We’d hoped to be on our way to an anchorage at Williams Wharf about 30 miles away. We only made it to Bluewater Yachting Marina — about 10 miles from where we started in Portsmouth. A combination of high winds and tide created a Gulfstream-like chop and we turned back after the first 5 footer slapped us over the bow. This trip is supposed to be fun and that water was definitely NOT fun. So we’ll try again tomorrow. Wind direction is supposed to clock around and that “should” make all the difference. Stay tuned.
Bluewater Yachting Marina is in the Hampton Roads area home to Langley Air Force Base. We took the tender from the marina to Hampton and enjoyed walking around the city, finding an off-the-main-street restaurant called The Grey Goose and deciding to take in an IMAX movie about the Hubble telescope at the Virginia Air & Space Museum. The museum is terrific. In addition to the Hubble movie, we “took” a trip to Mars, watched a movie about how airplanes stay aloft and how pilots are trained in emergency procedures and looked at a display of hundreds of model airplanes and ships which dramatically showed their relative sizes.
Let me also report on Portsmouth and Norfolk. Great little towns. Lots of old buildings that have been restored. Many large and striking churches. Downtown areas of both towns that are, if not vibrant, certainly working at thriving.
We went to lunch in Norfolk at an Irish pub (Grace O’Malleys) and learned that the interior and storefront had been crafted in Ireland. Shamefully, the first thing I noticed was that there was an area complete with a uniformed teddy bear featuring the Cubs’ W Flag along with banners for the Bulls, the Blackhawks and the Bears. Our friend Dwain immediately protested that there wasn’t a banner for the White Sox. I suggested he take it up with Grace. Or maybe somebody stole it?
Norfolk’s symbol is the mermaid and we saw mermaid statures all over town along with some other interesting public sculptures.
Cruising north has left us in virtually a perpetual crape myrtle blooming season. We missed azaleas in Charleston. There were a few magnolias still blooming. Most of the gardenia blooms were going brown and the crape myrtles just beginning to bud there. Here the streets and yards are filled with glorious pink and white flower clusters. The trunks of these trees are nearly as interesting as the blooms.
Blooming trees cheer me up.
Pictures to come! Bad internet tonight:-(