Navy Land
30 October 2007 | Norfolk, VA
Mike
Tuesday...Deltaville to Norfolk
We left our anchorage early... around 7:30, which is daylight here. After winding our way out of the river, we joined a train of four sailboats heading south ... the wind was on the nose for the second day in a row and since there were no convenient stop offs, we motored into the waves again. The wind died from 25 knots to about five and the water flattened out for about three hours and then as we approached Norfolk, it picked up to about 30... but without much fetch, it wasn't a problem.
We arrived at Hampton Roads at about 3:30. On the way down we passed all the rivers that McClellan used in his first bungled attempt at the South . . . and Yorktown where we accidentally won the revolutionary war. History is everywhere around here.... Hampton Roads is a huge expanse of water. I was of the opinion that it was a place where a number of tributaries came together before emptying into the Bay ... but no way. The place is measured in miles. We entered and turned south after about two miles..and couldn't see the west end of the area. After turning south we motored past the US Navy. Again, the slips and dry dock area were miles in length. There were old aircraft carriers and new boats with stealth technology that look a little weird. I forgot to mention that while on our way down the Bay today, we were entertained by whales (I don't know what kind yet) dolphins, and two US Navy Hover Craft that were about 100 feet long and were flying around all afternoon. My guess is that they can hit at 60 knots.
The anchorage is on the Elizabeth River in downtown Norfolk. It's called Hospital Point and is fine except for the boat traffic makes things a little rolly. Hospital Point is also mile 0 of the ICW. The first 8 miles of the intracoastal is through town with 2 bridges that need to be opened for us to pass. Then we are faced with the choice of the Virginia Cut or the Dismal Swamp which was a ditch partially built by G. Washington to log off parts of the swamp that he bought for next to nothing. It is now a nature preserve and has been recommended by some people whom we listen to...
Kathy called the North Carolina Visitor's Center on the Dismal Swamp today because there is some question of water levels due to drought conditions in this area of the country. They have reduced the lock openings to twice a day but say that there is enough water for us. It is supposed to be rainy for a few days so I am not sure that we'll leave here tomorrow or Thursday. We also need some fuel and water before we hit the ICW.