Norfolk (Part 1) VA USA

We wanted to get a rough picture of Norfolk so, almost as soon as BV was settled in her mooring, we set off on foot along the Cannonball Trail, a tourist path which runs along much of the waterfront and then led us in towards the town centre.

The impressive USS Wisconsin
[Ed: too big for the camera’s viewfinder and lens!] [Sub Ed: Maybe I need a new camera and lenses?]

On the way we walked past the impressive USS Wisconsin.  Launched on 7 December 1943, this huge Iowa-class battleship served in the Pacific Theatre during WWII and then the Korean War.

After that she was decommissioned only to be reactivated on 1 August 1986, entering modernisation programme which included fitting Harpoon anti-ship missiles, Tomahawk cruise missiles and remotely piloted drones for spotting targets and the fall of shot for her massive 16-inch guns.  Amazingly, her final active service was in the 1991 Gulf War during which she was one of the first ships to fire cruise missiles, as well as controlling all the cruise missile strikes and anti-surface warfare in the conflict.  [Ed: and she has wooden decks!!]  She is the last battleship to have actively participated in a war.

With such a long history of service we desperately wanted a look around her but there just wasn’t time for a proper visit that day.  Instead we added ‘a visit to the Navy Museum’ to our list of things to do whilst in Norfolk.

The MacArthur Memorial and the Town’s Zero Mile Stone

The next landmark that we saw on our afternoon whistle-stop tour was the MacArthur Memorial which is located in the former Norfolk City Hall.  The memorial houses the tombs of General Douglas MacArthur and his wife Jean in the rotunda, around which are 9 galleries with exhibits from his epic military career in WWI, WWII and the Korean War.

Knowing that we needed to be back for Greta and Gary’s party, we set our watch alarms and cantered around the museum trying to cover as many of the exhibits as we could.  We managed to cover a lot of the ground but, inevitably, there was just too much to see in the limited time available.  A revisit of the MacArthur Memorial museum was added to our list of things to do in Norfolk.

West Freemason Street historic district

Walking back to BV we entered the West Freemason Street historic district. It was one of the first areas of Norfolk to be developed outside the boundaries of the original 50 acres of the colonial town and today it is the only neighbourhood which still presents a visible chronology of the town’s architectural styles over the last 3 centuries.

They take decorating for Halloween very seriously in the USA

A sign on the street informed us that: “Beginning with the Federal style (c1791) the buildings in the area also contain examples of the Greek Revival, Italianate, Second Empire, Romanesque revival, Beaux Arts Classicism, Queen Anne and Georgian revival styles.  The street has cobblestone paving, granite curbs, cast iron fences and brick footpaths which were all characteristics of early Norfolk”.

Walking along West Freemason Street was like passing through a living museum of lovely houses, all with lots of character and interesting architectural features.

Through the 19^th and early 20^th centuries this was one of Norfolk’s finest residential neighbourhoods.  It then fell out of favour and many of the buildings were converted into multi-occupancy apartments for labourers.  Perhaps that was a blessing because without the pressure to keep up with the neighbours in following the latest ‘essential’ decoration fashions the area has retained its original architecture intact.  The district was entered in the National Register of Historic Places in 1972 and is once again a highly desirable residential area.

Having stretched our legs and got a feel for what Norfolk has to offer for visiting tourists [Ed: a lot!] it was time to get ready for our evening party with Greta and Gary.

Rosie

We were met at the door by a very excited Rosie (the dog) and then introduced to the other guests.  We already knew Lionel and Elsie from Ruby Tuesday, but also there were David and Roberta Hobbs from Pleione, as well as Harley, Jennifer and Sophie Earl from Kailani.  Sophie is 11 years old and has been brought up and schooled on Kailani and was fascinating to talk to.  Like many kids brought up on boats she was totally at ease conversing within a group of adults.  We discovered that during her 2 circumnavigations she has been an excellent ambassador for Kailani befriending the local kids and through them opening up all sorts of opportunities to meet the locals and be invited into their homes in a way that perhaps you might not normally experience as a cruiser.  On this year’s OCC Southern New England Rally she also jumped ship and went sailing with our friends Pauline and Maggie on Saorsa.  It’s a small world!

Greta and Gary had put together a grand array of pre-dinner nibbles.  Add in a delivery of huge pizzas and we were all fed and watered extremely well.  It was a superb evening and the conversation buzzed with people excited about heading south to warmer climes.  We are so lucky to have such excellent and generous OCC Port Officers who not only make these sorts of social gatherings happen, but also help out visiting yacht crews with transport, shopping and guidance on local technical support.  Greta and Gary are amongst the best of them and they are also full of interesting tales and tips from their own extensive cruising experiences.

Replete we retreated back to our floating homes hoping that in the near future our paths would cross again.  For us though, a few more days sightseeing in Norfolk was the immediate plan.

Norfolk, Virginia, USA