Cruising to Far-Away Places -- Mostly Warm!

We arrived in Hampton VA yesterday after a three- day trek up the ICW from Oriental. For the most part, this section of the ICW is undeveloped and winds its way through North Carolina coastal marshes. Lots of wildlife....osprey, heron, turtles, deer... Quite a leisurely and enjoyable stretch. Best not to be on a schedule... The opening of the Great Bridge lock was delayed two hours as divers cleaned up debris. Another bridge opening was delayed for maintenance. No problem for us but the commercial tugs and barges were antsy.

All that slow pace and natural wilderness stuff goes to hell-in-a-hand- basket as you approach the Elizabeth River and Norfolk VA. All manner of dredges, cranes, and massive conveyor belts along with requisite piles of sand, coal, and gravel line the upper part of the river. The Navy yards are chock-a-block with battleships, cruisers, support vessels, and an array of crazy looking stealth Navy Seal speed boats.

Hampton Yacht Club is our home while here. We tied up and hosed off the boat. The pine pollen from the ICW washed off the boat in yellow-brown streams. The telltale ICW mustache in that same yellow-brown hue follows the shape of the bow wake on the hull. The only way to remove the stain in any sort of Eco-friendly way is to spray it with lemon juice (50-50 concentrated lemon juice and water)... A trick we learned from John Stadelmann on Moonstruck years ago. So Altair got its first of several lemon baths.

We are looking forward to seeing friends here for a few days before starting up the Bay