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5 days at sea is a long time. I don't know if we could do an ocean crossing! Emma spent her 11th birthday about 200 miles offshore from the coast of Florida. She was a good sport and made the best of it.
We arrived in Beaufort NC on the morning of May 31. It was a long way but we had some help from the gulfstream and the weather was good. We will be in the sight of land for the rest of the trip!
Welcome to the USA! An old aircraft carrier being cut up for scrap at the docks in Beaufort NC.
We headed from Beaufort along the intercoastal waterway to Norfolk Virginia. We arrived just before the Tall Ships Festival. It was a great weekend with exhibits, music and a huge fireworks display.
The Wisconsin is a WWII battleship that now sits on display on the Norfolk waterfront. She served in WWII, the Korean War, and the war in the Persian Gulf. She is now a floating museum.
The Wisconsin from downtown Norfolk.
We enjoyed a tour of the Bluenose II. It was visiting from Halifax for the Tall Ships Festival.
Next we sailed to Yorktown - the site of the surrender of the British Forces at the end of the American War of Independence. While we were there we visited Colonial Williamsburg and had the kids put in the stockade for a while.
The Blacksmith in Williamsburg also offered to make them some leg irons.
We spent a day at Busch Gardens riding the amazing roller coasters. They have 7 Bald Eagles recuperating from injuries.
After Yorktown we spent 3 days sailing up the Chesapeake to Annapolis. We passed the Potomac River and dodged barges and fishtraps. We spent 2 days in Solomans Island at Eira's home port. They have a neat museum with a very informative ray and skate display. Our last day was a magnificent sail into Annapolis and the end of our sailing adventure. We anchored beside the US Naval Academy near downtown Annapolis. There are thousands of sailboats here. We had a toast to the brave crew.
Rowers out on Chesapeake Bay at Sunrise.
Keeping in touch. It's great to have WI-FI on the boat. Annapolis is heaven for sailors with easy access to shops and restaurants downtown. Lots of great music as well.
The House of Congress in Annapolis served as the capitol of the USA for a short time until it moved to Washington DC. It was also Alex Haley's hometown. There is a big statue of him beside the town dock - the same dock that his ancestor Kunte Kinte arrived at as a slave.
We took the commuter bus to Washington and spent 2 days sightseeing. It is an amazing city. We could have spent a month there and not seen everything. We stopped by the White House. No sign of Bush. The kids were unable to attract the attention of the secret service - not for want of trying.
The memorial to FDR was striking. Numerous statues and fountains surrounded by gardens. All very tastefully done.
The Washington Monument. Work halted when it was 1/3 finished after funding ran out. 20 years later when they completed the monument they couldn't find marble that matched.
The Lincoln Memorial. That guy is huge!
A moa and a prehistoric moose at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. There are 18 museums run by the Smithsonian. They are all free. We only had time to visit 2 of them.
The Apollo Lunar Module at the Museum of Space and Aeronatics. They also have the original Wright Flyer. Hard to believe that it has only been one hundred years since man's first powered flight.
Plebes on parade. A new batch of Midshipmen start at the Annapolis Naval Academy at the end of June. They spend the summer learning to march and shine their boots before classes start in September.
The "Chapel" at the U.S. Naval Academy. The american naval hero John Paul Jones is buried below the chapel in a 20 ton marbel sarcophagus.
Saying goodbye to Jamie and Forbes on our last day in Annapolis before heading back to Canada.
Willie-T hanging out in the heat in Annapolis.
Carapan rose 4 inches out of the water as we unloaded all our gear and souveniers from our year of travelling.
A sad moment as we say goodbye to Carapan. We spent 2 days cleaning and shining her to get her ready to sell. She carried us safely over 2000 miles of ocean - sometimes with waves 18 feet high! We have had so many wonderful adventures this year and will cherish the memories of all the places we've seen and new friends we've made along the way. We look forward to seeing everyone soon and catching up on what you have been up to while we've been away.
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