November 20 - 26 RUNNING AGROUND AND OTHER NEWBIE EXPLOITS
Even though we have been sailing for 30+ years in several different sailboats, we are still learning what it takes to travel through the Intracoastal Waterway! We are definitely newbies when it comes to prioritizing what is needed each day and finding our way through the maze of inlets and waterway and river navigation symbols, and keeping track of the weather, the tides and the currents. If we sleep in a half hour more than we should, we have missed a crucial timing that could keep us from catching the current for the day or could cause us to leave on an ebbing (lowering) tide rather than a flooding tide. If we concentrate on the weather but miss the “cruisers net” bulletin on the internet that highlights the trouble spots for the area, we could be finding the shoals rather than missing them…….
Nov.20 We are inside the North Carolina barrier beaches (Hatteras, etc.) on the inland waterway canals,. Along the canals are large homes and docks; there is some interesting wildlife, birds, etc. Local small fishing/shellfishing boats have towers in the bow where the captain sits up high enough to see what is in the water ahead of him; he also has the engine controls up there with him. Bridges are keeping us on our toes; most need to open for us and some open only on the hour; some on the half hour and hour. There really is no time to just goof off! We ended this day at Wrightsville Beach, in a large anchorage just behind the beach. The beach could be Duxbury Beach, with an access bridge going out to it from the mainland, except it is covered with hotels, condos, single family homes, surf shops, etc. The beach is beautiful, but the extent of building on it is astounding. We spent two days here because it is a good anchorage and it is still cold and windy. The night of the 21st Wilmington NC (next to Wrightsville Beach) set a record for the low temperature for that day --something in the low 20s.
Nov. 22 We are headed for Cape Fear today, and it is still cold but clear. We bumped bottom on the way out of the channel from Wrightsville Beach. Otherwise had a good trip to Southport, NC where we got a free slip in the”old harbor” and enjoyed walking around the area and also getting out the folding bike to use to go a little further. We also treated ourselves to lunch and dinner out.
The next day was also cold and sunny (long johns again!). We left the slip at 8 am and by 10:30 we were in Lockwoods Folly, an inlet from the Atlantic which has shoaled and we had hit the shoal. It took until just after noon to get off. Several boats passed and looked at us with pity! One bright spot was the beach at this location. I rowed to the beach while we were stuck and found a mailbox and bench at the end of the beach -- not what I was expecting -- and it had notebooks and pens so you could leave your thoughts.
By the end of the day we were in South Carolina after 314 miles in North Carolina. We anchored in the
Calabash River, just off the ICW.
Nov. 24
When we got up -- at about 8 am -- the other half-dozen boats that had also been anchored there were already gone. We left at about 8:30 am and promptly went aground. (The other boats probably had a better
handle on the currents and tides than we had.) We seemed to be pretty well stuck and after about 10 minutes, a local shrimp boat heading home up the Calabash stopped and asked if we’d like him to try and free us. It worked, after some concentrated tugging on his part, and we found we were off the shoal and wouldn’t have to wait for the afternoon tide or for a tow boat to arrive and try to get us off. What nice people there are in the Carolinas!
After traveling through some more canals in the Myrtle Beach area we anchored in the Waccamaw River, behind a small island, along with 2 other boats. We were invited to come to one of the boats for drinks when we were settled. We met some new friends, Scott and Kitty on TAMURE from Connecticut and Lynn and Stu from Australia on ONDA. Nothing like an isolated anchorage and other cruisers to meet and talk with about our adventures. There was so much excited conversation that we had to (at someone’s suggestion) raise our hand to talk to keep the noise level down!
The next morning was mild and only partly cloudy; the temperatures were in the 50s by mid morning. We left the anchorage early and traveled more of the Wacamaw River, through fresh water with water hyacynthes floating everywhere. We planned to stop at Georgetown SC because we had heard so much about it as a great small city on the ICW. For a break, we rented a slip there and walked through some of the city, enjoying the novelty of being within striking distance of coffee shops, bookstores, banks, etc.
Georgetown is a working town with a big scrap-metal plant right at the end of Front Street (the main street) and paper mills are smelled and seen in the distance. But it does seem to deserve the reputation of having great supplies for cruisers and is an interesting town to tour and enjoy the 1700s and 1800s homes.
Before we left the next day we bought some fresh shrimp and some crab cakes at a market and continued down the ICW, without any goundings (!!!), to an anchorage near McLellanville, SC. This is an area with huge vistas of sea grass and lighthouses. There is only one other boat anchored anywhere near us and one shrimp boat returning home at sunset. This was another cold, sunny day. One highlight was a couple of dolphin sightings, once while they were mostly underwater, pushing up big waves of water (while they chased fish?) and then while another group swam near the boat and when one jumped out of the water in a clean breach.
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Saturday, November 22, 2008
The Dismal Swamp Canal and further reaches of the Intracoastal Waterway
The Dismal Swamp Canal and further reaches of the Intracoastal Waterway; we have pictures but will add them in the next installment. Soon, I hope!!
November 10
We got up early and took a walk before the lock that takes you into the Canal was operating. We ended up talking to the lock operator, Bob, and he was helpful with tips and information about what was coming up on the Canal. He also has a conch shell collection at his office and we found out later, as we entered the lock with 3 other boats, and Bob helped adjust our lines to the sides of the lock, that he would play a conch (like a horn) while the lock emptied. Since I had asked about the shells, I got a quick lesson in blowing one and added to the noise.
Later that day after a slow trip down the Canal we passed the North Carolina state line and were invited to a free night at the NC Welcome Center docks on the Canal. The next day we continued to the end of the 16 mile canal. The whole way we have had some late foliage colors and not too many other boats, and it’s very peaceful. We now have some new friends that we met at the Welcome Center, several from Canada, and some from Virginia and Maryland. There is also a couple on a boat from Germany that decided not to leave with us and they will ride the bike trails in the area (they have two full-size bikes on their boat; we have one folding bike we are carrying). Fourteen miles of river after the canal brought us to Elizabeth City, NC and another free dock for the night.
Several cruisers talking in a group, including Ken, were greeted after docking by a friendly gentleman who mentioned some of the highlights in town. As he left he introduced himself as the Mayor of Elizabeth City. We took his recommendation and attended the evening movie a few blocks away. The movie theater also had dinners before the show and the line was fairly long waiting to get in. The tables for the restaurant were in the back half of the theater, which had been reconfigured into three levels for about 12 tables on each level. Each table had a phone and orders were called in to the kitchen, then delivered by wait staff. The movie was “Secret Life of Bees“ and we enjoyed it.
November 12
Our next day we sailed by a large Coast Guard Air Training base. This day they were launching a blimp and “sailing” it around the point of land that the base is on. Later in the day as we entered the Alligator River we hit bottom (mud or sand) as we tried to avoid another boat that seemed to be stuck on the bottom. The first boat eventually got off and sailed on but we were really stuck. In the end we had to call a tow boat (we were warned about the frequent danger of grounding out and had bought insurance coverage for towing) and we were towed into deeper water. A nearby marina had reasonable rates, so to calm down after this experience we stopped there for the night, and added another night when the weather got rainy and windy the next day.
The boats that arrived at the marina the second day of our stay told wild tales of the wind on the bay that day. We had dinner at the small restaurant at the fuel dock at the marina as did 3 of the crews of these new boats. We met people from Padanarum,MA, Camden, ME, and Jemez Pueblo, NM (which is about 50 miles from where Tammy lives).
November 14
We needed to leave, even though it was foggy. That day we traveled 12 miles of foggy canals and rivers, including passing through a bridge that opened for us, until it cleared up. After another canal that was fairly easy to travel on, although it did start raining, we again met up with fog. We needed to get to a good anchorage so proceeded carefully into the harbor at Belhaven, NC. Our chart plotter that we use to navigate is extremely helpful and especially in fog or new areas it is proving to be invaluable. Belhaven is another location where we spent two days due to weather, also due to high winds. Oh, yeah, they did have tornado warnings in this area our first morning and then they were extended to the rest of the day (tragically we heard that 2 people died in the next county).
The weather was warm for our stay, in the 70s during the days, but the forecast was for a cold front approaching.
November 16
Wanting to cover some ground this day we left at 8 am and sailed on the Pamlico River, Pamlico Sound, more of the protected waterway, and then the Neuse River. The Neuse was good for us and we motor-sailed with just our jib at over 7 knots, enough to adjust our arrival to Oriental, NC, a few miles after Broad Creek where we had expected to anchor. We anchored just off of the Oriental Marina and the shrimp boat docks. Several boats we were familiar with were at the marina, so we joined them (GUST O’WIND from Canada and NECESSITY whose owner is from New Mexico) for dinner that night at the marina restaurant. It’s fun to compare notes with other cruisers and to find out where they’ve come from and where they’re headed.
The next day we walked to the post office where we picked up mail that our son Pete forwarded for us. We also stopped in a marine consignment shop (used guide books, boat parts, etc.) and a coffee shop back at the marina area.
Before we left we figured out that we have been 800 miles so far, from Cohasset, MA, and about 175 of those miles, so far, have been in North Carolina. Then we set sail and headed for our next destination, which turned out to be Beaufort, NC. We anchored off of Town Marina with several other boats. Artic cold is predicted and it was a cold night.
November 18
We stayed in our heated cabin longer than usual this morning, taking time to start this blog and send it out, along with other chores. The day promised to be cold and windy and it was. We only went about 8 miles and found a small creek entering the channel --Spooners Creek -- which had space to anchor and also was within walking distance from a large mall. We encountered one other boat anchored in the creek, Eric from Rhode Island (originally from Georgia), a young man who is sailing a 29’ boat alone down to Savannah and maybe to Fort Lauderdale. He was happy for company and we talked engines, families, trip experiences, etc. for a while in the afternoon and again in the early evening. It snowed today, fine blowing snow, for about 15 minutes. The next day we made up for the short miles of Tuesday by going through to New River Marina in Snead’s Ferry, NC. Every day is an adventure and today there were announcements of Navy ships, including an aircraft carrier and helicopters, off the coast that were conducting exercises, and we traveled through Camp Lejeune, a Marine base, where we watched several boats of trainees practicing their small boat handling including pulling up to the river banks and rooster-tail turns. We saw really good wildlife in this area as well, probably because there are no houses or other development here.
We were the only sailboat at the marina; there were showers here (the water was hot but not the room) and we fueled up and got water for our tanks. There is also a fairly well stocked marine store there. If you are curious about how we keep clean, we have a shower on our boat and the water is heated by our engine when it is running. We do our laundry ashore when we can find laundromats.
November 10
We got up early and took a walk before the lock that takes you into the Canal was operating. We ended up talking to the lock operator, Bob, and he was helpful with tips and information about what was coming up on the Canal. He also has a conch shell collection at his office and we found out later, as we entered the lock with 3 other boats, and Bob helped adjust our lines to the sides of the lock, that he would play a conch (like a horn) while the lock emptied. Since I had asked about the shells, I got a quick lesson in blowing one and added to the noise.
Later that day after a slow trip down the Canal we passed the North Carolina state line and were invited to a free night at the NC Welcome Center docks on the Canal. The next day we continued to the end of the 16 mile canal. The whole way we have had some late foliage colors and not too many other boats, and it’s very peaceful. We now have some new friends that we met at the Welcome Center, several from Canada, and some from Virginia and Maryland. There is also a couple on a boat from Germany that decided not to leave with us and they will ride the bike trails in the area (they have two full-size bikes on their boat; we have one folding bike we are carrying). Fourteen miles of river after the canal brought us to Elizabeth City, NC and another free dock for the night.
Several cruisers talking in a group, including Ken, were greeted after docking by a friendly gentleman who mentioned some of the highlights in town. As he left he introduced himself as the Mayor of Elizabeth City. We took his recommendation and attended the evening movie a few blocks away. The movie theater also had dinners before the show and the line was fairly long waiting to get in. The tables for the restaurant were in the back half of the theater, which had been reconfigured into three levels for about 12 tables on each level. Each table had a phone and orders were called in to the kitchen, then delivered by wait staff. The movie was “Secret Life of Bees“ and we enjoyed it.
November 12
Our next day we sailed by a large Coast Guard Air Training base. This day they were launching a blimp and “sailing” it around the point of land that the base is on. Later in the day as we entered the Alligator River we hit bottom (mud or sand) as we tried to avoid another boat that seemed to be stuck on the bottom. The first boat eventually got off and sailed on but we were really stuck. In the end we had to call a tow boat (we were warned about the frequent danger of grounding out and had bought insurance coverage for towing) and we were towed into deeper water. A nearby marina had reasonable rates, so to calm down after this experience we stopped there for the night, and added another night when the weather got rainy and windy the next day.
The boats that arrived at the marina the second day of our stay told wild tales of the wind on the bay that day. We had dinner at the small restaurant at the fuel dock at the marina as did 3 of the crews of these new boats. We met people from Padanarum,MA, Camden, ME, and Jemez Pueblo, NM (which is about 50 miles from where Tammy lives).
November 14
We needed to leave, even though it was foggy. That day we traveled 12 miles of foggy canals and rivers, including passing through a bridge that opened for us, until it cleared up. After another canal that was fairly easy to travel on, although it did start raining, we again met up with fog. We needed to get to a good anchorage so proceeded carefully into the harbor at Belhaven, NC. Our chart plotter that we use to navigate is extremely helpful and especially in fog or new areas it is proving to be invaluable. Belhaven is another location where we spent two days due to weather, also due to high winds. Oh, yeah, they did have tornado warnings in this area our first morning and then they were extended to the rest of the day (tragically we heard that 2 people died in the next county).
The weather was warm for our stay, in the 70s during the days, but the forecast was for a cold front approaching.
November 16
Wanting to cover some ground this day we left at 8 am and sailed on the Pamlico River, Pamlico Sound, more of the protected waterway, and then the Neuse River. The Neuse was good for us and we motor-sailed with just our jib at over 7 knots, enough to adjust our arrival to Oriental, NC, a few miles after Broad Creek where we had expected to anchor. We anchored just off of the Oriental Marina and the shrimp boat docks. Several boats we were familiar with were at the marina, so we joined them (GUST O’WIND from Canada and NECESSITY whose owner is from New Mexico) for dinner that night at the marina restaurant. It’s fun to compare notes with other cruisers and to find out where they’ve come from and where they’re headed.
The next day we walked to the post office where we picked up mail that our son Pete forwarded for us. We also stopped in a marine consignment shop (used guide books, boat parts, etc.) and a coffee shop back at the marina area.
Before we left we figured out that we have been 800 miles so far, from Cohasset, MA, and about 175 of those miles, so far, have been in North Carolina. Then we set sail and headed for our next destination, which turned out to be Beaufort, NC. We anchored off of Town Marina with several other boats. Artic cold is predicted and it was a cold night.
November 18
We stayed in our heated cabin longer than usual this morning, taking time to start this blog and send it out, along with other chores. The day promised to be cold and windy and it was. We only went about 8 miles and found a small creek entering the channel --Spooners Creek -- which had space to anchor and also was within walking distance from a large mall. We encountered one other boat anchored in the creek, Eric from Rhode Island (originally from Georgia), a young man who is sailing a 29’ boat alone down to Savannah and maybe to Fort Lauderdale. He was happy for company and we talked engines, families, trip experiences, etc. for a while in the afternoon and again in the early evening. It snowed today, fine blowing snow, for about 15 minutes. The next day we made up for the short miles of Tuesday by going through to New River Marina in Snead’s Ferry, NC. Every day is an adventure and today there were announcements of Navy ships, including an aircraft carrier and helicopters, off the coast that were conducting exercises, and we traveled through Camp Lejeune, a Marine base, where we watched several boats of trainees practicing their small boat handling including pulling up to the river banks and rooster-tail turns. We saw really good wildlife in this area as well, probably because there are no houses or other development here.
We were the only sailboat at the marina; there were showers here (the water was hot but not the room) and we fueled up and got water for our tanks. There is also a fairly well stocked marine store there. If you are curious about how we keep clean, we have a shower on our boat and the water is heated by our engine when it is running. We do our laundry ashore when we can find laundromats.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
The first weeks of our trip! I'll get caught up with my next post...
It’s the second week of November 2008 now, but to catch you up on how we got to this point here’s our recap:
Ken, brother Pete, and Pete’s friend Dave sailed from Cohasset to Block Island on October 8-10 stopping in Plymouth and Pocasset. Ken picked a good crew--two merchant marine engineers. In Block Island they were met by Heidi on Friday night and the next day Pete and Dave took the ferry back and Ken and Heidi continued across to Atlantic City, an overnight-plus sail that was relatively easy because of the warm weather and almost full moon. We had the company of several small birds that landed on our boat in the crossing and also two large woodpeckers (!!), one that flew right into our cabin and one that circled the boat.
From Atlantic City and a good night’s sleep at anchor in a creek in the marshes there we sailed to Cape May NJ and anther overnight. The following day we sailed up the Delaware River against the current, still with warm weather, to anchor behind the small island (Reedy Is.) just before the entrance to the C&D Canal.
We entered the C&D Canal -- in Delaware -- and it takes you to Maryland by mid-day. We stopped in Chesapeake City and had our first taste of the camaraderie of cruisers. We tied to a dock there and met a young couple from Canada who are planning to sail to New Zealand and a retired couple from upstate New York, headed to Stuart, Florida. We shared exploits and got some assistance with charts and the wifi network at the dock and “bonded”.
After two more days and stops in the Sassafras River in the upper Chesapeake Bay and Lake Ogleton outside of Annapolis we settled in Weems Creek just north of Spa Creek where the city of Annapolis is. The Bay is full of migrating birds and we got a sense of this in the Sassafras with the loud noise of flocks of geese.
Ken stayed with the boat for another week completing projects, until October 27th then flew home; Heidi traveled back by bus on October 19 to work for two more weeks. Ken was able to move the boat to a Navy mooring for the time between 10/17 and 11/2.
November 2
We’re back in Annapolis in Weems Creek. Pete helped us get here and will drive our truck back. To celebrate we all went to get steamed shrimp at a places called Heroes near here and we watched the Patriots game. The next day we are getting settled with all our gear. Pete stayed overnight on the boat and bought us a couple of bottles of wine for the trip before he left. We bought some new charts today and a guidebook to the Bahamas. BU had given me a gift certificate that we used toward these items.
Wed we left the Creek in drizzly weather and sailed across Chesapeake Bay to Little Choptank River to anchor for the night. It’s chilly so we have the cabin heater going for the evening before we go to bed. Today was Voting Day; we already voted with absentee ballots last month.
November 5
This morning we got the news that Obama had won. This is great and sets the tone for the rest of the day! It’s one of the days when we can sail without also using the engine to get us going at a decent speed. So with a double reef in the main and no other sails up we crossed the Bay again (it’s narrow here) in a very fast time and anchored in the Back River of Solomon’s Is. We saw many pelicans today, big birds compared to the other sea birds we see, and always fishing, flying low to the water or diving from about 30 ft. to scoop up fishin their big bill-pouch. Never knew that pelicans came to Maryland. The next day remained extremely windy so we decided to check out the museum in Solomon’s, called Calvert Marine Museum. It’s a well-run one, with many interesting exhibits. They also have a lighthouse on stilts that was moved there and is authentic to about 50 years ago. They take you on a guided tour of it. On Friday we left early with several other boats and found the weather better, calm wind and warming temperatures. That night we anchored in Antipoison Bay (John Smith was suppose to have received an antidote for a stingray bite from the Indians during a visit here). In south Chesapeake Bay. We sat out in the cockpit that night and watched the sun set. Pretty little spot.
On Saturday is was raining again; we headed out and the conditions turned nasty, wind right at us and waves making the trip uncomfortable. We didn’t go as far as we had planned, and took a chance on heading in to a narrow opening to a harbor half way to Norfolk, our ultimate destination. We had to thread our way in and then it opened up a bit and turned out to be a great place to anchor. Since it was early we dinghied to shore to a marina down further in the harbor (Horn Harbor) and walked around a bit. We found a couple loading their boat for a trip similar to ours, but they plan to be gone “a few years”! They nicely took off some time and volunteered to drive us to a pizza place they knew nearby and we also had drinks with them in their borrowed house next to the marina. The jeep ride to Matthews, VA was fun and the pizza was good and there was live folk music there to entertain us.
Sunday we left early from Horn Harbor and got to Norfolk, VA around mid-day. Inside Norfolk is where the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) starts, and it will be our “highway” to Florida for many weeks to come. Norfolt was strangely quiet, maybe because of being Sunday. We stopped at the city docks of Portsouth, across the river from Norfolk and then left to go under 3 bridges (only one had to be opened for us) and to the entrance to the Dismal Swamp Canal. Right before the first locks on the canal we tied to two posts and enjoyed the peaceful setting -- close river banks on either side, herons fishing nearby, and no other boats in sight. Today was one of the sunny days, which have been few and far between, but our foul-weather gear is keeping us fairly dry and warm.
Ken, brother Pete, and Pete’s friend Dave sailed from Cohasset to Block Island on October 8-10 stopping in Plymouth and Pocasset. Ken picked a good crew--two merchant marine engineers. In Block Island they were met by Heidi on Friday night and the next day Pete and Dave took the ferry back and Ken and Heidi continued across to Atlantic City, an overnight-plus sail that was relatively easy because of the warm weather and almost full moon. We had the company of several small birds that landed on our boat in the crossing and also two large woodpeckers (!!), one that flew right into our cabin and one that circled the boat.
From Atlantic City and a good night’s sleep at anchor in a creek in the marshes there we sailed to Cape May NJ and anther overnight. The following day we sailed up the Delaware River against the current, still with warm weather, to anchor behind the small island (Reedy Is.) just before the entrance to the C&D Canal.
We entered the C&D Canal -- in Delaware -- and it takes you to Maryland by mid-day. We stopped in Chesapeake City and had our first taste of the camaraderie of cruisers. We tied to a dock there and met a young couple from Canada who are planning to sail to New Zealand and a retired couple from upstate New York, headed to Stuart, Florida. We shared exploits and got some assistance with charts and the wifi network at the dock and “bonded”.
After two more days and stops in the Sassafras River in the upper Chesapeake Bay and Lake Ogleton outside of Annapolis we settled in Weems Creek just north of Spa Creek where the city of Annapolis is. The Bay is full of migrating birds and we got a sense of this in the Sassafras with the loud noise of flocks of geese.
Ken stayed with the boat for another week completing projects, until October 27th then flew home; Heidi traveled back by bus on October 19 to work for two more weeks. Ken was able to move the boat to a Navy mooring for the time between 10/17 and 11/2.
November 2
We’re back in Annapolis in Weems Creek. Pete helped us get here and will drive our truck back. To celebrate we all went to get steamed shrimp at a places called Heroes near here and we watched the Patriots game. The next day we are getting settled with all our gear. Pete stayed overnight on the boat and bought us a couple of bottles of wine for the trip before he left. We bought some new charts today and a guidebook to the Bahamas. BU had given me a gift certificate that we used toward these items.
Wed we left the Creek in drizzly weather and sailed across Chesapeake Bay to Little Choptank River to anchor for the night. It’s chilly so we have the cabin heater going for the evening before we go to bed. Today was Voting Day; we already voted with absentee ballots last month.
November 5
This morning we got the news that Obama had won. This is great and sets the tone for the rest of the day! It’s one of the days when we can sail without also using the engine to get us going at a decent speed. So with a double reef in the main and no other sails up we crossed the Bay again (it’s narrow here) in a very fast time and anchored in the Back River of Solomon’s Is. We saw many pelicans today, big birds compared to the other sea birds we see, and always fishing, flying low to the water or diving from about 30 ft. to scoop up fishin their big bill-pouch. Never knew that pelicans came to Maryland. The next day remained extremely windy so we decided to check out the museum in Solomon’s, called Calvert Marine Museum. It’s a well-run one, with many interesting exhibits. They also have a lighthouse on stilts that was moved there and is authentic to about 50 years ago. They take you on a guided tour of it. On Friday we left early with several other boats and found the weather better, calm wind and warming temperatures. That night we anchored in Antipoison Bay (John Smith was suppose to have received an antidote for a stingray bite from the Indians during a visit here). In south Chesapeake Bay. We sat out in the cockpit that night and watched the sun set. Pretty little spot.
On Saturday is was raining again; we headed out and the conditions turned nasty, wind right at us and waves making the trip uncomfortable. We didn’t go as far as we had planned, and took a chance on heading in to a narrow opening to a harbor half way to Norfolk, our ultimate destination. We had to thread our way in and then it opened up a bit and turned out to be a great place to anchor. Since it was early we dinghied to shore to a marina down further in the harbor (Horn Harbor) and walked around a bit. We found a couple loading their boat for a trip similar to ours, but they plan to be gone “a few years”! They nicely took off some time and volunteered to drive us to a pizza place they knew nearby and we also had drinks with them in their borrowed house next to the marina. The jeep ride to Matthews, VA was fun and the pizza was good and there was live folk music there to entertain us.
Sunday we left early from Horn Harbor and got to Norfolk, VA around mid-day. Inside Norfolk is where the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) starts, and it will be our “highway” to Florida for many weeks to come. Norfolt was strangely quiet, maybe because of being Sunday. We stopped at the city docks of Portsouth, across the river from Norfolk and then left to go under 3 bridges (only one had to be opened for us) and to the entrance to the Dismal Swamp Canal. Right before the first locks on the canal we tied to two posts and enjoyed the peaceful setting -- close river banks on either side, herons fishing nearby, and no other boats in sight. Today was one of the sunny days, which have been few and far between, but our foul-weather gear is keeping us fairly dry and warm.
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