May 17 took us to Annapolis. We weren’t sure if we’d make this stop. However, Victron was ready to ship us a replacement inverter and would be sending it to us in Annapolis. So that made it a definite stop.
On the way to Annapolis there is another screw-pile lighthouse. For only being a few remaining, we’ve nearly seen them all. And we saw this one out in the wild. The others we’ve seen were at museums.
After a quick relax on the boat we decided it was time to check out the town so we walked over. For some reason we only got a few pics for the day though there was a ton of things to see. It was close to commission week for the academy, so we saw many cadets in uniform with family members in tow.
The next day we were sad to find out the inverter shipment was delayed. It was going to be a day or two more and we decided we could rent a car to drive back to Annapolis in a few days to retrieve it once it finally arrives.
The halfway point of our May voyages took us to St. Michaels, Maryland. It was a bit windy and rocky. We opted to go to the San Domingo Creek side of town as it was a much closer. As we got near, the area was more protected and the wind calmed, and it turned into a wonderful day.
Once settled into the anchorage, it was time to check out the town. A short dinghy ride and a quarter mile walk took us to the edge of town. Tonia had scoped out some options and there just so happens to be a distillery and winery (or two) there. Hmmm. Ok, we have to check them out. We started in The Old Mill District with the Lyon Rum & Windon Distilling Company. It’s two distilleries in one. Their labels are Lyon Rums and Gray Wolf Spirits. After their free sampling and picking up a few bottles, the winery was next up. Lo and behold, St. Michaels Winery was right next door. Must stop!
The St. Michaels Winery has a Gollywobbler wine that’s pretty tasty, plus shirts that say “get wobbly” so Tonia splurged. Fun fact: A gollywobbler is a sail used by the old ships. We were the only people in the tasting room and I’m sure the lady thought we were nuts, but it was a great time for us.
What’s next? There was a brewery literally next door, but the group was still in the mood for wine. We walked a few blocks down to the Bordeleau Winery tasting room. Now we’re talking! While the St. Michaels Winery had some nice fruit wines, the Bordeleau had some really nice reds. I liked their Cab Sauv.
After our fill of wine and spirits, it was time to get some dinner. At every stop we asked for recommendations and the two responses were Foxy’s Harbor Grille and Ava’s Pizzeria. We decided Foxy’s and headed that way. And while the random house with a “Happy Hour Starts Now” placard wasn’t hopping, we finally found Foxy’s.
We had eaten so early that we now had time to walk around town a bit. We strolled thru the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum and checked out sites. Hey, I see another screw-pile lighthouse. The town was quite pleasant to check out with lots of character.
The coolest little free library in the shape of a screw-pile lighthouse!
We made our way back to the dinghy and, go figure, found an ice cream shop on the way.
The next morning Tonia and I got out the kayaks and went up an inlet near the boats.
After that, we popped back into town to meet up with some fellow Loopers at Ava’s.
We cruised over to Solomons Island, Maryland, to spend a couple days. The first order of business was to celebrate Steve’s birthday.
The day started with coffee, then a Hawaiin-themed meal at an Italian restaurant, and finally some cocktails at the Tiki Bar.
On the way out to the restaurant we ran into a boat that just dropped anchor. They were getting in their dinghy and quickly exclaimed they just finished their loop! They had just crossed their wake that morning. Pretty cool.
The Italian restaurant we chose was La Vela. And it lived up to the day with great tasting food. They had a crab bisque that I would definitely recommend.
After dinner we were back in the dingy and headed to the Tiki Bar. Unfortunately, the weather didn’t cooperate, and it started getting windy and raining. We did find a nice, sheltered area at a back bar though the management decided it wasn’t busy enough to keep open. The front bar was so windy that we decided to call it a day after a couple drinks.
Walking About
After multiple discussions with the Tiki Bar staff, they said it’s possible to stay on their dock and that nobody cared. Therefore, we decided to spend the last night on the Tiki Bar dock. It gave us the opportunity to get out and walk around the area without the dinghy ride.
Mother’s Day
Mayli wanted to celebrate Mother’s Day at the Sculpture Garden & Arts Center. Her, the kids, and Tonia dinghied to just below it and found they could not get ashore. However, the trip was not a bust as they saw a fever of rays (meaning a large group of them). While the photos cannot really do justice, the sight was pretty amazing.
They decided to pivot and check out the Calvert Marine Museum, which had everything from boat exhibits to fossils to live animals in aquariums and otter rehab. Plus there was the Drum Point Lighthouse, one of four surviving screw-pile lighthouses left in Chesapeake Bay.
While not exactly what Mayli had planned for, it turned out to be a pretty fun stop. Check out the googly-eyed fish!
Googly-eye puff-cheek fish in action
Seahorses and a shrimp
Glow-in-the-dark jellies
Otters in rehabHow many takes to get a photo with kids…? 😉
Tiki Bar
After the outing, Tonia and Mayli went up for a Mother’s Day libation at the Tiki Bar. There they struck up conversation with what turned out to be fellow loopers Darlene & Rusty from Bama Breeze, who we’d all get to know further along our upcoming travels.
We arrived in Crisfield early, right as the Somers Cove Marina staff got in at 8am. We were thankful to get on a nice, sturdy dock and be out of the Tangier wind and waves from the night before.
After everyone was settled in, we went to find some breakfast grub. There were limited options though we did find a greasy-spoon diner called Gordon’s. It reminded us a bit of the hole-in-the-wall diners in Iowa as there were a few tables of older gentlemen patrons having their black coffees and catching up on the day’s gossip, of which we likely became being outsiders. The food was pretty basic though good enough and cheap.
Crisfield was definitely a crab-based town as evidenced by the industry and restaurants we saw. Seemingly the Crab Capital per the signs.
We were able to get a couple walks in to check out the area and found a nice park and pier at the public library.
The last little treat was a slice of Smith Island Baking Co cake. It was famed and though we couldn’t make it to Smith Island itself, the marina offered courtesy slices! Yum!
I’m sure there is lots to do around Deltaville. However, we cruised up, had dinner at the Deltaville Tap, and rode out a thunderstorm. The next morning we rode to the grocery store and West Marine. So a few things and all I have to show for it is one sunset picture.
Tangier Island
The next port of call was Tangier Island. In hindsight we should have got a slip at the marina though being who we are we set out for the anchorage behind the sandspit.
The day was perfect: calm wind and seas. We took the opportunity to dinghy over to the sandspit and walk into town along the beach. It was a nice walk. Tangier Island is touted by many as a place locked in time. They get around the island via golf carts and there are only a few places to eat. We stopped by the local grocery store that looked more like a market at a summer resort. It had the basics yet not a lot of anything.
The Hodak family dinghied around so we were spared the 3-mile walk back to the spit. Steve was trying to have his dinghy steering unfrozen by a local mechanic so was left behind. That was ok. Boris and I had a great time getting him and exploring the island creeks on the way back. We had one low bridge that had just enough clearance to pass under with all of us ducking down.
Then there was the night. As the sun set and we were ready for bed the wind changed and the waves started coming in. We were rocked around throughout the night and most of us were up and about adjusting lines and fenders in the wee hours. As soon as it was light enough to move and avoid the hundreds of crab traps, we were off to Crisfield. We pulled into the marina at 8 am just as the staff arrived.
Up and moving before the sun, so got some sunrise pics for once…
The crew is still in relax mode and decided the next stop would be 3.5 hours away in Yorktown. It had a big anchorage and there was a note about free mooring balls. The note, however, said no one use them, and when we arrived, we understood why. They are huge metal balls that more resembled mines. The wind was calm, so we decided just to anchor.
It was then time to check out some history. We dinghied into the marina. The first stop had to be the ice cream shop. Ok, now it’s actually time to check out some history. We walked down the waterfront until we found Cornwallis’ Cave. The legend states this is where British General Cornwallis hid during the Siege of Yorktown.
After that we stumbled upon the Tobacco Road. The area was a valley between the hills where they used to roll the tobacco barrels between the inland inspection and packing facilities and the waiting ships ready to export the crop to Britain. BTW, the currency in the area at the time was mostly pounds of tobacco. People bought land and houses with it.
At the end of the Tobacco Road trail, we found ourselves at the Yorktown Battlefield, the site where George Washington led the 1781 victory over the British.
After poking around the battlefield, we did a walk-thru of town and headed back to the boats for dinner.
The next morning, we decided to put off boating for a bit and go back into town to check out parts we didn’t see the day before. That included strolling the grounds at the Watermen’s Museum, and then taking the trail up to the American Revolution Museum. The trail took you by an area where they still had examples of the old war barriers. All in all, a pretty nice day.
After a few days of relaxing, we decided it was time to get moving. We didn’t want to go far though figured we should head north. We found an anchorage just north of the Norfolk area in Hampton, Virginia. We arrived there by noon and decided to check out what was around.
We were pleasantly surprised to find Fort Monroe. On the way, we saw a boat regatta and little bit of beach. There’s tons of history with this fort as it played a huge role in the Civil War and President Lincoln even stopped there. It was a pretty neat place as it’s not only the largest stone fort ever built in the U.S. but also the only moat-encircled fort remaining in active duty. We were quite surprised by the moat still filled with water as we walked around the fort. We saw the WWII batteries and talked to some volunteers that had just wrapped up a reenactment before heading to the local ice cream shop that is located in the ‘oldest fire department in the US Army’ building. Afterwards we took a quick tour of the museum. The fort also has a bunch of housing that they now lease out. You could live in a fort! Cool!
Our boats all nice and snug and happy at anchor.
Oozlefinch Beers & Blending
After a bit of rest on the boats we decided to dinghy over and check out the Oozlefinch Brewery. For those that don’t know, the Oozlefinch is a featherless bird that flies backwards and is the unofficial mascot of the Air Defense Artillery. What we learned is the brewery makes some very tasty beverages. Tonia and Mayli wish they would have purchased many cases of the grape and orange boozy sodas!
Day 109 Trip Details (May 06): Suffolk, US to Hampton, US Time 2 h 38 m (09:28 to 12:07) Distance: 12.99 nm
After our jaunt back to Seattle, we’re back to the boat and ready to continue the loop! The original plan was to do a short road trip to Philly, Baltimore, Hershey, etc. However, the crew decided it was time to get back to the boats. Tonia and I flew back to Dulles as it made the flights a whole lot cheaper doing a round trip. On the drive back we stopped at a rest stop that was decked out with the Virginia Is For Lovers signs, the state slogan. Tonia also saw a Fredericksburg sign reminding her of family in Iowa.
Marker 12 Great Bridge Pop-Up Happy Hour
We returned to find our boat in a covered slip, which explained why it wasn’t online when we were gone – Starlink doesn’t like a roof! While we were waiting for the Hodaks to get back, we provisioned before returning the rental car and then joined other Loopers at the Atlantic Yacht Basin for a pop-up happy hour. We had a great time chatting with some former Loopers from Catsaway (notice their onboard pup). Another former Looper caught us in one of their pics too! *The last photo is from the Great Bridge of a covert-looking military vessel.
Waiting, Waiting, Waiting
The time arrived to fire up the boats and start heading north. The first stop for the day was the Great Bridge Lock. The lock had been on a reduced schedule because of an electrical issue. That made the 10 am locking pretty packed, which also means lots of impatient boaters. We learned when we got to the locks that railway bridge 7, which had a clearance of only 7 feet, was broken as well. All the boats rushed out of the locks and up a few miles to find themselves stuck before the bridge. Some turned around; Saga anchored and we rafted to them to wait it out. After an hour Boris dinghied over to get the first-hand update. The controller for the lift was out and would be repaired within the hour. Overall, we had a nice relaxing couple hours.
Cruise by Norfolk
The trip up past Norfolk takes you by many shipyards. It was fun to see the big ships and the variety of machinery needed to build and maintain them.
Bennett’s Creek
Once safely at a slip at the Bennett’s Creek Marina and rejoined with Steve on Coda, we decided to hang out an extra day. That allowed a necessary grocery store run and a couple actual morning jogs. It also gave us time to get out the kayaks and putt around the creek. The marina had a nice restaurant that was celebrating Cinco de Mayo and we had to join in and sip a few drinks.
Flight Trip Details: 2306 Miles, 5.05 Hours Seattle to Washington-Dulles
Car Trip Details: 221 Miles, 3.5 Hours Dulles, Washington DC – Atlantic Yacht Basin to
When traveling on the Great Loop there are times you can’t or don’t want to boat to a location that you really want to see. In this case, it was Washington DC. Yes, you can boat there. However, we chose not to for a few reasons. The boating distance and time to get there would have added to many days to the schedule. And a bonus was we could get direct flights to Seattle for our upcoming planned trip back to Seattle. The plan included driving up, getting an Airbnb for a few nights, and checking out what DC has to offer.
National Mall
The first stop in DC was the National Mall area to check out the Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, and all the stuff in between. We used the Capital Bike Share, which turned out to be pretty convenient (our Airbnb was only about a mile and half away) and quite cost effective (was just $20 flat rate/person/month with unlimited rides). Below are pics of the Hodak family making their way past us at the Washington Monument.
Smithsonian Natural History
The next stop on Day 1 was the Natural History Museum. Lots of cool things to see! We especially like the ocean exhibit. 😉
National Zoo
On Day 2 while having morning coffee, the question came up of what we should do today. I grabbed the DC guidebook and said we’d do whatever I randomly selected. The random draw was the Smithsonian National Zoo. After a few minutes of discussion, we were off to the zoo. It was a great excursion and only line was for the pandas, of course. Pro tip: The lumpy blankets in the photo with the sign are the orangutans hiding for a nap!
Fascinated by the rays
Family time and snuggles
Bubble time!
This guy was a character! We missed capturing the best of his tricks.
Smithsonian Stamp Museum
On the Day 3 we decided to go check out Union Station. While walking over we got sidetracked by the Stamp Museum. That’s right! The Stamp Museum. Who could pass that up!?! It was on a whim though actually turned out to be surprisingly neat. Tonia found the Bugs Bunny stamp of which she still has an original – saved from the year Emily was born. Can you find the misprint stamps? We also could create our own Forever stamp and it surely would be a collector’s dream! We even mailed postcards from the post office there.
Union Station
Once we had our fill of stamps, we trekked next door to Union Station. Tonia had pictures of it from high school, so we were reliving her past trip. It has a cool design and houses lots of shops and places to grab grub on your way.
Dinners: Croatian restaurant & Easter dinner
During the trip we had a couple memorable dinners. One was at Amber Shaw, a restaurant that specializes in cuisine from Boris’ homeland of Croatia. It was a fun night trying the various dishes and listening to Boris converse with the restaurant manager. We were treated to
Another memorable dinner was for Easter. Tonia and I stopped by Safeway and picked up all the fixings for Easter dinner. We made due in the Airbnb and made our traditional ham with mashed potatoes and corn. Yum!
It’s all illusions
A fun stop was the Museum of Illusions. We enjoyed going thru the different rooms and seeing all the ways you can trick your brain. My favorite was a room that had a walkway in the middle and the sides spun around you. It really felt like you were going upside down. I couldn’t stay in there long though Tonia fared better in it.
Around DC Part 2
We decided to hit some of the areas we didn’t get to see on the previous days. We biked out to the Jefferson, FDR, and MLK Jr Memorials and took in other sites along our way to the White House.
DC at Night
On our final evening in DC, Mayli declared we were going to see the National Mall at night. We hopped on the bikes and were soon viewing the wonderful images of DC lit up. It’s a perspective not to miss!
Into the travel stats? Not to disappoint, here are the ground travel deets:
Car Trip Details: 217 Miles, 3.5 Hours Atlantic Yacht Basin to Washington DC
We departed Coinjock and traveled up to Chesapeake, Virginia. The trip up was pretty mild. We had two bridges that needed to be raised in our path. They are timed on the half hour so we had to pick up the pace in between so we could make it through without waiting.
We landed at the Atlantic Yacht Basin, the temporary home for Saga and Lil Sudden for the next month while we traveled to DC and Seattle. We chose this marina and boat yard so some work could be done on the boats. Lil Sudden had some preventative maintenance and Saga repaired the damage from Ocracoke. Both required haul outs so they were “on the hard” while we were away. Steve decided to stick with the original plan of Bennett’s Creak. I don’t blame him. $400 for a month’s moorage is hard to beat!
Once settled in, Barbara was nice and gave Steve and I both haircuts before rushing off with friends that were giving her a ride to the airport for her trip back to San Diego for a couple months. We know we’ll miss her scrumptious desserts, salads, and sparkling drinks!
Norfolk
The next day we headed into Norfolk to explore. The first stop was a St. Paul’s Episcopal Church with a cannon ball in one of its sides (the area points to the small circular orb stuck in the brick wall). We visited the MacArthur Memorial and then strolled around a bit seeing the city. We checked out the Taiwanese Pagoda and Oriental Garden on the waterfront in Freemason Harbor where there was a pond with BIG koi fish. We then made our way through the historic Ghent district with unique home architectures on our way to the Chrysler Museum of Art.
Chrysler Museum of Art
After everyone had their fill of walking around, we went to the Chrysler Museum of Art. This is a very cool place and highly recommend stopping. They have glass of all different kinds and from all locations. Amazing! There’s other art too, including an exhibit from Alaska that we recognized right away from our travels there a couple summers ago. Below are just a few highlights of art pieces we especially liked: a cool chess board with glass figurines, Tiffany glass windows, a standing glass chandelier lamp (told Tonia that would not be boat stable), an art restoration in progress, a “tapestry” of multicolored electronic wire over motherboards (my fave), and a hanging steel sculpture with a single lightbulb inside.
Glass blowing at the Perry Glass Studio
Tonia, Mayli, and Michael liked the Chrysler Museum so much they went back the next day to watch glass blowing demonstrations. They even got to watch Grace Whiteside, a contestant on the “Blown Away” glass blowing competition, make a piece in the Hot Shop for the performance art show that weekend. The narrator, Robin Rogers, was also a guest judge on the show. (We watched that full season over the upcoming week that followed!)
Big Pizza!
Meanwhile, the guys were checking out the local fare. The ultimate choice was Benny Damato’s. It was a great slice! We keep reminiscing about that pizza!
USS Wisconsin
After the pizza outing was over, we headed to the USS Wisconsin, a World War II Iowa-class battleship. It was in the Pacific during the war and took part in the Battle of Iwa Jima and Battle of Okinawa. It was in service long enough to be refitted with modern missiles and take part in Desert Storm. What we marveled at was how big it was, especially compared to the aircraft carriers we’d already toured this year.
Video Game Exhibit
The Nauticus museum also had a gaming exabit that went thru the progression of video games thru the ages. Tonia had to check out Tetris of course.
Amazing Glazed Donuts!
Close to the marina was a donut shop called Amazing Glazed. They made fresh donuts just like Pike Place market. The difference is they were then topped with glaze, chocolate, peanut butter (for those with Tonia’s taste buds) or pretty much whatever your heart desires. YUM!
Coda & The Great Bridge
On our last day in the Norfolk area, it was time to move Coda up to Bennett’s Creek. That required the Great Bridge Bridge (yes, that’s the full name) to be raised and a locking thru the Great Bridge Lock. It was about a 2.5-hour journey to get Coda settled in. Then I was picked up for our road trip to DC (to be continued in next post).
Sudden Inspiration 