The main reason for anchoring at Point Comfort was to visit Fort Monroe. First of all though we had to get ashore. Our trusty cruising guide had indicated that we could tie up at the dinghy dock at the marina and would need photo ID to get in. So we launched our little dinghy and put-putted over to the marina. We were initially put off by the very stern signs saying that only military personnel were allowed to enter. Then my "Grandma Stannard" genes kicked in and I was not to be deterred. I made Tom drop me off at one of the docks so I could inquire at the marina office, I figured they wouldn't shoot me! As it turned out they were very friendly and directed us to the dinghy dock where Tom tied off Fatty Knees. Then we simply presented our driver's licenses (which were photocopied) and we were in - piece of cake!

Now we were free to roam Fort Monroe which was amazing. The Fort itself as I mentioned before is the largest stone fort built in the US. Construction began in 1819 and was completed in 1834. It is now a National Historic Landmark but is still an active Army base. There is historic housing within the grounds of the Fort which still house Servicemen and their families. For example, one of the clapboard homes housed a young Lt. Robert E. Lee and his wife from 1831 to 1834. Lee, as an engineer, was responsible for directing large projects during the construction of the Fort. Imagine being the family living in this house today! We spent hours in the Casement Museum which is located within the walls of the Fort. The walls contain a series of rooms which have served various purposes over the years. One of theses casements served as a cell for the captured Confederate President Jefferson Davis and there are a number of artifacts on display that belonged to Davis including his pipe and the clothing he was wearing when he was captured. It really was a fascinating day and amazingly enough it was all free!!