COMMENTARY: Mega Cruise Ships Circling Yorktown

York County Supervisors vote next week on cruising ordinance; past media coverage explains how we got here (again)

Satire. Not to scale. (Graphic: George Arbogust, Williamsburg Independent)

Almost 18 years ago, my wife and I were married on a beautiful Spring day at Grace Church in Yorktown, Virginia. My in-laws are longtime members of the congregation, one of the oldest in the country. In fact, the church can trace its history back to 1634, while the beautiful structure in which we married was built in 1697. My parents and I chose a restaurant on the river to host the groom’s dinner.

I bring this up to express that I appreciate the appeal of the unique little town; I know that others love it even more than I do. And I also understand the desire to share the charm with visitors. Most recently, I took my visiting niece and nephew on a tour around the battlefield and had lunch at a great place overlooking the water. There’s no question that York County (and the region as a whole) needs to promote activities aimed at getting people out to do things like that.

Yet once again, not unlike Cornwallis in th…