June 5-June 11                            Portsmouth, Virginia

Monday was a sunny day and the non-skid project was underway.  The fumes from the chemicals were strong and pungent.  We decided to leave the marina and go to Yorktown for a Revolutionary War history trip with me as the guide.  David indulges me by being a capable driver, willing participant, and enthusiastic lunch companion.

Historical Yorktown is separate from Yorktown proper and is an idyllic re-creation of a colonial village.  It is located near the battlefield where Washington’s troops defeated those of Lord Cornwallis resulting in the surrender that ended the Revolutionary War.   A magnificent visitors’ center with a small museum of artifacts from the period provides additional information.  The lobby held a copy of the Winged Victory of Samothrace which honored the triumph of the colonial army.    Numerous shops and inns were nearby and the small beach area was crowded with bathers and umbrellas.  We made a self-driving tour of the battlefield, now a grassy plain dotted with reconstructed redoubts which served as bunkers for the colonial and British soldiers.

The non-skid project progressed well, and with good weather predicted for the remainder of the week, we chose to have the bridge area done before departing from Portsmouth.  It is difficult to find competent people who have skills to work on boats.  John and Josh have been exceptional.  We needed to take advantage of this opportunity to finish the job.

To our delight, we learned Harborfest, a highlight of the summer season, would be held this weekend.  Numerous boats would come into the marina, the harbor would be crowded with moorings, and there would be a great parade of tall ships in the Elizabeth River.  All activities would be in view of our dock!  This was another reason to stay longer in Portsmouth.

John scheduled Josh and Jamar to work on the bridge non-skid project but there was an unexpected snag.  The additional gallon of paint we thought we had for the job had been used on the decks.  West Marine, our usual supplier, did not have more in stock and none could be had until next week.  Eager to utilize the availability of workers and good weather, we began an internet search.  A distributor in Norfolk had it in stock but we had to go through a dealer in Portsmouth to acquire it.  We needed the paint by Thursday morning so we contacted the dealer who agreed to order the paint and have the distributor in Norfolk release it to us.  We drove to Norfolk, brought the paint to the boat, and work proceeded as planned.   Tenacity pays off!! The work was finished on Thursday and the result was amazing.  With the work done by Miller on the exterior of the boat and the new non-skid on the decks, The Bottom Line looked better than when we purchased it more than six years ago.

Harborfest began on Friday with a great parade of sailing vessels of all shapes and sizes.  It was a fun event and we joined others on the dock bordering the Elizabeth River for a wonderful view.  Thousands more were lining the Norfolk side of the river.  The parade began with showers from multiple fire boats, followed by navy and coast guard vessels and a flotilla of small boats decorated with flags and laden with celebrating boaters.  Historic schooners were joined by the Libertad, a 103 m. steel-hulled sailing vessel that serves as a school for the Argentine navy.  With cadets and dignitaries on board, multiple flags flying from masts, and its impressive white hull, the Libertad was definitely the highlight of the show.  Following the parade, a Carnival Cruise Line ship docked near the festival site in Norfolk and passengers joined the crowd already assembled there. 

We decided to wait until evening to go across, hoping to avoid the horde of visitors and the inevitable baby strollers. We took the charming water taxi from the marina to the festival site and joined the celebrants.  As expected, food trucks or booths, crafts vendors, musicians, and entertainment were in abundance.  The waterside area was a great venue for the event.   Covered in grass with trees for shade and ample docking space for the parade boats and the Carnival cruise ship, it provided a spacious and comfortable location for this popular annual festival.  The Waterside Pavilion, once the home of restaurants and shops, is now a vacant shell of a building.  Restoration is in progress and it will re-open next year.

After meandering through the exhibits, listening to various musicians, and witnessing a myriad of crowd sights (including a number of tattooed women—WHY?), we took the ferry across the river to Portsmouth.  There we joined a small group on the civic lawn listening to an excellent musical group.  It was a scene of America at its best with a small-town familiarity that would have inspired Norman Rockwell