Yorktown. Virginia

We arrived in Yorktown, Virginia from Hampton right around sunset but rather than sitting at anchor with cotton candy clouds floating over the water, we had a storm coming our way. Matt and I have become very efficient at getting everything prepared for storms. I take everything out of the cockpit and put it safely away downstairs while Matt checks the deck for anything that might fly away in high winds. We then work together to get the windows for the full enclosure installed, this keeps us dry in the cockpit during the inevitable downpours. While storms can be scary when you’re out on the water, the best part about them is that they will eventually have to end at some point. This particular storm lasted for about four hours and then passed.

The next day, we were met with blue skys with cheery, white clouds slowly passing by. A great day for exploring! We left Kokoi at anchor and headed to the dinghy dock at York Yacht Haven Marina. After hoping on to land and taking a few steps, I stopped in my tracks when I saw this little guy.

Anyone who knows me, knows that I love bunnies. At least, I think that they are cute. I wouldn’t necessarily want to own one but I was so excited to see this little bunny hopping around the marina.

Matt and I made our way to downtown Yorktown and to the Yorktown battlefields, the sight where America won its independence from Britain after General Cornwallis’ surrender in the Revolutionary War.  At the battlefields we caught the free shuttle that took us to Williamsburg and Jamestown. (I have created seperate posts for these adventures in order to shorten the length of this adventure.)

When we arrived back in Yorktown from our adventures in Jamestown and Williamsburg, we stopped in at the Yorktown Visitor’s Center to check out the museum inside. While the museum was small, they have some amazing items to see; among which are original tents that George Washington used during the Revolutionary War, a regimental flag from the Revolutionary War and a French engraving of the Marquis de Lafayette with his servant James Armistead Lafayette.

The silk flag above was a regimental flag that was carried in the Revolutionary War. The embroidered symbols, “SETC” stand for “Sincere Et Constanter”, which translates to “Upright and Steadfast”.

The French engraving above depicts the Marquis de Lafayette and his servant James Armistead Lafayette. James was a spy against the British for the Marquis in Yorktown during the Revolutionary War. His service and reports ultimately assisted in helping George Washington and the Marquis conquer the British in the Battle at Yorktown. In 1786, the General Assembly of Virginia freed James of his service to the Marquis. After acquiring freedom, James took up the name Lafayette in honor of the Marquis, who helped petition for his emancipation.

We left the museum and headed towards downtown Yorktown. Here we stumbled across the Nelson House. Thomas Nelson was the governor of Virginia in 1781 and was a signer of the Declaration of Independence. He was a key player in the Revolutionary War and played a significant role in promoting the seperation of America from England.

The Nelson House

On our way back to the boat, we spotted another friendly, woodland creature. A woodchuck! I think this is the first woodchuck that I have ever seen in real life. He was just munching on some grass in a field.

How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?