Safe and sound in the Chesapeake
A year afloat: to the Caribbean and back
Sam and Alex Fortescue
Wed 8 Jun 2011 04:04
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36:50.62N
076:17.52W
It came right down to our last drop of diesel, but
after a long day of motoring through mirror-smooth water, we're finally moored
up in Norfolk, Virginia, in the US of A. Our immigration interview consisted of
a brief discussion as to the best joint for a beer from a distracted young
official. Total: 5 minutes. This is in spite of Alex still not being in
possession of a valid US passport. The official as much as said that the
procedure for dealing with small private boats was a waste of everyone's
time.
Another day of low wind resulted in our donking the
whole way from Hatteras. I'm thanking the little voice in my head which urged
the purchase of two further jerry cans of diesel in Nassau; without them, we'd
still be bobbing about gently in the anti-Gulf Stream 100 miles south. As it
was, the motor up the river to Norfolk was further than I'd realised, and we ran
pretty low. In order to conserve our last swigs of fuel, we found ourselves
tacking the last mile or so in the gathering gloom, past the looming hulks of
coal ships and the vertiginous silhouettes of naval vessels. We passed
submarines, aircraft carriers and nippy-looking frigates. As we wheeled into the
marina, six little Boston whalers mounted with huge cannon on the bow and
bristling with armed coastguards, fell in behind us, and appeared to escort us
in. They also moor in the marina here, which is no doubt a good sign,
making it less likely that some local lad will try to be off with the rigging in
the night.
Bubbling with relief at having made it without
mishap, we marched to the next door Hooters bar for beers and burgers. An old
friend of Graham's, called Billy, rocked up for a brief pint - just long enough
to invite us to his cafe round the corner at Virginia Beach. Then Graham's wife
Irene arrived with a friend from LA for another brief pint, before whisking away
into the night with Graham and his things for the hour drive back to their home
in Richmond. They just had time to clamber onto Summer Song and poke their heads
into the malodorous cabin below. Irene charmingly declared that Summer Song was
in excellent shape for a boat that had been at sea for a week. In truth, this is
thanks to a marathon tidying session by First Mate Biffle as we ploughed up the
Chesapeake this afternoon.
Tomorrow we'll shower - yes, shower! The first
on-land shower since Varadero, and the first with warm water since Nanny Cay
in the BVI. That was in late March.
After that, the sky is the limit, but we'll
probably fill up with diesel and fresh food and potter north for a quieter
anchorage.
A mangrove in the Exumas, Bahamas
  Graham at the tiller...
 Alex in her new berth, tucked in with a
lee-cloth
 Swimming in Flat Calm No.1
 Flat Calm No.2
 Cooking breakfast in the Gulf Stream
 More Flat Calm
 Rare bit of Slightly Ruffled Sea
 More Flat Calm in the Norfolk River... with
aircraft carriers
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