We left the marina in Virgina Beach around 10 AM, headed back over to Hampton where we had anchored the previous week. We had filled the water tank and gotten fuel and were ready to start exploring the Chesapeake, or so we thought.

The trip back to Hampton was again easy with little wind and calm seas. We thought everything was well until we got anchored only to find the water tank almost empty again. At first, the cause was not obvious, but after a bit of investigation I found another failed water fitting. This was getting old. I can assume the heat was causing the plastic parts to soften and fail. This failure, though I have to admit, turned out to be a mistake on my part as I noticed a retaining ring was installed backwards.

We decided that on Tuesday we would run over to the other side of the bridge tunnel to stay at a marina to refill the water tank and get parts or a replacement pump if needed. Having run dry for some time, the water pump was not operating correctly. It would not prime and kept cycling on and off was it reached pressure. I swapped it out for the raw water pump, but this was just a temporary solution as we needed the raw water pump as well for rinsing dishes and cleaning up on deck. I hoped that if all else failed, the parts store at the marina would have a replacement pump.

Tuesday morning we pulled up anchor and headed over to the marina. After getting tied up and with the air conditioner running on shore power, I proceeded to take my time and slowly go through the water pump, inspecting and cleaning all ten of the little check valves inside the pump. This was a last-ditch effort as I really saw nothing else wrong with the pump. As luck would have it, this last effort seemed to cure the pump issues, and it appeared to be operating correctly again. This saved us a few hundred dollars on a replacement pump. We could now relax again and plan on continuing our travels.

Wednesday morning, we headed out with the water tank once again full and the pump working normally. We headed up the bay to Yorktown, some 40 miles away. The weather was clear and sunny, with the normal afternoon showers predicted. We made good time motoring and using the jib. Once there, we secured to one of the rather large free mooring floats. We waited until the following day to go ashore as we were tired and wanted to relax some.

On Thursday, we got off to a slow start and did not head into town until after lunch. It was another hot day, so we decided to tour the Revolutionary War museum as it was largely indoors and air-conditioned. There is a free tram that will pick you up in town (very close to where we docked the dinghy) and take you to the museums and displays around Yorktown. We did a full circle on the tram to get a feel for the lay of the land before getting off at the Revolutionary War Museum. The museum was really quite educational and had many excellent exhibits. We both learned some new things while there. Learning about the revolution also makes us think more about the present state of things in this country. This was a very well-done museum with many quality indoor and outdoor exhibits, worth the trip for sure.

On Friday we went ashore a bit earlier in the morning so we could try to beat the heat. We took the tram to the Battlefield Museum. This museum was a bit disappointing as it seemed to be designed to be explored by car rather than on foot. We walked around a bit and ended up walking back to town instead of taking the tram. Although hot out, it was nice to see all the old homes and buildings that give Yorktown some of its charm. We had lunch at a nice little place near the docks. After lunch we headed back to the boat to relax some in the air conditioning.

Saturday morning we headed into town again to explore the farmers’ market they have every Saturday morning. Many vendors were there, and Teresa picked up some fresh vegetables. After exploring the market, we headed down the street to the Waterman’s Museum. This was a bit smaller than the other museums we had been to, but it was interesting to explore. We once again retreated to the air conditioning aboard for the rest of the afternoon.

On Sunday, we just rested and did a few of the many chores aboard. In the morning, we planned to head north again, this time to a quiet, remote anchorage.