Chesapeake Chase Day 43: Norfolk, VA

July 24, 2022

Today’s destination was Norfolk, Virginia, and the Waterside Marina.  It was Debbi and Jess’s last day on Betty Lou.   Just before 9:00 AM we were underway. 

It was a short, easy day on the water, and by 1:40 PM, the marina was in sight.  It was right in downtown Norfolk.  Skilled dock hands helped us with lines, and after some lunch we were ready to take a walk. 

Mermaids seemed to be a theme in Norfolk.  We passed a few in our walk around town over the remainder of the afternoon. 

I had not checked out things to do within walking distance of the marina, but someone in our group had.  We headed to the Hampton Roads Naval Museum. 

Battleship Wisconsin

On their site was the decommissioned Battleship Wisconsin – huge when you are up close!  People are allowed to tour much of the ship.  The whole complex closed at 5:00 PM, so we opted to tour the ship first.  We started on the outside where it was very hot.  There were several levels up we could get to, and we did.  What kept me in awe was the immensity of size!  The ship was designed to carry 1,921 officers and men, and all the supplies and equipment needed in battle. 

Matthew 5, verse 9, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God”.  I truly don’t believe battleships and the tremendous power of destruction they were and are capable of were what Jesus meant in this Beatitude, but what interested me more on this tour was the size of the chains, anchor, sleeping accommodations, galleys, quarters for the “Admiral”, etc.  There was also a chapel, health care spaces, post office, library and so much more.  Until now, the biggest boat I had ever been on was the Scotia Prince, a ferry that transports cars and people from Portland, Maine to Nova Scotia in Canada.

On our walk to the naval museum, we passed a park where crews were hard at work setting up for a Virginia Symphony free outdoors concert.  The concert was scheduled to begin tonight at 8:00 PM.  We decided it would be a great way to end our last night together.  Jess and Debbi headed off to check in at their hotel, then, after showers, we would meet at Jack Brown’s Beer & Burger Joint in the downtown area before heading to the concert.

Jack Brown’s was unique (but it is a chain).  It’s not my preferred type of eatery, but sometimes you just must experience something different.  I do not care for beer, so I had my usual preferred boring drink of water.  The menu choices for hamburgers were different than the “normal”.  Some examples included the Cobra Kai – a burger topped with cream cheese, pickled jalapenos and jalapeno jelly, or a Greg Brady topped with house-made mac & cheese, American cheese and Martin’s BBQ potato chips, or the Elvis topped with peanut butter, mayo, applewood smoked bacon, and American cheese.  I did not try any of these.  Being in Jack Brown’s was adventure enough for me.

We walked from Jack Brown’s to the park and found a lovely patch of grass to sit on to enjoy the concert.  I was impressed by the diverse audience, ethnically and generationally.  There were so many families, groups of young people, and seniors.  There was a casual and relaxed feel – folks there to appreciate an evening on the water and good music.

Captain’s Comments:

Waterside Marina had state-of-the-art docks, a small, protected basin, and very good dockhands. The showers, however, were a hike–we showered on board. The waterfront park location was great for exploring Norfolk; next time, though, we’ll probably stay on the Portsmouth side of the river with better amenities and use the water taxi.

The Naval Museum was very worthwhile, and the battleship was awesome.

I noted the sign in the cafeteria that they served ice cream on board.

And the donut shop was open all day, along with the coffee mess.

My enthusiasm for the walk through the battleship cost me another safety point, though–I hit my head on a hatch coming up a ladder. Head wounds bleed pretty good…

Dinner was sort of a nighttime beer and burger version of Als Breakfast. It was worth going, but I’ll always prefer Als (fortunately, Als survived COVID).

The concert in the park was fun, too, and we bought ice cream from Rita’s food truck. Not too bad. After a long day, and early travel in the morning, we didn’t stay for the whole concert, and sadly wished our departing crew members safe travel on their journey home.