The Chesapeake

Ground Zero on the ICW

Norfolk, Virginia is the northern entry to the Intra Coastal Waterway (ICW).  On the cruising guide it is listed as the 0 mile marker.  We had longed to reach the lower Chesapeake Bay where Norfolk and Portsmouth poured their combined river flow into the Chesapeake Bay.  For us, it would be a major milestone because our arrival would confirm our travel of 1,100 miles over the previous 3 months. And we could look forward to sailing in waters that were safely deeper than our 6 foot draft.  It was with  expressions of relief and excitement that we entered the deep channels of these major maritime and naval centers and realized just how far we had sojourned over the past several months! We sailed north on the bay first to Yorktown where we removed our tattered main sail cover and replaced it with the new cover and then on to Deltaville, VA, a major boating center. In one more day, we would enter the Potomac River.

The Squall

The Potomac River is 12 miles wide as it enters the Chesapeake Bay.  The river narrows and follows a winding route as we traveled north.  We observed dark clouds forming to the north and dropped the main sail just as the heavens burst forth in a deluge.  Winds clocked to 29 miles per hour and the river whipped into a frenzy.  Visibility was reduced to 200 yards.  We anchored off Pope’s Creek and managed to set the anchor securely and waited out the squall.  It may have lasted for an hour and, as the skies cleared, we took the ferry to Gilligan’s Pier where a live band was playing to an enthusiastic crowd despite the intermittent rain. 

Independence Day 2019

We reached Washington, DC about 6:30 PM on July 1 and moored in the Washington Channel off the Potomac River.  Here is the sight that greeted us and we were filled with an awe that continued over the next several days of touring our nation’s capital. 

The National Archives where the Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights are housed is a must see.  The genius with which the founding fathers crafted these enduring principles could have only been a gift from God.  As we examined these sacred documents that are the bedrock of our nation, we marveled at the wisdom and courage that caused these pioneers to undertake an experiment in democracy that was unheard of at the time and vehemently resisted by the entrenched monarchies.

Our good friends from California, Ian and Erica, joined us for the Independence Day festivities and tours of the Capitol and Smithsonian museums. The heat and humidity as well as the occasional rainstorm did not temper their enthusiasm and they were as amazed as we were at the majesty of these hallowed institutions.

After Ian and Erica departed, we connected with Rod and Dana whom we know from their years in California. Now living in Virginia just 30 miles from Washington, they are enjoying the area in which Rod grew up. They were our excellent tour guides at the National Cathedral as well as several Civil War battlefields. And we toured several wineries in the Virginia area to sample the varietals of a flourishing wine industry. It was a wonderful way to spend the few days before we returned to California for our bi-monthly furlough.