Week 52: May 28 – June 3 – Around the Great Loop on the Answer

Our plan was to stay in Hampton an extra day before moving on. Endeavor decided to take advantage of the marina’s deal – pay for 3 nights and get the fourth free. We were more interested in moving on but as it turned out, the weather changed and there was rain and it was projected for a few days, along with increasing wind. We also stayed the 4 nights. No real restaurants open in the area but we did go to the Bull Island Brewery to sample their craft beers.

With Endeavor we toured Hampton which was mostly shuttered but we went into a hardware store that was established in 1895. Lots of history in the town, too bad things were closed. Another interesting spot was the F.W. Woolworth building where the first sit-in, an act of civil disobedience against a “white-only” lunch counter was held. We had hoped the the Virginia Air and Space Center would have been open, and I would have liked to have seen their restored antique carousel. Mentioned to Peter that it looks like there will be a number of road trips to visit sites unavailable at this time.

The weather finally shifted but it was projected to be a little windy with some waves. Endeavor was also ready to leave so we agreed that we would travel to Yorktown together and then we would head north and they would begin their crisscrossing on the bay. As we left Hampton, things seemed fine but after we got into the actual bay, the winds picked up to 10-18+mph with waves of 3′-6′. This was our worst travel day yet. Lots of things were thrown around the cabin with minimal damage. One light bulb, the harp for the lamp, and one wine glass. Even our worst days on Lake Michigan could not compare to this ride. We were rolling and had waves crashing that reached the bridge. We could not wait for it to end. Unfortunately, it was a few hours later that we finally saw improvement when we entered the York River to Yorktown. Needless to say, Kodey did not sleep on this trip and was practically on my lap most of the time.

We finally arrived at Riverwalk Landing greeted by a strong current in the marina. Again, we did not plan to stay more than a night but the wind/weather dictated otherwise. We contemplated moving across the river to a marina in Gloucester on Sally Creek but things calmed down and we stayed put for another two nights. Things were calm in the marina except for one night when the Navy Seals were doing maneuvers in their Hovercraft and throwing some pretty big wakes.

The marina is right in downtown Yorktown and there are a number of small beaches that are open. There were many groups of people on the beach, some family groups and some smaller ones. The children were playing in the sand and were swimming. Peter also decided to go for a swim but said the water was colder than he thought it would be considering the crowd of people swimming. There are lots of signs around town…mostly rhyming…to remind people to wear masks and social distance.

Yorktown is a very nice little town with lots of Revolutionary War history. While the museums weren’t open, we were able to walk around and view the monuments and battlefield. We also saw Cornwallis’ Cave. Virginia had just opened up a bit and there was a restaurant on the waterfront with outside dining. We went out for burgers and beer with Endeavour as part of our “support the local restaurant” plan.

Our next stop will be Deltaville and after the rough ride we had to Yorktown, Endeavor decided not to cross the bay but to travel north with us. The wind/weather look good for a few days but as we know, things change quickly.