We finally hooked up with our friends Rich and Jan on Slip Away at Hospital Point anchorage. This is a nice spot right across from downtown Norfolk and is also near Mile Marker 0 of the Intercostal Waterway (ICW). They had a friend nearby that was giving them a ride to pick up their life raft that was recently inspected so we had a day to ourselves to explorer Norfolk. I wouldn't call it a vacation destination but we really like Norfolk. Right on the waterfront is a very nice nautical museum and the Battle Ship Wisconsin, which he had toured on a previous visit.

We walked around and Rich had mentioned that there was a General MacArthur Museum a couple blocks away, so we decided to explore. We spent a couple hours in there and loved it. We both learned a lot about WWII and what an impressive man he was.

We walked around a nice mall and found a book store to explore for a while. Then off to find lunch on the waterfront. They have a nice food court with several nice restaurants attached and we found an all you can eat Chinese Buffet. We have both been watching our weight pretty close and Debbie did good, but I pigged out and boy did I enjoy that.

We got and early start the next day to head South but not a great day to do this part of the passage for two reasons. First it was windy. This part of the ICW has a lot of bridges and a lock. So when you are waiting for a bridge to open along with 10+ other boats and the wind is blowing everyone around it gets a little dicey at times. Secondly, everyone else thought this was a good day to go so we had a lot of company. In fact, there were so many boats that when we arrived at the Great Bridge Lock there was no room for us on the first round so we had to wait almost an hour for the next opening. Everyone knows how much I like waiting, poor Debbie.

We ended up anchoring just south of Coinjock, NC at Buck Island. A nice big anchorage protected from the North winds we were experiencing and enjoyed a nice dinner with Rich and Jan.