Wahoo!!! We're in Norfolk!!

Yesterday was a long day, but we arrived at the Waterside Marina in Norfolk at sunset! NOAA had a gale warning out, starting at 6:00 PM, so we were just minutes from that. Winds were forecast to gust to 40 knots, so we opted for a marina, rather than anchoring out. This is a well-protected spot, and right in downtown Norfolk, with lots to do. We caught up on some housekeeping chores today, and plan to visit Nauticus and the Naval museum tomorrow morning before heading south down the ICW. This is a real high point for us to be here! It is a busy city, with lots of big ships and naval traffic, unlike anywhere else we have been.

Our trip from Solomon's to Reedville was certainly interesting. There is a Navy firing range south of Solomon's. We starting hearing the Navy contacting boats that were underway, asking them to alter course to move out of target range. We were not contacted, but we heard 5 or 6 calls to other boats. Then, KABOOM!!! there was definitely some heavy artillery being tested. Four times the charges went off! Rather awesome, to say the least. Colby didn't like it at all. Just when we got him calmed down from one charge, the next one went off! We spent the night on the dock at a small marina in Reedville. Unfortunately, the restaurant at the dock was closed, but we enjoyed wine and snacks in Ishmael's cockpit, while Ben was working hard to fish for crabs!

The next day was a short travel day, to Deltaville. We went in on the north side, off the Rappahannock River, and stayed at Walden's Marina, for $.75/foot for the night. Definitely the least expensive marina we have stayed in! Only problem was that we ran aground 3 times exiting the channel the next morning! Good thing it was just mud.....We were underway at 6:45AM, as we knew it would be a long way to Norfolk.

And a long way it was. We started out with good winds, about 15 knots and we actually sailed with no motor for a while, making 6.2 knots. Lovely!!! Then the wind started to decrease and so did our speed, so we motorsailed. After a while we rolled up the jib, as it wasn't helping, but we had some help from the main most of the day. Once we got to the Norfolk area, it took 3 hours to get to our destination. With the current we slowed to 3.2 knots for a while, until we entered the Elizabeth River, then we were suddenly up to 6.2 knots. Colby was VERY happy to get ashore after a 10.5 hour travel day!!

We continue to average about 10 nautical miles or more per gallon, so fuel is not a big expense. So far we have traveled 640 nautical miles (736 statute miles).

We have added a galley strap for cooking underway, as we often want a hot lunch while traveling on cold days. Dick does most of the driving, and sometimes by the end of the day he can't feel his fingers anymore! Karen does the navigating and provides those hot lunches, as well as an occasional break for the helmsman. Colby sleeps a lot, and springs to life as soon as we are at a dock or anchored. He is a wonderful companion, and makes lots of friends where ever we go. While he can't wait to get off the boat at the end of the day, he is always in a hurry to get back on as well! Our mailman, Steve, sends us our mail when we call him with an address, and provides moral support as well!