April 4, 2023

We departed Coinjock Marina and made our way into Virginia. This is our 5th state so far and 1,000 miles traveled. The trip over was uneventful, taking us through winding marshes and tree lined rivers.

Our destination is the Atlantic Basin Boatyard in Chesapeake City, VA. We are preparing to pause the loop for one month to visit Washington D.C. and return home. This is the perfect opportunity to haul out and inspect the propeller and shafts, which will occur while we are in D.C. We tied up to the dock and enjoyed the treelined scenery. Nearby is a lift bridge and the Battle of the Great Bridge Monument, which commemorates a battle during the American Revolution.

April 5, 2023

Chesapeake City is 20 minutes (by car) from Norfolk. Obtaining a rental car, we ventured into Norfolk for some exploration. After being in 60 degree weather for the last few weeks, we were pleasantly surprised with the 85 degree day.

Our journey took us along the Cannonball Trail with our first stop at St. Paul’s Church to view a cannon ball from the Civil War embedded in the wall.

Our second stop was at the MacArthur Museum and Memorial.

Our third stop was the Taiwanese Pagoda and Asian Garden. At this point, everyone is getting a bit hot. One last stop to hit before calling it a day.

Our final stop for the day was the Chrysler Museum of Art. We got there a bit late and only had an hour to explore. The museum was very impressive and full of interactive displays. There was a great section on glass, ancient art, and the Inuit people.

April 6, 2023

There’s a glass blowing studio next to the Chrysler Museum with live demonstrations at noon. Since we missed it yesterday, I wanted to try and hit it today as well as finish exploring the Chrysler Museum.

The glass studio had a special demonstration: Grace Whiteside, who appeared on the glass competition show Blown Away, was demonstrating glass blowing by creating works for their performance they were preparing for. The demonstration took us through some basics on glass and the terms of the art, then Grace proceeded to create a bowl, then spin it into a Rondel. We really enjoyed the demonstration and later returned to the boat to start watching the Blown Away series back on the boat.

We were also able to finish touring the Chrysler Museum. We found one room where restoration artists were repairing a painting. The painting had been rolled up and squished, causing seams in the canvas.

The rest of the afternoon was wandering around the city, viewing the different districts, and meeting up with the guys, who were touring the Battleship USS Wisconsin.

While exploring, I noticed mermaid sculptures. A local bronze sculptor, Kevin Gallup, mass produced 130 mermaids which were then painted by local artists. The mermaids are scattered throughout the city and more have been added.