Life in the Slow Lane (The Pearl): April 21

Sightseeing

Atlantic Yacht Basin

It was such a beautiful day…just too nice to stay on the boat. We decided to take the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel to the Delmarva Peninsula. The CBBT was opened in 1964 and connects Southeastern Virginia with the Delmarva Peninsula. It’s a 17.6 miles engineering marvel that crosses over and under open waters where the Chesapeake Bay meets the Atlantic Ocean. The tunnel consists of more than 12 miles of trestle roadway, two mile long tunnels, two bridges, four man-made islands, almost two miles of causeway, and 5.5 miles of approach roads, totaling 23 miles. We have now traveled on and under the Chesapeake Bay.

The Eastern Shore of Virginia is very pretty, dotted with beautiful farmland, quaint little towns full of history and neat little harbors and beaches. We visited Cape Charles, for many years they were the terminal for the Little Creek-Cape Charles Ferry, providing passenger and car ferry service across the bay to Norfolk and Hampton. It’s now a charming little town with art shops, beaches, marinas, golf courses and a wonderful view of the Chesapeake Bay. We ate lunch at Kelly’s Gingernut Pub, which is located in a 1907 bank building, wandered through the shops and then looked for sea glass. We actually found a beach full of glass…more than we have found anywhere, but most of it wasn’t worth keeping.

In June the United States and the Commonwealth of Virginia will celebrate the Bicentennial of the War of 1812 and the writing of the Star Spangled Banner. To celebrate these historical events OpSail 2012 has planned activities that will range from the traditional Parades of Sail, ship tours, spectacular fireworks, concerts and festivals, educational events and programs, Adopt a Ship opportunities, and crew sporting events along Virginia's Waterfronts and in many Virginia communities. Many of the tall ships will be in Cape Charles. It would be amazing to see the tall ships and be a part of the parade of boats, but it will probably be a zoo. I think I’m glad we will be out of the area by then.

The start of the CBBT