached the Washington, DC area. It was pretty amazing when we were able to see our nation’s Capitol building to our right AND the Washington Monument to our left, both at the same time (they’re about 1.5 miles apart). It stirred up deep feelings of patriotism and brought back many cherished memories of time spent in nearby McLean, VA (1977-1988), especially July 4^th gatherings on The Mall. It’s a very special place! It was hard to capture this panorama, but here it is:

We stayed at The Wharf Marina adjacent to the west side of The Mall and that was quite an experience. We arrived on a Saturday afternoon soon after the end of a major league baseball game at nearby Nationals Stadium where the San Francisco Giants beat the Washington Nationals (go Giants!…we’ve been fans for many, many years!). The Wharf was wall-to-wall people, very noisy, very chaotic and quite a change from the treasured peace and quiet of our favorite waterways. Had we made a mistake? No, it turned out to be quite a wonderful experience for many reasons. First of all, it’s really quite a beautiful waterfront place—an “urban renewal” project that is filled with interesting architecture and lots of places to walk, sit, gather, eat and have fun. Also a great place for people watching!

Fortunately, beneath the helm and aft deck of our boat we have very spacious living and sleeping quarters (for a boat), and when we close the large hatch door it is very quiet regardless of what is going on around us. So we could tune out the loud music, the traffic going across the nearby 395 bridge and (eventually) the airplanes taking off from nearby Reagan National Airport (that took some getting used to, especially at 6:00 a.m.).

We also happened to be in the path of the Marine helicopters transporting dignitaries to and from The White House, etc. many times a day. We even saw “Marine One” a couple of times—the helicopter-equivalent of Air Force One carrying the President! We never did capture a photo…by the time we’d get our cameras out, they were gone, but we enjoyed hearing and watching them overhead!

What made The Wharf the most fun was the people we spent time with during our visit. I got to spend very meaningful time with two dear college classmates who live in nearby Virginia. (We just figured out we’ve known each other for 65 years! Wow!) We also had a wonderful dinner with one of my grandnieces who’s been living in DC for the last year, as well as dinner in Alexandria with one of our favorite Looper couples from “Blue Dreamer” who were home for family visits. In addition, we had a special dinner at The Capitol Yacht Club where members there have built a very special boating community and welcome Loopers. Lots of social time in a very alive space!

Here’s a photo that captures some of the beauty of where we stayed. See if you can find the Ukrainian flag flying atop our radio antenna (it breaks up the neon light blue going across the 395 bridge), as well as the illuminated Washington Monument beyond the bridge. It was pretty spectacular!

We had some weather delays (small craft warnings, gusts to 45), but once the winds calmed down to 5-10 knots, we made our way back down the Potomac, stopping again in Colonial Beach. Right before that, a Ranger Control boat called us on our VHF radio asking us to stop. We were about to enter the firing range of the Naval Surface Weapons Center and it was “hot,” meaning there were exercises taking place. We knew this was a possibility and were happy to cooperate. We were delayed for about 20 minutes and then proceeded without incident (after one HUGE boom!)…more adventure! Here’s a photo of the Ranger Control boat:

We had a very fun time in Colonial Beach, where the Boatworks Marina lent us a golf cart. Not only did we get to tour this sweet beach-side town with its variety of homes large and small, but we discovered a restaurant we loved so much that we went back a second night. It’s the best food we’ve had so far, at a funky place with a 5-star chef called OomBoon (Thai for “health & blessings”).

Note the bicycle at the base of the signpost above. Throughout Colonial Beach, people have taken old bicycles, painted them bright colors, often adding flowers to their baskets, and “planted” them in their front yards as yard art. How’s that for repurposing?!?

We also stopped in Reedville, VA overnight and walked its main street. Some of the houses in these little towns are quite majestic, many built in the late 1800’s and beautifully maintained.

It feels like there’s a lot of hometown pride in these out-of-the-way places and it’s fun to discover special touches…like the old crab traps below, painted bright red, lined up beside a restaurant, spelling out one of our favorite words: LOVE! As you may know, “Virginia is for Lovers” has been a theme for many years, and there are many creative LOVE signs throughout the State. We’ve seen several.

Cruising a little ways up the York River to historic Yorktown was also a joy. We wish we’d arrived sooner so we could have toured some of the museums, but we did take a free trolley around the whole district and were very impressed with how well maintained and beautiful it is. After doing some research, the Victory Tower was especially moving. The Battle of Yorktown was the last major battle of the Revolutionary War against the British. AND, regarding the troops fighting on the Colonial side, half of them were American and the other half were our French allies helping us to victory. After the tour, we had a yummy dinner at the famous Yorktown Pub before an early bed and 12 much-needed hours of sleep.

Now we are happily back in Norfolk where the AGLCA Rendezvous takes place all week. This time the Waterside Marina is packed with always-friendly Loopers, all proudly flying their AGLCA burgees on their bows. It’s time to clean up the boat (from the muddy rivers and the salt) and get another good night’s sleep. After the Rendezvous, we plan to spend the rest of May exploring the 200-mile long Chesapeake Bay. Thanks once again for cruising along with us and sharing our joyous, fascinating (and sometimes challenging) adventures!!!