Downtown Norfolk Virginia below – the dinghy dock is just outside Nauticus (the museum) and it’s literally two blocks to a fabulous supermarket where they do wonderful wine tasting every Saturday, and two blocks from a big shopping mall. Very well laid out city and a most enjoyable visit.
Shortly after we left Norfolk, we had to go through a lock – the water level drops about 4 feet, so it was all fun and games while I tried in vain to lasso the cleat to tie us to the dock. Phillip had to jump ashore and snag a cleat for me.
Our route has taken us through Norfolk Virginia, down south through the Alligator River and the Alligator River Swing Bridge (after doing a little dredging of our own in a very shallow part of the huge lake-like river, and continued down to the Pungo River Canal, a very narrow, very straight canal that once you enter it, you are committed to going the whole way (about 20 miles) until you get to the other side. It’s too narrow for you to stop in or anchor in, so you must make sure you have plenty of daylight left before entering. We got here at about 2 pm and got through at about 5.30.
Some random shots of the ICW
Here’s baby Em (our boat mascot and major diva) fooling about with the new line we bought for the genoa. She got so tangled up in it and in the end we took pity on her and got her out.
Just incidentally, the other day, when we walked to the Giant supermarket in Annapolis, I noticed this amazing special offer – buy one of these at $1.79, and get two for $4.00. Deal of the century. Naturally I had to point it out to management.
Tuesday 22nd September.
Arrived Beaufort, North Virginia – have done 205 miles since Sunday – doesn’t sound very far if you’re on land but when you’re on a boat, that’s not bad going. Leaving at first light every day (6.30 am ish), motoring for as long as there has been daylight has been worth it. Last night it poured with rain just as we headed for our overnight anchorage in the middle of nowhere, and this afternoon there was a downpour and some lightening but overall, the weather has been fantastic. Here’s tonight’s sunset in the anchorage, which is packed, mostly with what look to be abandoned (or at least empty) boats of all shapes and sizes.
It’s beautiful here, apart from the masses of midges and sbt’s (stinging biting things) that flocked to us around sunset. There is a small island here with wild ponies. Will most likely spend one day here (two nights), then head for Charleston, South Carolina, which is another 200 miles (4 days) as we have a lot of bridges to go through. A lot of them will be on-demand, but some will be set either to the hour or half hour and if you don’t make it, then you have to wait for it to open and queue up with other boats and you lose a lot of time that way.
