We left Annapolis and started our journey south towards the ICW. Our first stop was at Mill Creek, near Solomon’s Island, a stop we knew from a previous visit and had enjoyed. The anchorage is very protected with a nice park with walking trails nearby that can be accessed from the water. Anne got the paddle board out and had a shore excursion.
Our next stop was Reedville, VA, once one of the most wealthy towns in the United States. They made their wealth on extracting oil from menhaden fish. The oil was used for lighting and lubrication, much like whale oil. Today, the town is very quaint and pretty, and is now a vacation destination. Fish processing is still a major operation in Reedville, and we discovered that it is unpleasant to be downwind of the plant! The fish is no longer pressed for oil, but it smells very much like the fish is used to make fish meal for dog food, a smell we remember from feeding our dog, Jack.
In Reedville, Anne took the paddle board for another excursion, and Jim had fun fixing things on the boat. That night we took the dinghy for dinner at Leadbelly’s, a local restaurant on the water.
The next morning, we headed to another new destination, Gloucester Point, which is just across the river from Yorktown. During the American Revolution, when it became evident they were going to lose at Yorktown, the British tried to flee to Gloucester Point. Only a small portion of their forces made it, and they later surrendered just after the British forces in Yorktown. The anchorage we chose was very quiet and protected, nestled in among some nice houses. From there, we headed to Portsmouth, VA.
The journey to Portsmouth was the first hop in the Chesapeake where we got a chance to sail, if only for a few hours. It’s always so nice to turn off the engines and feel Tilia start to hum under sail. Coming into the busy waters of Norfolk and Portsmouth with all of the traffic and shipyards is always a bit of a shock, even when we know it’s coming. There are warships of all kinds being built and refit along the way, and this a major port for civilian shipping, too, so we always keep our heads on a swivel here. Finally, we arrived at Tidewater Marina, the end of our journey down the Chesapeake.
