So glad we skedaddled over here on Thursday before Tropical Storm Ophelia unleashed her wrath on the east coast. By late afternoon yesterday is was wild and windy in this part of Virginia. We felt super safe here at Atlantic Yacht Basin as the facility is on the Albermarle and Chesapeake Canal and behind the Great Bridge Lock. Escapade was storm tied on the fixed docks and we had no issues during the height of the storm.
I took the screen shot below on one of our weather apps last night. This was during the peak of the storm here. The green dot is where we are at Atlantic Yacht Basin in Chesapeake. The white dot is where we were at Bluewater Yachting Center. The chart shows the sustained winds but not the gusts which were around 30 mph here… can’t imagine what they were over in Hampton where we are having all the work done on the boat. The blue dot is where I hope no one was last night!!!
Yesterday afternoon…. You can see that we weren’t getting any real wind waves in the canal but it was raining sideways all day.
It’s actually the A & C Canal, silly me!
Friday morning before the storm hit, we took an Uber back over to Hampton to get Ernie and have brunch with our friends Stacy and Eric at Mango Mangeaux in Phoebus. The restaurant is adorable inside and the food is excellent. Wally and both had the Chesapeake Benedict.
Two Poached Eggs, Two Fried Green Tomatoes, Lump Crab, and a Cajun hollandaise sauce. Topped on a buttery biscuit and served with a side of fruit and ‘Mango Mango’ fruit dip. The City of Hampton is known for its crab and Mango Mangeaux’s is well known for their Chesapeake Benedict! Some how we were also influenced to have a flight of Mimosas, go figure!
The upside of being in the Norfolk/Hampton area for almost 3 months is that we made some new wonderful friends, both human and canine. Stacey and Eric have the most adorable dogs and we have really been getting sweet doggie fixes from them. We are looking forward to seeing them all when we are back in May.
This is May and Val…they are Australian Labradoodles. These two are not from Australia but the breed did originate in Australia in the 1980’s. The Australian Labradoodle is a mix of up to six different breeds including Labrador, Poodle, Cocker Spaniel, American Cocker, Curly Coated Retriever and Irish Water Spaniel.
Phoebus is a cute area on the edge of Hampton, It has been revitalized over the years and has some great shops and restaurants now. After brunch we checked out a few shops in Phoebus. Thanks Stacy for introducing us to the “Way We Were Book Store”. Thousands and thousands of books, stacked 6-7 feet high and apparently 7 more offsite storage units full of more books. Let’s just say it was an experience!!!
It’s still gusty and rainy here in Chesapeake today so it’s a good day to hunker down inside. We have started packing and getting organized to leave on Friday.
Escapade is set up with everything we need in the way of kitchen supplies, linens, towels, bedding, etc so mostly what we are packing up is anything food related and some of our clothes. Oh, and the liquor cabinet and wine stash of course!
I don’t like to leave any food items on the boat when we leave for the winter. Since we will be gone for 6 months, I am emptying, cleaning and turning off the refrigerators/ freezers too. After six years post retirement of doing the annual switch between the boat and the RV, we kinda have this down to a science.
Geez, there is only about a couple of inches left in each of those big bottles… Hmm, there are 6 cocktail night opportunities before we leave. Can we do it???
The Amarula is Wallys coffee creamer of choice so of course that has to go with us!
Well, we are still in Hampton in the boat yard but the good news is that the transmission repair is finished, the transmission is back at the Blue Water repair yard was painted yesterday. It is being installed today(Tuesday 9/19) – YAY!!! Then the boat will get launched and we will do a sea trail, hopefully on Wednesday, to make sure everything is running well and the shaft and engine alignment is correct.
Basically the transmission has been rebuilt inside. Who said diamonds are a girls best friend?? This is even better than diamonds but probably more expensive!!! It feels great to have an end in sight, even if it’s just taking the boat to Chesapeake where she will go into a boat house for the winter. Our plan is to still be rolling west in the coach on Oct 1 – YAY!!!
The hot temperatures here have finally abated and we have had several nights that we could turn off the AC’s and open up the boat to get nice breezes. It’s been great walking weather so we have been hitting our favorite places like The Nolan Trail. On our last walk, we did the entire 4.5 mile loop and we saw loads of turtles in the lake, a huge herd of white tailed deer, herons and loads of ducks and geese. Such a beautiful hike.
We also visited the Mariners Museum … of course we did, despite been grounded we still qualify as mariners!!! The museum is amazing… more than 90,000 square feet of galleries filled with maritime art, culture, science, and history. We totally reconnected with our inner maritime selves.
One of the more fascinating exhibits was the Ironclad Revolution. I had never heard of these ships but of course, Wally had and was super excited about seeing a replica of the Monitor. An ironclad is a steam-propelledwarship protected by iron or steel armor plates, constructed from 1859 to the early 1890s. The ironclad was developed as a result of the vulnerability of wooden warships to explosive or incendiary shells.
The Battle of Hampton Roads was a two-day naval engagement of the American Civil War, which took place on March 8–9, 1862 in the waters off Hampton, Virginia. This battle is remarkable for the first fight between two ironclad warships: USS Monitor, and CSS Virginia. After the battle ended naval warfare had been changed forever.
Walking through the exhibits you experience the story of USS Monitor, CSS Virginia, and the historic 1862 Battle of Hampton Roads through a melding of artifacts, original documents, paintings, personal accounts, and interactives that will pique all five senses. You are immersed in the tales of the individuals who lived through and lost their lives in this pivotal period of American history.
The Mariners’ is the proud caretaker of more than 200 tons of artifacts recovered from the wreck of USS Monitor, including its revolving gun turret, Dahlgren guns, steam engine, and more.
This museum has way more to see and experience that just this small part I am writing about. History buffs, civil war aficionados, boaters, it has something to offer everyone.
If you are looping, there are many marina choices in this area on the James River. We are at Blue Water in Hampton which is a very nice Safe Harbor Marina. You would definitely want to rent a car if you wanted to see more but I suspect Uber could easily get you to this Museum in Newport News.
Another fun town to explore was Smithfield… they have a nice Farmers Market on Saturday’s and the nearby Windsor Castle Park has miles of beautiful shady walking trail which we really enjoyed. The park features a woodland trail system, picnic and open area space, dog park, kayak/canoe launch, fishing pier, mountain bike path, scenic overlooks and the historic manor house — Windsor Castle. Windsor Castle Farm was originally part of a 1450 acre parcel patented in 1637 by Arthur Smith, an ancestor of the town’s founder, Arthur Smith IV.
FYI… There is no castle and no one seems to have any clue as to why its named Windsor Castle – Oh well!!!
HAHA…. Not Windsor Castle but the Smithfield historical area is filled with beautiful old Victorian homes.
If you like ham, you are in the right place… Smithfield is known worldwide for its famous ham curing process. Nope, we did not tour any of those facilities but instead wandered around the quaint downtown area. There is a ham shop that you can taste at and have lunch too. Bacon, BBQ, Breakfast Sausage, Deli Meat, Fresh Pork, Ham, Lunchmeat, Marinated Pork, Ribs, Smoked Sausage, Snacking – they got ya covered.
Okay, that made me laugh out loud!!!
Loopers or boaters could easily take a side trip to Smithfield. The James River is beautiful cruising and will take you to the Pagan River which will take you to Smithfield. There is a small marina in Smithfield that is about a half mile from historical area and 3/4 miles from Windsor Park.
Several weeks ago we took a drive to Cape Charles to check out this quaint fishing town and its beaches. For much of its history, Cape Charles has been a center for the fishing and seafood industry. The area is particularly known for its clams, oysters, and crabs.
The beautiful sandy beaches are within walking distance of the historic district and the marina. Because the beach is on the Bay side it is very safe and no real surf to speak of. There is also a nice fishing pier and it was fun chatting with some local folks who were fishing for spotted trout or flounder, but would have been happy to hook anything! If you are doing the Great Loop it’s definitely worth considering a stop there. There is a really nice marina and it’s a very short walk right down to the main street or beaches. The Shanty, where we had lunch is also located at the marina.
We enjoyed a stroll on the beach, lunch at The Shanty and a cider tasting at Buskey Cider. I had a delicious bacon and soft shell crab sandwich at the Shanty and the water view wasn’t bad either. Do you think I really liked that sammie??!!
Our lunch at The Shanty was delicious and without a doubt very unhealthy but a girl has gotta splurge occasionally.
The Main Street area has loads of restaurant choices and cute shops to browse in. Like a Sailor was my favorite shop…. So many funny items and its expected that you will laugh out loud while shopping!
No way you can’t laugh out loud in this store!
Just one of many awesome dish towels in Like A Sailor.
The drive to Cape Charles is interesting as you have to cross the Chesapeake Bay where it opens to the Atlantic Ocean to get to the eastern side of Virginia. To do this you will drive over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. Between the toll plazas on the north and south ends, the bridge-tunnel is 20 miles long. Counting the approach roads, the facility is 23 miles long. Each of the underwater tunnels is over one mile long, and the entire project is a major engineering achievement.
The drive is really beautiful and the idea that you are under the bay for over a mile is kind of creepy cool. As you drive along on the bridge, at a distance it appears that it just ends and you will drive off into the water. It’s quite an optical illusion and for this cool adventure, the price of admission is only $14 each way!!
That’s the update for this week… hopefully the next update will be filmed on the water!!!
My last update wasn’t the most uplifting … sometimes life is messy and hard. That said, we are healing emotionally and physically we are well again.
We sure are missing our sweet Bentie Boy.
The good news is that we finally have a target date to get Escapade back in the water. WOO-HOO, hoping its next Friday… fingers crossed!! Once the transmission was pulled apart at Great Lakes Power in Chesapeake, they found out that the pinion gear was damaged (that’s where all the metal pieces Wally found in the oil came from) and that the clutch plates needed replacing. Fortunately, they were able to source a good used pinion gear so the repair work is in process.
Living on a boat, out of water, in a working boat yard isn’t exactly dreamy. It’s a side trip on the Great Loop that I don’t recommend. Plus it’s been hot as hot as h-e-double-toothpicks this last week. Why didn’t we just move off the boat … into the coach or into a hotel? Good question.
She looks a bit sad out of the water…
With Bentley being sick, that just wasn’t an option. Then we got sick, then the boat got hauled out and we thought it would go back into the after after the transmission was pulled. Then there were high wind possibilities because of a hurricane Idalia. Then we thought the repair work would be done in a week or 10 days so it didn’t make sense to put it back in the water and then pull it out again to reinstall the transmission. Then we needed more parts for the transmission. The “thens’” just kept changing and about the time we made a plan, it would changed again. SOOOO, long story short we have been living on our boat, out of the water in a working boat year for the last 12 days with two portable AC units running 24/7 to keep the boat almost habitable. We can use all of the boats systems EXCEPT the reverse cycle heating/cooling system as it draws raw water from ocean, lake or river to cool it. UGH…
Of course, it had to go and get all hot here in Virginia again, so there have been a few days that it has been exceptionally hot … inside the boat… with both portable AC units running. UGH… even poor Sucia the cat was too hot! The good news is that with the second portable AC unit, the lower part of the boat where the staterooms are is the coolest and we have been able to sleep comfortably. We’ve even brought in our folding chairs one hot night and had happy hour with Sucia in the Master Stateroom – creative right!!
Escapade is normally bright and light inside. She has windows and a floor to ceiling glass sliding door in the salon. Natural light is usually wonderful… except when is 95 degrees outside and you are sitting on land in a boat yard with zero shade and no breeze. So, we put reflective insulation in all the windows which has definitely helped reduce the solar load and temps inside. It’s not a look that I want to embrace long term, for sure but sweltering inside isn’t great either.
Come on, we all know reflective foil is all the rage in the latest kitchen trends!
Our biggest strategy has been to just get the heck off the boat during the heat of the day and go do something. At a cool 77 degrees, Sucia has figured out that the master stateroom is the coolest place to sleep the day away. And just in case she forgets, we have been blocking her down there when we leave.
Of course she has her own mini fan!
Since we were past the virus shedding period, last weekend we met some new friends, Stacy and Eric at our favorite Cider place in Hampton – Sly Clyde Cidery. We also took a walk around Fort Macon and went to the local Farmers Market. Part of the fun of traveling is meeting new people and since we have been in Norfolk/Hampton over two months now, we feel like locals.
Sly Clyde Cidery House doesn’t have a kitchen so there are often foods trucks out back on a Friday night. The pizzas were really good too!
We also discovered the Nolan Walking Trail at the Mariners Museum and Park. Miles of shady walking trails around beautiful Mariner Lake… bonus points for all the great doggie fixes we have been getting there.
Friday we took a drive to charming little Gloucester VA and explored a bit despite the 90 degree heat. There are so many small charming towns on both sides of the Chesapeake Bay.
Gloucester is also home to Walter Reeds Birth Place. Please leave me a comment if you really knew who Walter Reed was. Of course, my Walter knew who this Walter was so we had to go have a look. He said he was an important Doctor … hadn’t I heard of the Walter Reed Hospital?? Of course, I had to tease him just a little about who the heck was Walter Reed??? I think you just made that up, Mr Makie Uppie. I was promptly told that of course he learned about him in some history class, but of course. Turns out Doctor Walter Reed helped cured the world of the “scrourge” known as the Yellow Fever. Impressive for sure, we both agreed that this was one of the highlights of our time in Virginia so far!!!
Gloucester has a old historical village right at the end of Main Street at the round about… its a bit weird how you can drive around this two block area and never get out of the car to see the tiny village. Obviously, we did get out and walk around but it’s just odd. LOL, had we gotten there earlier in the day when it was hot as hell, we might not have gotten out of the car so maybe it is actually a brilliant design!
Main Street in Gloucester was all but rolled when we got there around 5 pm on Friday. About the only thing open were the restaurants and for such a small town there were some good choices. I had done some online research and made a dinner reservation at LuLu Birds Kitchen. Best meal we have had since we arrived in Virginia – very much farm to table, great cocktails and wine pairings. Wally had Seared Jumbo Sea Scallops and Risotto and I had a Shrimp Étouffée. The Chef did a spin on the Étouffée and served it over fresh Papadelle Pasta. Both entrees were excellent and paired really well with the White Bordeaux that our waitress Jenny suggested.
Check out my new friend… This was another weird thing in Gloucester. No idea what this was all about but the dude was actually kinda creepy. I was almost, kinda sure that he was NOT a real dude but I still said “Hi” before I sat down. When he didn’t reply, which I really expected him to, I thought I’d get a look at what he was reading. Turns out the article was about a Peeping Tom in a plaid shirt that the local Police were looking for… – HAHA not really. But he was super creepy!
Despite the heat, Wally has been checking off some smaller boat projects as well. The boat yard is going to touch up our bottom paint and running gear – can you say Cha-Ching. So, fingers crossed all the repairs are completed next week, Escapade gets back in the water and that our credit card doesn’t explode when the final bill comes in.
our38ft^pluslife 