We spent three nights in Portsmouth, which is right across the river from Norfolk. They have a ferry service that runs between the two towns which is quite convenient to Tidewater Marina, where we stayed.
I have to tell you I was having my doubts about how nice it was going to be in the area while we were going down the Elizabeth River, as it is a really industrial shoreline and very, very Naval! I can't tell you how many warships, aircraft carriers and Navy Police boats we saw. The latter ones make sure you don't get too close to the other ones, and at one point they were watching us very closely!!
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| Naval Shipyards along the shore |
But once we went around a bend, it became much more like a city, and looked very nice from the shore. There are not many marinas on the Norfolk side, and it turns out Portsmouth was a quieter, quaint town.
The marina had a nice restaurant with a patio overlooking the river and since it was such a warm day, we met Bob and Sheila there for Happy Hour, along with another couple, Lana and Robert, who are also heading south on their boat "Our Diamond", which is so funny because Bob and Sheila's boat is called "Her Diamond". What are the chances?
We went to the Farmers Market and walked around town on Saturday morning, enjoying the nice shops and antique stores. Saturday afternoon Hugh and I Ubered over to a grocery store to restock, and then we went out for dinner at Legends Brewpub, which was within walking distance of the marina to celebrate his birthday, which was Sunday.
Sunday morning was chores, including laundry and taking down the instruments on top of the mast to get ready for the 65 foot bridges we are going to encounter going down the ICW. Every inch helps!! In case you don't know, our mast is 64'4" ... which is very close. Brave Hugh got winched up the mast to take everything down, with me at the controls. Since it was his birthday, I didn't leave him up there!!! Bob and Sheila gathered a few people from the marina and brought them over to the boat to sing "Happy Birthday" to him from the dock! He was suitably embarrassed!
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| Hugh at the top of our mast |
Sunday afternoon we took the ferry across to Norfolk and went to the Nauticus Naval Museum, where the warship Wisconsin, which served in WW2, the Korean war and the Gulf wars is moored. You can tour all though the ship, which was quite interesting.
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| Wisconsin |
We walked around Historic Olde Towne, then found a brewery for a beer. Dinner was back across the river to finish off Hugh's birthday celebration.
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| Hughs' Birthday Celebration |
We decided to get going Monday and start heading down the ICW. Bob and Sheila are unfortunately having more engine problems so they stayed on in Portsmouth, waiting for a mechanic to come. Our first 65 foot bridge was successfully negotiated (see Hughs previous post) and we continued on to Great Bridge, where they have a free dock for a few boats. Luckily there was space for one more, as with the time change, its getting dark so much earlier, and we arrived just at sunset. Just after dinner I was talking to my Mom and I saw these big lights passing by the boat. It was a cruise ship!! I guess they have canal size cruise ships like in Europe that go up and down the ICW!
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| Amerincan Spirit Cruise Ship |
Tuesday morning we set off, under two more bridges (boy, is it ever hard to see if we are going to get under the opening from the boat, until suddenly you are under it!!) to Coinjock Marina. This marina is just one very, very long dock with boats tied up nose-to-tail. They are known for their restaurant and the prime rib, so of course we had to try it!
Today is rainy, windy and gross, so we are sitting at the dock having a very productive day of chores. We are nice and cozy down here with our heater going. We will see what tomorrow brings, its not supposed to be much better.
The next jump is across Albermarle Sound, which they say can be pretty nasty when it is windy because it is so shallow, so we will have to time when we go. Plus we are hoping that Bob and Sheila will catch up to us. Its just not the same without our Boat Buddies!
So we need to keep going south, away from that cold winter weather! We are already in North Carolina, with about 850 miles to get to Florida.
We are on our way ... one day at a time!
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