This morning we slid over to the pump-out before we left. This has got to be the greatest pump-out we have used to date! The unit is fast and powerful, and there is a hose nearby that you can flush your tank with. (How's that for a beautiful scene to begin the blog?)
We cruised out the channel, and to the north, out the Willoughby Channel, joining the Chesapeake Bay Entrance Channel almost directly across from Point Comfort, and Fort Monroe. It was a little hazy, and we could hear the security boats accompanying a Navy sub clearing the path for them a few miles away.
We turned north into a "trap-free" channel that enables the boats to run without the constant dodging of crab floats. It was only a little further to run that path, and a whole lot easier.
The wind was calm as we worked our way up to the York River, and to Yorktown.
Riverwalk Landing in Yorktown lets boats tie up for four hours for $5, to take advantage of the lovely town. The floating docks are great, though I know from when we were here before, that the river can get very choppy. Everything was gorgeous today.
Yorktown is a great place to walk around, and has a free trolley that runs about every 20 minutes to extend your explorations. We took the trolley for a bit, walked up historic Main Street, past the Victory Monument, and across a foot path to the Yorktown Battlefield Visitor Center. The National Park Service has great interpretive tours there, and our guide did an interesting and informative job.
As far as United States History, my boating career has definitely broadened my understanding a bit. Since much travel and freight was by ship in years past, it is no wonder that so much of our history is surrounding sea ports. Yorktown is where the French naval fleet helped George Washington defeat General Cornwallis in the pivotable battle that turned the American Revolution.
Somehow, however, my memory, or geography was somewhat impaired, ok, just wrong, regarding where Williamsburg is. I have friends in Williamsburg, and hoped to see them after Yorktown. I thought that the James River was one river to the north of the York River. WRONG! We passed the entrance to the James River before we went to the marina in Norfolk. I will plan better on my way back south. John and Maxine had met us in Yorktown when we were here before, and somehow, I had in my mind that they'd come from across the bridge....
In my defense, there are scores of rivers running into this Bay, and my previous trek through filled me with more information than I could possibly absorb. I'll make a note to improve my Chesapeake Bay geography.
After we'd spent the afternoon in Yorktown, we crossed the York River and anchored in Sarah Creek. N 37 15.482' W 076 28.434'
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