When I said wanted to live on the water this is not exactly what I had in mind. When I got up on Thursday, November 11, 2009 I realized that the remnants of tropical storm Iva and the resulting Nor'Easter had pushed the usually friendly waters of Powhatan Creek about 150 feet closer to our house. Thank goodness Iva was not nearly as strong as her cousin Ernesto who visited our area on Labor Day Weekend of 2006. During that storm, we lost two trees and the dock and pilings were completely submerged. In the picture below you can see the outline of the rock walkway to our dock taken on November 13, 2009 at 8:40 am, the second day of the Nor'Easter.
The photo above left was taken from the walkway. I was as close as I could get to the dock without stepping into the water. The smaller photo points out the pilings and the surface of the dock which is barely visible.
My husband and I relocated to Williamsburg in 2002 and knew that we wanted to purchase waterfront property. We had lived on waterfront property in Florida and knew what a good investment it is. We looked at several waterfront properties near Williamsburg. One of the properties that we considered was on the York River and had an incredible view. Fortunately someone told us that the York River is very shallow in that area so a dock or pier that would accomodate a boat like ours would need to extend several hundred feet out into the river. We estimated that it would cost about $100,000 to build a pier and trying to keep the birds and other wildlife off of the dock would have been an ongoing problem.
When we decided against purchasing the property on the York River, we looked at a house on the Chickahominy River, which is a beautiful river with deep channels and fresh water. Most private docks on the Chickahominy River are not more than fifty or sixty feet from the shore because of the water depth. The Chickahominy is a great river for playing, skiing, riding jetskis and fishing. There is one place in the Chickahominy River where there are sandbars in the middle of the channel. On the weekends in the summer it is not unusual to see 50 or more boaters anchored on the sandbar. People get out of their boat and walk around sharing stories, food and beverages. It is a unique experience to be standing in water that is about 2 to 3 feet deep knowing that an 80 foot deep channel surrounds you and the closest shore is about 1000 feet away. The Chickahominy River flows into the James River. The subdivision Governor's Land at Two Rivers is situated where the two rivers meet.
The James River is somewhat shallow and the water is slightly brackish, There are not many sailboats on the James River near Williamsburg, but there is good fishing and it is a good river for watersports. Cruising on the James River is a great way to see some historic plantations and Jamestown Island. We once saw a huge bald eagle on Jamestown Island from our boat.
The York River is very brackish, you will see jelly fish and playful dolphins. You may also be able to catch a lot of salt water fish in the York. which flows directly into the Chesapeake Bay. The York River has enough depth for sailboats and you will see a lot of people sailing just off the shore at Yorktown. We like to anchor near our marina and watch the fireworks over the water on July 4th.
I have found that the best way to learn about the creeks and rivers if you own a boat is to get out and explore. The name of our boat, REEL ESTATE, was my husband's idea! If you are moving to this area and want to purchase waterfront property, I will be happy to share with you the knowledge that I have gleaned by exploring the waterways in and around the Williamsburg area.
Another important issue with waterfront property is the environmental impact and any regulations that apply. In this area of Virginia, all waterfront property is protected by the Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act and all waterfront properties contain an RPA (resource protection area). To learn more about the Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act, click on this link.
