On our way to the Solomons
April 21, 2025
This morning we decided to motor back across the river to York River Yacht Haven to their marina. We wanted to see some sites. Got off the dock at Gloucester Point without much ado; the winds in our favor. Brian had called the night before regarding a reservation, but received no response. He called again as we motored over and they directed us into a slip in front of a schooner that takes tourists around the bay. The winds and waves had picked up at this point and Lauren was, of course, nervous about bringing the boat in front of the schooner as directed by the dock master. She maneuvered the boat in just fine. Both dock masters were very pleasant and both had been in the marines, so they bantered back and forth with Brian a little bit about being in the service.
Once the boat was docked, we took about a half mile walk to the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown. We were there for several hours – very interesting and informative. A great museum! Walked back into town and shared a sandwich then back to the boat. Also docked was Mike and Debbie of Vita Nova who are also just beginning their journey on the Loop.
We decided to have dinner out at a restaurant at the marina – eh! Both disappointed in our meals. Came back on board to find Heidi had used her pee pad (yeah), but was up on the table (the little minx); I think it was a better perch for her to see the comings and goings at the marina – not happy about that, tho. Took Heidi out for walk which she thoroughly enjoyed. Tomorrow we will travel to Colonial Williamsburg, a preserved early colonial village.
April 22, 2025
While laying in bed last night trying to get to sleep, all Lauren kept thinking about was the dinner we had at the marina. We were both so disappointed in the meal and, of course, the expense. She splurged and ordered an espresso martini; it was more like a dessert drink – too sweet and the color of cream. Our appetizer was fried calamari, but it was drenched in bar-be-cue sauce. Brian ordered a small pizza that wasn’t even warm when served and very bland tasting and Lauren’s fish tacos – well, where was the fish? We did let the waitress know and her response was “Oh, I’m sorry.” Geesh!
Today we took an uber to Colonial Williamsburg, touted as the largest living history museum in the world. It would take at least 3 days to tour all the grounds and buildings. We spent 4 hours there. Both uber drivers were very friendly and talkative. Maybe someday if we are back in this area, we will rent a vehicle so we can get out and about to see all the sites.
For dinner Lauren is sautéing some of the produce and adding it to marinara sauce she prepped prior. Tomorrow we leave here and head towards the Solomon’s. We will anchor in a little cove about half way between Yorktown and the Solomons. Once we get to the Solomons, we will leave the boat at the Solomon Island Yacht Club while we rent a car and head back to Massachusetts for a few days.
April 23, 2025
Left the York River Yacht Marina at 6:30. We were docked on the inside of a t-dock between a schooner and the concrete portion of the dock. There was another trawler opposite us, but we left on a slack tide and were able to do a u-turn in that narrow thorough fare and head out. The wind conditions were light and the bay was pretty calm. After about 2 hours of motoring, the winds and waves picked up, but we were not uncomfortable. Eventually, we knew we had to change course which would make the wave motion very uncomfortable. So, the Seakeeper was activated and it made a huge difference. The boat was only rolling side to side no more than 1 degree after we activated it. We actually had waves coming up over the bow a few times. Heidi did not enjoy 3/4 of the ride. We are looking into getting her something to relieve her anxiety when we know the conditions may not be favorable. Had to dodge a few crab pots getting to the anchorage – really have to keep your eyes peeled for them.
We anchored in Cockrell Creek with 3 sailboats. It’s a nice quiet anchorage. A young couple on one of the boats came over to say hello and that they recognized our boat from a few previous stops.
The Chesapeake Bay is 139 miles long and is 3 to 25 miles wide. The bay is fed by twelve rivers and it abuts Delaware, Maryland and Virginia. There are a lot of commercial ocean-going vessels, navy and coast guard ships, fishermen, crab fishermen, scallopers and recreational boaters that use the bay.
Brian reading: Eve by Cat Bohannon
Lauren: Impact by Douglas Preston
Hope all is well and stay safe out there