We take it easy on Wednesday and go sightseeing on Thursday. We cross the water to Norfolk in a ferry. We had our mail sent ahead of time and there is a big packet of letters for Malachi from Ms. M’s class. He is thrilled! As we arrive, we see a huge schooner with orange dots all over the rigging. We can’t figure out what they are (I wondered if it was a boat that had been in a Halloween parade). As they draw closer, we finally realize they are crew members in orange rain gear. They are perched high above and are singing in unison as they dock. It is incredible to watch – a “once in a lifetime sight” as another onlooker comments. The vessel is from Norway.

We go to see the museum Nauticus with an amazing 3D movie about the ocean and another about being a fighter pilot and tour the largest U. S. naval warship ever built (the USS Wisconsin). We use our last day in port to fill water and fuel tanks, do laundry, get some supplies and run other errands. We made it down the whole Chesapeake Bay (Matt and I even saw some dolphins!). Our next step is the long motor down the Intracoastal Waterway.