I decided to do a circumnavigation of Jamestown Island, VA by seakayak for the 4th. Merely 169 years after the Virginia Company made the first permanent English settlement here, the colonies declared their independence from Great Britain. The weather today was perfect, light winds, James River fairly calm, and a good way to escape the throngs of tourists everywhere else.

Except for the park visitor area and fort site, the island itself is primarily tidal creeks, estuary, and marshes with a few thickly grown forested areas. Lots of wildlife to see. Today there was a pair of bald eagles snatching fish from the James, a pair of ospreys teaching their 3 fledglings how to fish (this is very cool if you've never seen it), many blue herons and other birds.

I thought you might enjoy some pics of the Jamestown replica ships, Susan Constant, Godspeed, Discovery from a different perspective than you usually get as a visitor to the Jamestown Settlement. In case you may want to do this, bear in mind that they won't let power boats into this area.

My ancestor arrived there on the 2nd supply ship.

Thanks for the post! I can never believe how small many of these early ships were that sailed on the voyages to the New World and beyond