In the interim, as I mentioned previously, upon departure from the Dismal Swamp, the Elizabeth River into Norfolk and Portsmouth, Newport News, etc. all becomes highly industrial with one ship yard after another banking the river.
As we went further and further up the James River, it just got hotter and hotter. It was over 100 degrees. There was not a puff of breeze and the humidity was pretty stiff. So, we took a look at the cruising guide to consider our options. The option that looked most appealing was Hampton, just inside the mouth of the Hampton River. So, we turned around and headed over to the other side of Hampton Roads and went into the Hampton River. When we got there, we dropped the hook in a nice place.
That is when things got interesting. In a vain effort to make a small adjustment, I determined that the anchor windlass had seen it's last day. After getting some good advice from my friend and electrician extraordinare, Dave D., I traced and checked each and every wire, cleaned and made all new connections, and even replaced the solenoid with a spare, and still, nothing. So, again, after consultation with Dave and the Ideal Windlass Company, we concluded that the motor was done, shot, kaput! So, over the phone I was able to order a new motor, and the folks at the Hampton City Dock were kind enough to catch it for me from UPS several days later. So, we ended up spending a lot more time in Hampton than we wanted to, but it worked out. Hampton turned out to be a very good place to be stuck. Well, we weren't really stuck because I could have pulled the anchor by hand, but let me tell you, that wouldn't have lasted long. We had three storms in a row; each evening, it started with thunder and lightning, and finished with torential rain that lasted several hours. I can guaranty you that my anchor was so deeply dug into the mucky bottom that, when it came to leave, pulling the hook by hand would have been a really difficult and back breaking proposition. The windlass motor was delivered as promised, installed easily by yours truly, and all was once again good with the world. So, it was good we stuck around.
In the interim, we rented a car and visited the Revolutionary Triangle - Jamestown, Williamsburg, and Yorktown. We actually did all three in one day; one very long, very hot, very exhausting day. But we were glad we did it this way. There was continuity.
I have studied American history in both high school and in college, and I have certainly heard of the American Revolution and thought I understood its causes and effects. However, one thing became abundantly clear. It is all meaningless unless and until you have a chance to stand on the ground where it all took place and endure a glimpse of what it must have been like. This was the privilage we enjoyed visiting the aforementioned places.
Here is my editorial commentary about discovering the American Revolution on the east coast. When you are born and raised on the west/left coast, the American Revolution looks very different. In my experience, it was taught in a nice, neat, and rather sterile geo-polotical package lacking all the shine and glory of what it was all really about. For instance, nobody told me of the Revolutionary Triangle - the three sides of this triangle - Jamestown, Williamsburg, Yorktown - and a few small bits of information is all you really need to understand, to grasp the concept of the birth of a nation. The American Revolution was not taught to me in these terms - the birth of a nation. It's so much more interesting when you realize that Jamestown, the first English Settlement in the new world, was the basis and the beginning for more colonial efforts. Then, much later, the colonists were in Williamsburg talking about liberty and independence, and actually starting to take steps in that direction. And then, again, years later, Yorktown is where, under the leadership of George Washington, Americans and allies sent the English home after winning what many consider the decisive battle of the war. So for me, all that nepharious gobldygook I learned in history and government classes at that very high priced secondary school I attended finally makes sense; all the little details finally fell into place. Too bad it took 30 more years. Perhaps, had I been a graduate student historian, cobbled in an institution of higher education, I might have gathered in those many years what I learned in a 12 hour day. The experience was compelling. To understand how America happened makes me even more proud to be an American. To my knowledge, there is no other country on the planet that can compare. Ok, that was my editorial commentary. Should I ever find myself standing in front of a classroom teaching American History, I hope I will remember this.
JAMESTOWN
Jamestown, the site of the first permanent English settlement in America, is a museum of 17th-century life with exhibits that chronicle the first century of the Virginia colony. In 1607, 13 years before the Mayflower arrived at Plymouth Rock, a group of 104 Englishmen began a settlement on the banks of Virginia’s James River. They were sponsored by the Virginia Company of London, whose stockholders hoped to make a profit from the resources of the New World. The community suffered terrible hardships in its early years, but managed to endure, earning the distinction of being America's first permanent English colony.
WILLIAMSBURG
Williamsburg was the thriving capital of Virginia when the dream of American freedom and independence was taking shape and the colony was a rich and powerful land stretching west to the Mississippi River and north to the Great Lakes. For 81 formative years, from 1699 to 1780, Williamsburg was the political, cultural, and educational center of what was then the largest, most populous, and most influential of the American colonies. It was here that the fundamental concepts of our republic — responsible leadership, a sense of public service, self-government, and individual liberty — were nurtured under the leadership of patriots such as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, George Mason, and Peyton Randolph.
YORKTOWN
The American Revolution had entered its seventh year when, in 1781, British general Lord Charles Cornwallis brought his army to Yorktown to establish a naval base. On October 19, 1781, the British army under General Cornwallis was forced to surrender to General Washington’s combined American and French army. Upon hearing of their defeat, British Prime Minister Frederick Lord North is reputed to have said, "Oh God, it's all over." And it was. The victory secured independence for the United States and significantly changed the course of world history. The history of the siege is fascinating.
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| This is the main battlefield where the major parts of the campaigne were held. |
All in all it was a great adventure. We also had the opportunity to visit the Virginia Air and Space Museum in Hampton which is part of the Langly AFB Research Center. Lots of fun simulators. Unfortuantely, the place was rather run down and the displayed air craft hanging in the rafters were actually dusty. That was too bad.
By the time the windlass was fixed, we had been in Hampton for 6 days. We played in town, read books, did whatever. By the time the repair was done, however, our friends Barry and Jodie had caught up with us and were down in Norfolk to celebrate Jodie's birthday. They were kind enough to invite us to share Jodie's special day. So, being only a couple hours away, we went down to Norfolk.
There we spent the day touring Nauticus - the National Maritime Museum, including the Battleship Wisconsin. That was a highlight.
That evening we had dinner for Jodie's birthday at a restaurant located within the old Freemason Abbey, a building constructed in 1873. The food was good, but the company was excellent.
As I am writing this, I am waiting for the wind to lay down so we can get moving north again. We are hoping to make the mouth of the Potomac River and then Washington D.C. in the next couple of days.
All for now. Bye.
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