We arrived in Hampton, VA on Monday and are enjoying a couple days of rest mixed in with completion of several small boat projects and a bit of sight seeing all combined. Today our Captain is touring the Virginia Air & Space Science Center. Back in Portsmouth, we toured the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Museum together. A ride on the Hampton Carousel is also planned while we are here. The carousel was built in 1920 and has been completely restored to its original glory. It is one of only 170 antique wooden merry-go-rounds that still exist in the United States.
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Hampton Carousel - Built in 1920
Fully Restored |
As we crossed from Portsmouth to Hampton we continued to see many massive military ships (aircraft carriers, submarines, etc.), cargo ships, shrimping boats, one cruise ship, etc. To try to explain how large the Norfolk Harbor and associated military presence is would be most difficult. Suffice to say there is a lot of naval history here in this port. Pictures don't do it justice. Additionally, to capture in pictures the waterway inlet from the Atlantic Ocean and the massive ships that pass through would be difficult as well. We felt very, very small as we crossed the inlet from Portsmouth to Hampton.
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Our short ride from Portsmouth, VA to Hampton, VA
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| Sampling of some of the dozens of military ships we saw in Norfolk |
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| Air Craft carrier coming in from sea that we passed. |
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| No idea what this is, but it was really big! |
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| This vessel passed us as it was heading out to the Atlantic Ocean |
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A trail of seagulls were following behind.
It's common for seagulls to follow commercial fishing vessels. |
Make Me Smile will remain in Hampton until mid-week next week while we take a road trip to Michigan for the Easter holiday. Then, weather permitting, we'll do a big push to complete the "big water" segment of the trip: Chesapeake Bay, Delaware Bay and a stint in the Atlantic Ocean up to New York Harbor and the Statue of Liberty.
In talking with friends, one question came up, which is how many boats complete the Great Loop annually? We knew it was a small number of boats that "cross their wake", but we weren't exactly sure so we looked it up. Here is a summary for the last several years. Upon completion of our 6,000 mile journey, we will be among a small but what we would consider to be an elite and adventuresome group of boaters. We have a 400 Mainship so we are 40' long, about 45' if you count the dingy.
2024: 270 completions; Most popular boat: Mainship; Average size 40.8'
2023: 249 completions; Most popular boat: Mainship; Average size 40.3'
2022: 227 completions; Most popular boat: Mainship; Average size 41.1'
2021: 130 completions; Most popular boat: Mainship; Average size 40.5'
2020: No stats available
2019: 192 completions - this was the record year until 2022
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