The 96 miles we had travelled up the Potomac River from Chesapeake Bay was uneventful. On our way to Washington we stayed at numerous good marinas on the banks of this 285 mile river. Here we met a John Cleese type character, who also doubled as a waiter at the local eatery. The food was good, but his absolutely outrageous behaviour and wicked sense of humour got him into trouble with a few of his patrons, including our German hosts who did not appreciate his goose-stepping antics, when he heard they were Germans.

Around 60 miles from the Chesapeake Bay we passed the place where a WWII German U-Boat lies aground. Apparently, this submarine had worked its way up the Potomac River to ultimately launch an attack on Washington. During the day it sat on the river bottom out of sight, at navigated the submarine up the river towards the target. When it was about only 30 miles from Washington it was discovered and sunk. We were unable to confirm this event in any official publications but even if untrue or far-fetched, it seemed plausible.

Just east of Washington we passed Mount Vernon, George Washington’s truly majestic mansion on the hill overlooking the river. The following week when we had a car we visited Mount Vernon, this time we had a panoramic view of the Potomac River from the grounds of this National Monument. One is able to view George Washington's drafting instruments, his swords, military equipment and furniture used during his presidency.

We spent that night anchored just east of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge, which is the part of the I95 highway, the major highway linking New York in the North and Miami in the south. To get into the marina in Washington one has to pass under this bascule bridge, but because the highway has so much traffic it is not just a case of calling up the bridge master and requesting him to open the bridge on demand. We had contacted the bridge master a few days earlier and were given a 07:00 booking hence our decision to spend the night anchored at Rosier Bluff, which is less than 500 yards from the bridge.

Unknowingly we had anchored directly under the landing approach flight path to Washington National airport, which is on the south bank of the Potomac River. Every 20 to 30 seconds a plane flew over us on it’s final approach, this continued well past midnight. This was without doubt the noisiest anchorage ever experienced, the yacht actually vibrated every time a plane passed overhead, most under 150 feet altitude.

It was so noisy that after an hour at anchorage we decided to re-check our mast height, just in case we had miscalculated, so up I went with a very long tape measure to see if we would clear the 50ft clearance the bridge offered. Unfortunately our height including the VHF antenna was 54ft, so it was too close to risk.
Early the next morning we approached the bridge as instructed by the bridge master, we were the only yacht approaching from the east, we could see another yacht on the other side, waiting to leave. We found it amazing that the heavy traffic on the I95 was going to be stopped for 2 yachts to pass through. The sirens sounded the alarm, the red lights flashed warning the traffic to stop and then the booms were lowered. We approached the bridge carefully, we had been asked to get as close as possible to the bridge so that it opened for as short a time as possible.

The bascule bridge started opening but when it was about half open it stopped abruptly with a severe grinding sound. Within minutes the bridge master called us on the radio and informed us that there was a problem with the lifting mechanism – the bridge was then lowered again to allow the traffic across. By then the traffic build up was staggering, on either side of the bridge there was at least a mile of traffic backed up in either direction – it’s a 4 lane highway!

About an hour later the bridge was opened and we passed through headed for the Tidal Basin and the Capitol Yacht Club. On our left we passed Alexandria, the 18th century mercantile area alongside the Potomac waterfront. Most buildings have been beautifully restored to their former glory, including the boyhood home of Light-Horse Harry Lee, a.k.a. Robert E. Lee.

A few miles later we dropped anchor in the Tidal Basin, which is directly in front of the Capitol Yacht Club. The ICW cruising guide spelt out the rules for anchoring there, firstly we had to call up the water police on the VHF and give them all our particulars, and secondly we had to drop 2 anchors. We were informed that officially we could only stay anchored there for a maximum of 5 days. Step one and two were done immediately, the water police were extremely helpful, at that stage we did not tell them just how long we intended staying.

Once we were happy with the anchors, we went ashore to the yacht club to introduce ourselves to the dock master, Kevin and the Club President, Mr Bev Witcher. Everyone was very friendly and helpful and pleasantly surprised at having a South African yacht visit them.

At a cost of $5 per day for the boat, we were welcome to use all the club’s facilities, including the kitchen, spotlessly clean showers and the Laundromat. To top it all, local telephone calls could be made free of charge. We were also told that we could fill up with fresh water from the visitor’s dock free of charge whenever we liked. One can rent a walk-on at the marina for around $1.25 per foot, per night, this includes cableTV, water, telephone connection and electricity.

That night in the pub we met many of the local yachtsmen, many of whom lived on their yachts or power boats. One particular couple had an enormous heated Jacuzzi on the aftdeck of their 50ft powerboat, and every afternoon they sat in the heated pool water sipping cocktails while he smoked a large cigar – all this while he wore a really big Stetson!

Whenever we were in the pub we were made to feel very welcome, often we were asked to join in when pizzas or snacks had been bought by club members, the drinks were very cheap, in fact, the club boasted that they were the cheapest in Washington. This boast was certainly true.

The Tidal Basin is within walking distance to virtually all the sights in Washington and over the next few weeks we visited many of them.

Washington is certainly one of the prettiest cities in America, if not the world. Designed by French born engineer Pierre L’Enfant more than 200 years ago, it boasts wide avenues and spacious parks rather than a forest of modern skyscrapers. By law, no building can be higher than the Washington Monument, which is a truly majestic obelisk, dedicated in 1885. The view from the top is absolutely stunning.

After a few days, the club had put in a good word to the water police on our behalf and eventually My-Ling stayed in Washington almost six weeks.

An interesting fact about the Tidal Basin is that although it is 96 miles from the Chesapeake Bay, it has a tidal range of just less than 3 feet. The first day we were there, I thought I was seeing things when the water began lapping at the base of the metal railings around the park – a few hours later the water level dropped again. Not believing what I had witnessed, I quizzed the dock master, Kevin – and he confirmed the tidal difference, hence the name, The Tidal Basin.

One of the first places we visited was the White House, only about 1 mile from our anchorage, it was slightly disappointing as it is not as big as one imagines. The queue for the complimentary tickets to tour the White House was already very long, although it was still early. The wait was well worth it.

Within a radius of one mile were the following monuments and places of interest. The Jefferson Memorial, which is situated on the banks of the Tidal Basin, the 650ft high George Washington Monument, a short walk away. The Lincoln Memorial, the Capitol and the Mall which runs from the front steps of the Capitol right to the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. The Mall is lined with the Smithsonian Institute, which includes 14 remarkable museums, the Air and Space Museum, the American History, Natural History, National Zoo, Postal, American/African, Arts and Industries and 7 art museums. Entry to these museums is totally free of charge.

The highlight for us was the Air and Space Museum where we spent 3 full days looking at the hundreds of exhibits that document the history of flight, including the original Wright Brothers Flyer and Charles Lindbergh’s Spirit of St. Louis . The Enola Gay B-29 bomber is an awesome exhibit. More modern exhibits were the Apollo 11 lunar command module and a piece of moon rock. The museum has an IMAX theatre with an enormous screen. We watched a number of movies there, but the one that was really extraordinary was Blue Planet, featuring the earth filmed from the space shuttle.

Also within walking distance is the recently opened Holocaust Memorial, a visit there is a truly moving experience, many people were tearful whilst other sobbed openly and uncontrollably.

Getting around in Washington is easy, there is a very good bus service as well as an excellent underground train system, which is good value for money and very reliable. One could buy a daily or weekly pass for unlimited travel. We made good use of the underground, visiting interesting sights out of walking range.

The National Zoological Park is quite far from the Tidal Basin so we went by underground train. Although the zoo was disappointing and the very small cages were cruel in our view, our first sight of a panda bear made the trip well worth it. The elephants were housed in a minute enclosure in which they could hardly turn around!

Near the Capitol is the 1907 era Union Station, home to Amtrak and 120 upscale retail shops, movie theatres and restaurants. This station has been restored magnificently, especially when one considers that it is still a fully operational station. Next door, the new Postal Museum exhibits a rare collection of Airmail planes, stagecoaches, stamps and letters.

Our favourite destination was no more than 50 yards from the Capitol Yacht Club – this was the Fish Market. It comprises about 30 stalls built on floating barges, which are tied up to the wharf alongside the club. There, one could choose from an impressive selection of fish, shellfish and crabs, cooked or alive. We bought many meals there during our stay, as the fish was very good quality and very reasonably priced. I learnt to eat raw tuna, thinly sliced, soaked in fresh lemon juice at this market, however, I just could not enjoy eating Catfish, similar in appearance to the grotesquely ugly Barbel fish that is caught on the Vaal Dam.

In summary, Washington is certainly one of the more interesting cruising destinations for anyone who wants more than isolated white beaches and blue water. The vibrancy of this city coupled with the literally hundreds of attractions and it’s European atmosphere make it a definite stop for those who want something truly different.