May 27, 2007

Tracing America’s History Along the East Coast

Saturday, May 26, 2007 – Exploration Leader Donald Leadbetter

The Spirit of Nantucket is currently deployed on her Cradle of Colonial America cruise, which follows parts of the Intracoastal Waterway north from Charleston, heads into the Chesapeake Bay, and finishes up in Alexandria on the Potomac River, next door to our nation’s capital. In addition to retracing the steps of some of our country’s initial colonists, we also visit several sites associated with our nation’s great tragedy, the War Between the States, or the Recent Unpleasantness, as we southerners call it (apologies - I grew up in Memphis!). Leaving Charleston, we sailed by Ft. Sumter and were thrilled to be joined by special guest speaker Richard Hatcher, the senior historian at the fort. Rick regaled us with detailed recountings of the vital roles the Fort played in the Civil War. The war started when secessionist troops fired on the Union garrison stationed there, and the eventual fall of the fort to the Union was a great symbolic tragedy for the South.

After a night at sea under a beautiful blanket of stars, the Nantucket spent this morning sailing up the Cape Fear River. Just off the Cape in the open Atlantic, the Frying Pan Shoals are the final resting home of countless ships that have foundered upon its shallows over the last 400 years. Tonight we’ll carefully make our way around the shoals! On the way up river this morning on the way to Wilmington, naturalist Tom Stanley pointed out numerous graceful wading birds such as herons and egrets, and historian Jim Williams explained the important role the Cape Fear River and nearby Ft. Fisher had as a conduit for supplies for the Confederacy. We spent a gorgeous afternoon docked on Wilmington’s waterfront, just catching the tail-end of a Saturday morning Farmer’s Market. Wilmington was bustling today as families enjoyed a beautiful day on the river, gearing up for Memorial Day weekend celebrations.

Now we’re heading downriver, back out to sea where we’ll turn north and head for Beaufort, North Carolina. Explorations ahead include the historic Jamestown Settlement; St. Mary’s City, the first capital of Maryland; Annapolis, home of the U.S. Naval Academy; and Alexandria, where we’ll dock in the shadow of our capital’s monuments. There’s no better way to explore our nation’s past than from a ship, just like the great explorers and colonists of yore!

Posted by Donald on May 27, 2007 9:18 AM

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