April 29, 2004 - View the photos
We cruised to Belhaven on Thursday. That is the mansion
picture you saw in last journal entry. The marina is attached
to a beautiful mansion that is an Inn. They have a beautiful
view and lots of room for growth.
We rocked and rocked all evening until early morning. I didn’t
sleep much but we were tied up and protected. We left about
6:30 AM on Friday. That’s a record for me. I’ve become a
morning sleeper and our cruising day usually begins about
8:30. The temperature was cool but the sky was clear and the
winds were calmer. I wanted to get across the Albermarle Sound
so off we went.
We had planned to cruise to Coinjock , NC and spend the
week-end. We arrived at Coinjock about 11:30 AM. Too early to
tie up. The wind was still down and the sun was out and it was
warm so on we went. At that point we decided to try for
Norfolk.
We knew we had a series of bridges and a lock that needed to
be opened and we needed to be thru the last railroad bridge in
Norfolk by 3:30 PM or wait until after 5 PM so off we went.
We made it thru the last “ditch” and synchronized the swing
bridges to put us at the “Great Bridge” in Norfolk for their 2
PM opening. The cruising guide told us the lock needed lines
and fenders but it didn’t mention that you need long lines
because the bollards are on shore and you feed your boat down.
The drop is only 2 feet but my regular dock lines weren’t long
enough. Tie two together you say. That’s what we did but I’m
afraid I made the regulars impatient. I do wish the lock would
have answered our call to tell us the drill.
The short drop was completed and we were off to race for the
next bridge while still containing our wake. The last 3
bridges were open. We completed our bridge openings as the
last bridge dropped at 3:20 PM and entered Norfolk harbor.
Norfolk is the biggest harbor I’ve cruised in. The harbor is
wide and open. It’s a mix of military, commercial, pleasure
and touring vessels. There’s plenty of room for everyone but
the size of the military vessels is intimidating.
We had decided on the Kingsmill Marina but their facilities
were damaged by Hurricane Isabel last fall and have not been
rebuilt as yet. We changed our course to Hampton, VA and the
Blue Water Marina. The folks are great and the facilities are
clean and tended. It was also 20 minutes from Williamsburg and
worked great for us.
We rented a car on Saturday and did the grocery, beer and West
Marine run. Our ultimate goal was Williamsburg on Sunday and
Monday. We visited there for our honeymoon 37 years ago. The
restored area has increased greatly but it still has the charm
and beauty. Sunday was overcast and great for walking. Monday
we went on a garden walk with a Williamsburg docent and
learned more about the planning and planting of the gardens.
Even Bob enjoyed it. Now I’m anxious to plant but it will have
to be only planning until we return.
Tuesday was laundry day and chart planning. Once our route was
determined Bob put the way points in and we were ready for the
Chesapeake.
We left Hampton about 8:30 AM. The weather report was for seas
choppy at the mouth of the Bay and then 1 to 3’s as the day
progressed. They got it wrong from where I sat. By the time we
got out of the channel to the marina the waves picked up and
we bounced on our way. About an hour into our cruise we had
bounced so much one of the bicycles was coming loose from its
tie down and I was an unhappy sailor. Actually I’ve decided
I’m a fair weather cruiser.
The Chesapeake is not like the lakes where you have coves to
pull in for protection. It’s wide and open and windy. Bob
navigated us into a more protected spot to fix the bike and
give me a rest and off we went again. I think his exact words
were something like “the wind is dying down. It won’t be so
bad.” The winds did calm for about another hour and then back
with a vengeance. I peeked into the cabin to see if the
microwave and TV were still intact. The floor was littered
with books etc but I could not move from my seat.
The chart plotter told Bob (not me because I wasn’t getting up
to look) that we were close to the turn to get to Deltaville
so on we moved. Our boat behaved well but I was ready to see
the water flatten and the channel markers in sight for our
stop. We tied up at Regatta Point in Deltaville, VA on the
western shore of the Chesapeake.
We spent a long time cleaning the boat washing off the salt.
The inside was almost as bad as the outside. The waves had
been crashing (my words) over the radar arch and water was
coming in between the snaps on the canvas and between the
zipper teeth.
The sun is shining today and the temp is 60. We plan to stay
here until Monday but another cold front is coming so stay
tuned.
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