Now to paint a picture, we were walking down the dock back to the boat and there was this guy washing off the front of his boat in shorts, no shirt and flip flops and we didn’t pay him any attention. He seemed like any other boater we’ve ever seen out cleaning his boat, right? As we walked past, he apologized for spraying the dock and we said “no problem, good to see ya keeping the boat ship shape”. He then asked how we liked our Marlow and Leslie proceeded to tell him all about her. I continued on as I had a call to make and didn’t think anything else about it till a few minutes later when I heard voices down in the salon of Steppin’ Out. Next thing I hear, they’re coming up the steps to the bridge and I’m still on my call. When I turned around, I immediately recognized the Senator, told my call I needed to call them back, hung up the phone, and extended my hand out to introduce myself to a U.S. Senator!

Well, we chatted about boats and boating in general and invited him over to dinner, which he accepted! His wife was out of town that night so dinner was all set. Our conversation at dinner never touched politics and revolved around just boating. He shared the times he had run aground (what honest boater hasn’t) and some of the stories of traveling up and down the East Coast on his boats over the years. We were laughing and having such a great time with just another boater…. not a U.S. Senator! Towards the end of the evening he asked if we had seen the White House, Capital, etc and I shared that this was a last minute trip for us and when I contacted our Florida Senator’s, their office’s just kinda laughed and said, you needed to schedule this 6 months ago. Well, he responded with “I’ll take care of that and will call you later with details”!

A bit later after he left, he called and said, meet me on the dock tomorrow morning at 8:45 cause you’re going to the office with me, oh, and wear a tie if you have one! Well, we were beyond excited and couldn’t believe our good luck in crossing paths on the dock! Let me tell you, he set us up with a private tour of the U.S. Capital, lunch in the Senate dining room and a private tour of the Library of Congress (which happened to be closed that day)! We were like two kids waiting for Christmas morning and couldn’t wait till the next day!

Neither of us were able to get much sleep cause we were so excited! We were able to pull together some appropriate clothes cause on a boat, you don’t typically travel with formal outfits! That next day, we all met on the dock and his “driver” took us over to the Senate office building to get us thru security and then a walk over to his office to meet his staff.

We were also treated to lunch in the Senate dining room and while trying not to look the part of a “tourist”, I completely forgot to take any pictures, not even of the menu! There were Senators from Texas and Maine also having lunch while we were there. I’ll admit that even though I “settled” for the Senate Cheeseburger on a “Brioche” bun, it was by far the best dang cheeseburger that I had ever had!!

After our tour of the Capital, we headed over to the library of congress for a private tour as it’s closed for tours on Monday’s. We were escorted by the head of the Library who shared the history and artwork within this magnificent building!

“The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C., that serves as the library and research service of the U.S. Congress and the de facto national library of the United States.^[3] Founded in 1800, the library is the United States’s oldest federal cultural institution.”

For more information, click here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Library_of_Congress

A few days later, the Senator asked if we’d like to see the inside of the Capitol Dome… as you can imagine, we couldn’t say “YES” quick enough! For this guided tour, which is not an easy tour to obtain, he said to wear comfortable shoes as there would be lots of stairs, little did we know!

Once we made it to the top, it was time to step outside to get an amazing view of D.C. Standing nearly 287 feet tall, the view from the top of the dome is just spectacular! It was a bright, cool day but you could see for miles! Not only was it a bit chilly, it was windy as well but so worth the climb and that view!!!

What an amazing time touring the Capitol and Library of Congress! We are so grateful for the Senator’s hospitality and we had such a great time meeting him, his wife and awesome staff. It was definitely 3 weeks that we’ll never forget and will always cherish the experience!

This wraps up our time in D.C. Next time, we’ll be headed back down the Potomac and going to major “boating” center in the Chesapeake so stay tuned. We’ll leave you with a quick recap of our time in our Nation’s Capitol and thanks for following along! The Crew!

We arrived just after the doors opened and didn’t leave until just before closing – we spent the entire day walking thru the thousands of exhibits and still didn’t see it all. If you’re an aviation geek like me, this is nirvana. Being able to get up close to aircraft that made history is truly and amazing experience. If you only have time to visit one of these two exhibits – choose this one and plan for a whole day! Fortunately, there is a “Shake Shack” on site when you get hungry so you can maximize your day!

For more info, check this out: https://airandspace.si.edu/visit/udvar-hazy-center

National Air & Space Museum – Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center

Not only do they display these amazing artifacts, they also have a large shop in one end of the hanger that actually works to restore vintage aircraft for display!

Aircraft Restoration

The next day, we headed over to the Museum of Natural History for another great experience! There were so many exhibits to see in all of the different rooms, wings, exhibits, nooks and cranny’s that you could spend days and not see it all! Some of exhibits that caught our eye are below! In addition to the numerous animal, dinosaur exhibits, they had a set of rooms just for rocks, gemstones, diamonds, etc. Who would have thought you’d walk up to the “Hope Diamond” on your tour??? Definitely worth a stop if you are in D.C.!

Natural History Museum

We were so impressed with our walks around D.C. during the day but one evening, we took to the National Mall with some new boating friends and WOW – seeing all of the monuments lit up at night is incredible! Seeing the American flag waving in the breeze all lit up, just made us feel so proud to call this country our home. While not without our flaws, it’s still the best system going and continuing to lead the way to freedom!

Evening on the National Mall

One of the nice benefits of coming back in the evening is that the crowds are gone and you can still walk around the Memorials! With clear night skies and perfect lighting, the Monuments are just glorious to see and explore. At they base of the Washington monument there were about 100 people broken out into about 8 different teams wearing different colored glow rings around their necks playing “night soccer”, which looked like a great excuse to be outside before heading off to their favorite watering holes for dinner and drinks.

We met Joe & Kay down in Portsmouth, VA earlier in our trip and told them we were headed to D.C. They had never been and said, neither have we, we’ll meet ya there! So a week later, here they were pulling into a slip and ready to take on D.C. with their e-bikes! We had such a great time with these two who are just so full of life and love for one another, even after 49 years together!

On the morning of February 19, 1945, the 4th and 5th Marine Divisions invaded Iwo Jima after an ineffective 72-hour bombardment. The 28th Regiment of the 5th Division, was ordered to capture Mount Suribachi. They reached the base of the mountain on the afternoon of February 21 and, by nightfall the next day, had almost completely surrounded it. On the morning of February 23, Marines of Company E, 2nd Battalion, started the tortuous climb up the rough terrain to the top. At about 10:30 am men all over the island were thrilled by the sight of a small American flag flying from atop Mount Suribachi. That afternoon, when the slopes were clear of enemy resistance, a second, larger flag was raised in the same location.

Joe Rosenthal of the Associated Press caught the afternoon flag-raising in an iconic photograph that eventually won a Pulitzer Prize. Sculptor Felix W. de Weldon, then on duty with the US Navy, was so moved by the image that he constructed first a scale model and then a life-size model of it. Rene Gagnon, Ira Hayes, and John Bradley posed for the sculptor as he modeled their faces in clay. These three men were believed to be the survivors of the famous flag raising (the others were killed on Iwo Jima). All available pictures and physical statistics of the three who had given their lives were collected and then used in the modeling of their faces.

For additional information, follow this link: https://www.nps.gov/gwmp/planyourvisit/usmc_memorial.htm

From here, we rode our bikes south along the Richmond Highway about a mile to the Pentagon. We wanted to pay our respects at the 9/11 Pentagon Memorial for the first time. It was just a few days since the 21st Anniversary of the attack when we arrived and there were flowers still in place that were left behind in remembrance of the victims. This was truly a solemn place and to see the Pentagon up close and the section that had been rebuilt after the attack and Memorial just along side.

The Pentagon Memorial captures that moment in time at 9:37 a.m. when 184 lives became intertwined for eternity.  Each victim’s age and location at the time of the attack have been permanently inscribed into the Memorial by the unique placement and direction of each of the 184 Memorial Units.

Elegant and simple, the Pentagon Memorial serves as a timeline of the victims’ ages, spanning from the youngest victim, three-year-old Dana Falkenberg, who was on board American Airlines Flight 77, to the oldest, John D. Yamnicky, 71, a Navy veteran, also aboard Flight 77 that morning.

Each Memorial Unit is a cantilevered bench, a lighted pool of flowing water, and a permanent tribute, by name, to each victim, in one single element.  Each memorial bench is made of stainless steel and inlaid with smooth granite.  Each Memorial Unit contains a pool of water, reflecting light in the evenings onto the bench and surrounding gravel field.

Each Memorial Unit is also specifically positioned in the Memorial to distinguish victims who were in the Pentagon from those who were on board American Airlines Flight 77. At the 125 Memorial Units honoring the victims of the Pentagon, visitors see the victim’s name and the Pentagon in the same view. At the Memorial Units honoring the 59 lives lost on Flight 77, the visitor sees the victim’s name and the direction of the plane’s approach in the same view.

Victims from the same family are linked by a plaque at the end of the pool of water, which lists their family members who also died in the attack, forever binding the family together.

To learn more, click here: https://pentagonmemorial.org

After we left the Pentagon, we rode back across the Potomac and headed to the Tidal basin to check out the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial https://www.nps.gov/frde/index.htm and Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial https://www.nps.gov/mlkm/index.htm that boarder the West and North end of the Tidal basin. The FDR memorial is a bit hidden and out of the way from the all of the traffic but well worth the short walk to explore. From here it was a quick walk around to the north end of the tidal basin to the MLK Jr. Memorial which was an impressive piece of art. The shear enormity of the 159 blocks of shrimp pink granite is impressive.

Our next stop was to the East end of the National Mall and behind the U.S Capitol to find the U.S. Supreme Court building. Click here for more info: https://www.supremecourt.gov/about/courtbuilding.aspx

From the Supreme Court, which we’re not allowed inside of, we strode over to the Library of Congress for a behind the scenes tour of another incredible building. It’s almost overwhelming to imagine the books and artifacts that this facility holds. Some of the greatest works of our country’s history and probably more than a few things that are rather mundane.

For more information, click here: https://www.loc.gov/visit/

To finish our day out, we rode our bikes a bit North of here to the Ford Theatre to see where we lost our 16th President at the hands of an assassin!

On April 14, 1865, Lincoln and his wife decided to visit the theatre to see the comedy Our American Cousin. John Wilkes Booth, a Confederate sympathizer, snuck into the President’s Box and shot Lincoln with a single-shot Deringer pistol. Booth fled into the night, and Lincoln died the next morning in the Petersen House, a boarding house located just across the street from the theatre. 

We learned a great deal more about the events of that day and following 12 days as the hunt for Booth intensified. There is a walking tour that takes you thru the path Booth took before finally being captured

For more information, follow this link: https://fords.org/visit-us/

So we headed back over to the National Mall to pick up where we left off after the Lincoln Memorial. Walking back to the Northeast we came across the Vietnam Memorial which was busy with folks walking along and many searching for a specific name. You would find at the base of the wall under some panels items that someone had left behind, many with a note included. There were a few Purple Hearts left here and I could only imagine the emotions running thru the individuals that left those behind.

I didn’t know before hand that the memorial is laid out in chronological order of the soldiers that died during the Vietnam war. This gives it the tapered look where the panels are shorter on the ends and the tallest in the middle, representing the height of the war and also the most deaths of U.S. Soldiers. It was a humbling sight to see during the day but we came back a few nights later and found it to be an even more impressive tribute to those who lost their life in Vietnam.

Check here for more info: https://www.nps.gov/vive/index.htm

Directly south of the Vietnam War Memorial is the recently renovated Korean War Memorial. We had not seen it in its prior form but wow, what an amazing job they did with the renovation!

“A Place of Reflection” Viewed from above, the memorial is a circle intersected by a triangle. Visitors approaching the memorial come first to the triangular Field of Service. Here, a group of 19 stainless-steel statues, crated by World War II veteran Frank Gaylord, depicts a squad on patrol and evokes the experience of American ground troops in Korea. Strips of granite and scrubby juniper bushes suggest the rugged Korean terrain, while windblown ponchos recall the harsh weather. This symbolic patrol brings together members of the US Air Force, Army, Marines and Navy; the men are portrayed from a variety of ethnic backgrounds.

A granite curb on the north side of the statues lists the 22 countries of the United Nations that sent troops or gave medical support in defense of South Korea. On the south side is a black granite wall. Its polished surface mirrors the statues, intermingling the reflected images with the faces etched into the granite. The etched mural is based on actual photographs of unidentified American soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines. The faces represent all those who provided support for the ground troops. Together these images reflect the determination of the U.S. forces and the countless ways in which Americans answered their country’s call to duty.

The adjacent Wall of Remembrance and Pool of Remembrance, encircled by a grove of trees, provides a quiet setting. The wall includes the names of 36,574 American servicemen and more than 7,200 members of the Korean Augmentation to the United States Army who gave their lives defending the people of South Korea. Numbers of those killed, wounded, missing in action, and held prisoner of war are etched in stone nearby. Opposite this counting of the war’s toll, another granite wall bears a message inlaid in silver: “Freedom is Not Free.”

For more information, click here: https://www.nps.gov/kowa/index.htm

There is just so much to see and do while here that getting to all of it will take weeks or months! Fortunately, we have Steppin’ Out to head back to every afternoon to recharge and plan for the next day! On our way back to the boat, we found ourselves walking by the Jefferson Memorial. Thomas Jefferson was one of the authors of our Declaration of Independence, a statesman and visionary!

Dedicated by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt on April 13, 1943, the Thomas Jefferson Memorial stands in a straight line with the White House. Architect John Russell Pope, influenced by Jefferson’s taste in classical architecture, echoed the style seen in Jefferson’s two most famous buildings – Monticello and the University of Virginia Rotunda.

The Jefferson Memorial building is a circular, open-air structure featuring a shallow dome supported by a circular colonnade composed of 26 Ionic columns. An additional 12 columns support the north portico, and 4 columns stand in each of the memorials 4 openings. The memorial is constructed of white Imperial Danby marble from Vermont and it rests upon a series of granite and marble-stepped terraces. A flight of granite and marble stairs and platforms, flanked by granite buttresses, lead up from the Tidal Basin. The stairs rise to a portico with a triangular pediment, which features a sculpture by Adolph A. Weinman, depicting the five members of the drafting committee of the Declaration of Independence submitting their report to Congress. A dentiled cornice with an egg and dart molding surrounds the pediment, below which is a plain frieze.

Four quotations from Jefferson’s writings are carved into the walls of the memorial chamber. An excerpt from the Declaration of Independence, the document for which Jefferson is best known, is located on the southwest wall. The southeast wall features a statement on the evolution of law and the constitution, which was taken from a letter written to Samuel Kercheval in 1816. 

The northwest wall is inscribed with a combination of six quotations taken primarily from Jefferson’s “1786 Notes of Virginia” and “Summary Views,” which illustrate his beliefs in the evils of slavery and the need to educate the masses. The northeast wall contains a quote from the “Act of Religious Freedom,” which was adopted in 1779 and eliminated the state church of Virginia; this quote expresses Jefferson’s views on freedom of religion.

For more information on the Jefferson Memorial, click here: https://www.nps.gov/thje/index.htm

Between the changing of the guard ceremony’s, we walked around and found the Arlington Memorial amphitheater located on the back side of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. We also walked over to the memorials for the Space Shuttle Challenger and Columbia and recalled exactly where we were when both of those shuttles were lost.

We then walked over to the USS Maine memorial that contained the mast from the USS Maine that exploded and sank off the coast of Havana in 1898 taking 230 sailors to a watery grave. Link for more info: https://www.arlingtoncemetery.mil/Explore/Monuments-and-Memorials/USS-Maine

We then found our way over to the JFK grave site and the eternal flame where he and Jacklyn are laid to rest.

After our visit to Arlington National Cemetery, we biked back over to the National Mall to catch our reservation to go up to the top of the Washington Monument! Admission is free but it does require a reservation. We learned that each morning, they release a handful of tickets at 10 am that you can try to snag for that day.

After our amazing tour of the Washington Monument, we walked West towards the WWII Memorial which opened in the Spring of 2004. Designed by Friedrich St. Florian, former chief of the Rhode Island School of Design, the memorial illustrates the clear relationship between the home front and the battle front, as Americans at home and those fighting abroad relied upon each other’s support in this defining moment of the 20^th century. Walking around, you get a real sense of the sacrifices that everyone in the United States made to help defeat evil!

On the east end of the memorial lies the announcement stone which clearly places the memorial’s context within the landscape of West Potomac Park. As it begins: “Here in the presence of Washington and Lincoln…” the visitor cannot help but understand the deep meaning of the site of this tribute to American sacrifice in World War II. Our “greatest generation” fittingly has a memorial standing as testament to their sacrifices placed cleanly between the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial.

Find more information on the WW II Memorial here: https://www.nps.gov/wwii/index.htm

After exploring the WW II Memorial, we continued West along the reflecting pool to the Lincoln Memorial. Another iconic Memorial that pays tribute to another great leader of our our Country during a truly turbulent time. Built in 1922, it has stood for over 100 years and helps preserve the history of our 16th President.

Architect Henry Bacon modeled the Lincoln Memorial after the Parthenon in Athens, Greece. Bacon felt that a memorial dedicated to a man who defended democracy should echo the birthplace of democracy. The towering memorial is 190 feet long, 120 feet wide, 99 feet tall and constructed with Colorado Yule marble.

The memorial is surrounded by 36 fluted Doric columns, one for each of the 36 states in the Union at the time of Lincoln’s death. When you walk up the steps, two additional columns are located at the entrance behind the colonnade. These columns are 44 feet tall with a base diameter of seven feet and five inches.

Above the colonnade inscribed on the frieze are the names of 36 states and the dates in which they entered the Union. Their names are separated by double wreath medallions in bas-relief.

Check this link for more information: https://www.nps.gov/linc/index.htm

Our first order of business was to walk over to the National Mall and just take in the sights. In the middle of the mall was the beautiful Washington Monument (554 ft tall) bordered on to the West by the Lincoln Memorial and U.S. Capitol to the East. The lawn between the monuments were meticulously maintained and it was busy with folks coming and going to all the attractions.

One of the great benefits of cruising by boat is that we bring our “home” along with us. In Washington, we were able to explore the museums and monuments and when we got tired or needed a break, the boat was close by and we just took a break!

After walking around the National Mall, we made our way over the U.S. Holocaust museum just north of the Mall. They don’t charge for admission, but they do recommend that you have a reservation & time to be admitted due to the high demand. Being a history buff, I thought I had seen all there was to see on the various History, Discovery, NatGeo channels on TV about the Holocaust.

Walking thru the exhibit, it became so real and the faces and stories hit you hard as we read the various accounts of survivors. I thought about taking pictures while inside but it just didn’t feel right to me and would have been a distraction. I wanted to immerse myself in the moment and give the exhibit the time and respect that it deserved. I’ll admit, it was difficult to see some of the images and video that were presented. For the extremely raw and difficult images, they provided warnings so if you wanted to pass by, you could.

Now I did take one picture while inside and it’s below. For me it was symbolic of many of the documentaries that I had seen before and really hit me for what it was. You were allowed to walk thru the rail car and see the inside and could just imagine the horror of those who were rounded up and shipped off to the concentration camps. It was a moment that I’ll never forget.

See this link for more info: https://www.ushmm.org/

Our next stop involved a short bike ride over the Potomac river to Arlington National Cemetery that serves as the final resting place for hundreds of thousands of men and women who’ve sacrificed and served in our Armed forces to protect this great Country.

After clearing security, we made the walk up to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. In the summertime, the changing of the guard occurs every 30 minutes and during the wintertime, every hour. This occurs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year – rain, snow or shine. It was another somber event to witness in person! The precision and dedication that the soldiers undertake is so impressive. Below is an excerpt from the website for the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier:

“The 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, known as “The Old Guard,” was designated as the Army’s official ceremonial unit on April 6, 1948. At that time, The Old Guard began guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.”

“Soldiers who volunteer to become Tomb Guards must undergo a strict selection process and intensive training. Each element of the Tomb Guard’s routine has meaning. The Guard marches 21 steps down the black mat behind the Tomb, turns and faces east for 21 seconds, turns and faces north for 21 seconds, and then takes 21 steps down the mat. Next, the Guard executes a sharp “shoulder-arms” movement to place his/her weapon on the shoulder closest to the visitors, signifying that he or she stands between the Tomb and any possible threat. The number 21 symbolizes the highest symbolic military honor that can be bestowed: the 21-gun salute.”

https://www.arlingtoncemetery.mil/Explore/Monuments-and-Memorials/Tomb-of-the-Unknown-Soldier

We stayed at the Tomb and watched the changing of the guard 3 times that day (it wouldn’t be our only visit). Each was as impressive as the last and I noticed that with each change, there would be a new contingent of visitors, many wearing the same colored T-shirts. As I looked closer, I saw that they referenced “Honor Flights” which is an organization that fly’s veterans to Washington D.C. to visit Arlington National Cemetery. Some of those Veterans were clearly dealing with intense emotions and memories while I could only imagine what they had gone thru during their service and return home.

After a long day of exploring, it was time to head back to the boat and rest up for another day of exploration!

We had a nice transit up the Chesapeake and into the Potomac. The current in the river wasn’t too bad – around 1 kt so we didn’t burn too much extra fuel. We like to cruise at about 10 – 10.5 kts where we burn around 18-20 gallons of diesel fuel per hour. It’s a comfortable pace for us, the boat does well and we can move safely around the boat in most conditions.

The river was easily navigable and well marked. If you think about all of the history of the river and the ships that have transited up and down over the history of our country, it really gives you goosebumps! One of the first “landmarks” that we came across was Marine Corps Base Quantico. Here you would find the helicopters known as “Marine One” that transport the President to & from the White House!

Next up we passed the “Ghost Fleet of Mallows Bay” which contains remnants of old, wooden hulls ships from WW I that were left here in “storage” and never left. What’s left of the ships can be seen just above the water line with an entire ecosystem now formed around the remaining hulls that now are mostly covered in water. For more info, check out this link: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-ghost-fleet-of-mallows-bay-nanjemoy-maryland

After Quantico we came upon Mt. Vernon where George Washington called home and is now buried. Back in May 1801, the USS Congress was passing by Mt Vernon and in the first noted tribute to our Former President the following took place: “by order of Captain Sever, the sails were lowered, the colors displayed half-masted, and a mourning salute of thirteen guns was fired as a mark of respect to the memory of Washington, whose life had so recently closed, and whose tomb was in our view.” Today, Navy ships passing Mt. Vernon continue to pay tribute with a “tolling of the bells 8 times, 5 seconds apart”. While we’re not a Navy ship, we continued the tradition and when Steppin’ Out was abeam of Mt. Vernon, we tolled our bell 8 times, 5 seconds apart in tribute to our Nations first president!

For more details on this tradition, click here: https://www.history.navy.mil/browse-by-topic/heritage/customs-and-traditions0/passing-honors–national-anniversaries–and-solemnities/naval-honors-to-george-washington.html

Steppin’ Out tolling the bells as we pass Mt. Vernon!

With our tribute paid to George Washington, we were on our way for the final push into Washington D.C. We have been to D.C. many times in the past but it was only at the airport as we made connections to other destinations. This would be our first trip to our Nations Capital and we were so excited!

After passing under the Woodrow Wilson Memorial bridge, Alexandria appeared on our port side. We continued North towards the Washington channel and off to our starboard side, notice a couple of Patriot missile battery’s! I guess after 9/11 those have become a normal part of life in D.C.!

Once we entered into the Washington channel we were looking directly at an amazing sight just off the bow – THE Washington Monument! We had made it and what an amazing sight it was! Our slip reservation was at the Capitol Yacht Club which happens to be in the newly redeveloped SW D.C. area. We were also located directly across the Potomac from Regan National Airport with all of its plane traffic. The Washington channel where we were located happens to be the main corridor for ALL of the helicopter traffic to travel north and south. Let me tell you, I’ve never seen or heard this much helicopter traffic in my life! Every few minutes there would be another helicopter from the National Park service, Army, Air Force or Marine Corps flying over the top of Steppin’ Out! Fortunately, this was primarily during the day and didn’t happen at night very often.

One of the really interesting parts of where we were docked was that we were able to watch whenever “Marine One” flew in and out of the White House to pick up the President! When Marine One fly’s, it’s alway in a formation with three identical helicopters with only one containing the President as a security measure. Below is a video of two of the Marine helicopters heading back to base after landing at the White House.

Next week we begin exploring our Nations Capitol!

We have found that taking a guided tour of these great exhibits gives you so much more information than you get by taking a self guided tour – in our opinion. We were so lucky that our tour guide on this day was retired from the Navy and actually served on the sister ship to the USS Wisconsin, the USS Iowa! He was so delightful and shared so many personal stories of his time aboard the Iowa and could compare and contrast the differences between the two ships! For example, did you know that the USS Iowa is the only ship in the U.S. Navy to have a bathtub? Yep, that’s right, the Navy installed one for President Franklin D. Roosevelt during WW II as this was the ship that FDR used to travel to Europe to meet with Churchill and Stalin. At that time, air travel was considered too risky for the President to travel across an ocean so they equipped the Iowa with a bathtub for the President.

The tour lasted several hours and it was hot as we climbed deep down into the bowels of the Battleship to the engine room and beyond! Throughout the tour, we would find this “graffiti” that was originally painted by the crew of each department! Some of it was very creative and clearly showed the pride that Sailors felt for their ship

Below – If the Battleship called “General Quarters, this is where they would go to continue “steering” the ship! It’s almost like a “bunker” built into the ship with a thick steel door (see below) that would house the crew that would look thru small portholes and a tiny periscope to see where they were going!

Over the years, the Wisconsin was updated with new weapons systems to keep her “in the fight”. Tomahawk cruise missiles and Harpoon anti-ship missiles were added. Some of the Tomahawks may have been tipped with a nuclear warhead but the U.S. Navy will neither confirm nor deny those rumors!

Once we returned to the main deck, we were allowed to explore on our own and you get a real feel for the sheer size of this Battleship! Everything about her is BIG, including the anchor chain! It was an amazing experience and to know that over 70 years ago, sailors aboard this ship worked tirelessly to protect the freedoms that we enjoy to this day – GO NAVY!

After a wonderful stop in Portsmouth and Norfolk, it was time to move North again. Join us next week as we cruise up the Potomac on our way to our Nation’s Capitol!

Our cruise up to Norfolk from Charleston took just over 44 hours, was 436 nm in length and involved 2 overnights of travel. It was a wonderful cruise and even though some folks thought we were crazy to go around Cape Hatteras, we were fortunate and made it without a hitch – thankfully!

Once in the Chesapeake and headed to Norfolk we took in the sights and sounds of the Bay. Certainly, seeing two warships at the entrance was exciting, but little did we realize that in a few miles, we would be passing the largest U.S. Navel Base in the world – Norfolk, Virginia!

It’s about a 12 nm run into the Chesapeake before you make the turn South towards Norfolk and Portsmouth. You actually go OVER two highways that are tunnels underneath the Bay! We followed the main shipping channel West to Hampton, and then made the turn South which put us right along side the Norfolk Navel Base and oh, what a sight! U.S. Navy ships for the next couple of miles docked and getting work done. One of the ships docked was the new aircraft carrier – USS Gerald Ford, finishing up commissioning and preparing for sea trials.

We docked across from Norfolk in Portsmouth at the Tidewater Yacht Marina (https://tidewateryachtmarina.com) where we were warmly welcomed and became quick friends. There was a nice water taxi close by that would run us over to Norfolk every 15 minutes.

We found Portsmouth to be a charming town with a nice main street that was tree lined with lots of shade along with restaurants & shops. It was a busy area and on Saturday mornings, there was a wonderful Farmers Market filled with local vendors and lots of shoppers out.

While exploring Portsmouth, we came across our first “light ship”. Not knowing what this was, we had to go check it out and what a find! Early on in the 1800’s as commerce by water became more prominent, the U.S. Government needed a way to help ships safely find their way thru the various inlets and waterways. These light ships were used at various points up and down the East Coast to help warn off ships from dangerous shoals. Imagine if you will, a floating light house that would be manned 24/7/365 by a crew in all weather conditions! This would not be our last encounter of a light ship! See link for more information – https://portsmouthlightship.com/

Next week, join us for a tour of a U.S. Battleship!

We departed Charleston around 12:30 pm in order to time our arrival at the Chesapeake at sunrise two days later. Day 1 matched the forecast with light winds and high clouds making for a great first day. The sunset didn’t disappoint either and as usual, I’m sharing a few shots!

Day two matched the forecast as well and we picked up a few “hitchhikers” along the way! I’m sorry, but having dolphins ride the bow or in our wake NEVER gets old!!! In this instance, we had several dolphins riding in our bow wake and they stayed with us for over 20 minutes!!!

Day 2 was uneventful as we settled in to our 3 hour watches for the second day. When we hand over a watch, I will conduct an engine room check looking for any leaks or components that are running hotter than normal. I use an infrared temp gun to check the temperatures at about 16 different spots on the engines, generators, hydraulic system and shafts. We also record the vital temperatures of the engines and generators so we can track any patterns that might give us an early warning of something about to fail.

It was an uneventful night on this run. I was on watch till midnight and then Leslie took over for the 24:00 – 03:00 watch while I tried to get some sleep on the settee just behind the helm. At 03:00 I woke up, started making some coffee and then headed down to the engine room to check that everything was running smoothly and that we didn’t have any issues. After about 15 minutes inspecting the lazarette (rudder posts, steering gear) and engine room I headed back up to the galley to grab my coffee and then I relieved Leslie of her watch. Fortunately, she had already recorded all of the data from the engine, transmissions and hydraulics so I was left with keeping the watch till 06:00 while she tried to catch some sleep.

We were slightly ahead of schedule due to the gulf stream as we had planned to arrive in the Chesapeake at dawn. Since it was our first transit into the Chesapeake, we wanted to enter at daylight knowing it was a busy waterway with lots of ship traffic. As we approached the mouth of the Bay, it was still dark, so I slowed Steppin’ Out down to around 6 knots and pointed us due East until it started to get light, which was only about 45 minutes.

I could see the lights of ships all around us heading into the Chesapeake plus all of the commercial ships were “squawking” on their AIS system. AIS (Automatic Identification System) is an electronic signal that a ship sends out notifying other ships in the area of the name of the vessel, location, speed, and heading. Steppin’ Out is equipped with an AIS as well so other ships can “see” us on their screens and we’re also able to see them. It provides another layer of situational awareness, especially at night or in poor visibility.

Well, as dawn arrived, I turned Steppin’ Out back to the West and towards the “mouth” of the Chesapeake Bay. Now it was at this time that the silhouettes of two ships started to come into focus. They had shown up on AIS but instead of a name, there was only their MMSI number so I didn’t have any idea who or what they are. Much to my surprise, it was two U.S. Navy Warships – LHD 5 (USS Bataan) and LHD 3 (USS KearSarge) – LHD 3 was on our port side and LHD 5 was on our starboard side, effectively sandwiching us in between (with a few miles of distance of course)!

As I’m waking up Leslie to see these Navy ships up close, the VHF radio springs to life – “Steppin’ Out, Steppin’ Out, Steppin’ Out – this is Warship 5”! I quickly respond with “Warship 5, this is Steppin’ Out” and they reply back with “Switch to channel 13” I make the switch to channel 13 and I hear Warship 5 again – “Steppin’ Out, Steppin’ Out, Steppin’ Out – this is Warship 5 – state your intentions”

Now at this point, I’m thinking “my intentions”??? So I respond, “Warship 5 I’m headed into the Chesapeake and then on to Norfolk”. After a few moments of silence they come back with “Steppin’ Out maintain your course and speed, we are coming around you” to which I replied, “copy that – Steppin’ Out maintaining course and speed”. I switched back over to Channel 16 and we watched Warship 5 pass us on the starboard side and come within ½ mile of our bow.

How cool is this, we’ve got 2 U.S. Navy ships on either side of us so I opened the starboard command bridge door to get a couple of pictures (see above) and as I’m closing the door, I hear on the VHF radio “Steppin’ Out, Steppin Out – Warship 5” – so we switched back to channel 13 and I respond – “Warship 5, this is Steppin’ Out” – I then hear ” Steppin’ Out – do you have a drone aboard”… Now I’m thinking, a drone aboard??? I’m sure this U.S. Nave Warship has several different systems aboard to counter any possible threat that little ole’ Steppin’ Out could be in possession of but I respond, “Warship 5, negative, we do not have a drone aboard.” They responded with “Copy that, maintain course and speed” and we switched back to Channel 16 as we entered the Chesapeake Bay.

Wow – talk about making an entrance! We were so excited to be in the Chesapeake and to encounter two amazing U.S. Warships was just an incredible feeling. We didn’t realize at the time but our Fall would involve several interactions with our Navy – some current and many from the past!

Next week – Welcome to Norfolk!