Our Week In DC
The boats arrived in Washington, DC from their voyage through the Panama Canal just before Bill and I arrived on June 19th. They were docked at The Wharf (pictured above), which is a mile long waterfront development just south of the National Mall. It is full of great restaurants, hotels, shops, offices and residential buildings. We were able to walk everywhere and quickly make our way to all the famous sites. Because it was the first time the Clipper Race had been to DC and the port sponsored a boat, they put on quite a show.
Fleet Week
We arrived in DC shortly after the boats arrived in dock. The fleet had been motoring up Chesapeake Bay and then up the Potomac River for two days. Bill’s boat, being the host boat was docked right down front. The host port started the week with a parade and the first night we arrived we were treated to a really great prize-giving ceremony on one of the piers. It was hot but we enjoyed great food, good drinks and Bill got to catch up with the crew he had not seen in over a month. The Mayor and Sir Robin spoke and we had a Marine One flyover. The next day, Skipper Hannah was invited to throw out a pitch at the Nationals v. Diamondbacks baseball game. There were free concerts and, of course, lots of boat tours.
During our week in DC we were able to eat at many great restaurants and enjoy a few of the local bars and taverns. We visited with Bill’s daughter and grand-daughter, enjoyed a great visit with cousin Roland and his fiancé Vickey. We also had nice evening with Uncle Bob and Aunt Margaret and enjoyed a fun afternoon with our new friend, Micheal Casella (favored cousin to some of our great friends in Nashville). We walked the Mall, visited the African American History Museum and the Smithsonian Natural History Museum. Lots of walking and lots of heat but it was a great week together!
Activities
The Start of Leg 8
The Parade of Sails and Send Off
As mentioned before the boats came into port after motoring up the Potomac River and in order to get into The Wharf it was necessary to pass under the Woodrow Wilson Bridge. This is a draw bridge carrying 12 lanes of I-95/I-495 of The Capital Beltway. For these sail boats to pass they actually had to open the bridge, which, as Bill would say “is a big damn deal.” This being the case, the boats could only come through early in the morning or late at night to avoid snarling DC traffic. For the send off, they chose a night send off, so the Parade of Sails was a 9PM, night time event with lots of fireworks, passenger vessels and fans! As the host port boat, Bill’s boat lead the parade.
The Woodrow Wilson Bridge
As mentioned above, the Parade of Sails, lead by the Washington DC boat “Little Washy,” did a night time passing of the raised Woodrow Wilson bridge. Below are two videos (@ 1 minute total) showing the raising of the bridge and the boats beginning their passing. Here is a shot of the raised bridge and the boats on their way to the Chesapeake Bay. The Start of Leg 8 was two days later. The boats are now on their way so keep your eye on the Race Tracker!