Fort Monroe

After a night on the Eastern River off Mobjack Bay we had an easy sail to the Salt Ponds in Hampton.  The next day we motored a quick 6 miles to Ft. Monroe at the southern end of Hampton.

Getting into the marina proved to be tricky with the strong winds and current coupled with the mediocre dock configuration.  The slips were way too big for our boats and the pilings were either too tall or too short to work well.  The finger piers were far too short so MerSea had to enter stern first which added to the challenge!  It took over an hour to get all 5 boats tied down snugly in their slips.

After an exhausting docking experience, we were famished and made a bee line to the closest dining establishment -- the restaurant in the retirement home that occuppies the old Chamberlin Hotel.  Then we ventured out to explore Ft. Monroe which was built shortly after the War of 1812.  The Casement Museum was worth a visit as was a walk around the grounds of the Fort.

Later that evening the crew walked into Phoebus (a neighborhood in Hampton) where we listened to music at a local Irish pub.  The live band was terrific so we all danced to a few tunes.  The musicians even let Joe play a song during their intermission.

It was a fun filled day of challenges and contrasts.