James River Expeditions: The Holiday of Champions

An intense battle of tug-o-war with the fishing net

Day 27, July 21

Relaxed and refreshed, we woke up in the comfortable and air conditioned community center off of Chuckatuck Creek. It was a slow morning as we finished off leftover tacos for breakfast and packed up the little gear we had had to take out. Leaving the community center with plenty of thanks for our hosts, we went on to board a Chesapeake Bay Foundation Boat.
There, Captain Jimmy and Yancey began by telling us about the rich 150 year long history of the area; ranging from shipyards to oyster houses. We then set off for the Elizabeth River, which is a tributary to the James, learning many things along the way.

We were able to enjoy the boat and relax as we cruised on the water. Our captains kept us very
entertained with many activities. Along with scientific tests we have been doing along the way, we
also got to throw out fishing nets and pick up crab pots to identify the different aquatic wildlife in the
Chesapeake. We were subject to yet another day of the infamous PB&J tortilla wrap. However, we
enjoyed our lunch knowing that this would probably be our last day of eating our “favorite meal”. After a hot and humid day, all of us were glad to be dropped off for refreshments provided by Dominion in a very air conditioned room.

Here, students talked of the trip and what they were taking from it in front of an audience that included
delegates and “Princess Elizabeth”. Much to our surprise, the city of Norfolk proclaimed July 21, 2011
the official “James River Expedition Day”. Still excited from our ordeal, we toured a very environmentally friendly barge built to educate young children of the river and green building techniques. With such an activity filled day behind us, we were glad to reach our camp and unwind, trying to not let the humidity and bugs get to us on our last night together. We enjoyed a gourmet seafood dinner, cooked by our very own cooks and Mama Claire, along with songs by the fire. Feeling sad as realization hit that this was our last night together, we went to bed with bittersweet thoughts of arriving on Fort Monroe.