36:51.14N 076:17.87W
We pulled up the anchor at 6am ready for a long last day to Norfolk. Our first bit of excitement came at 0559 when we went up on deck and Mike looked for the channel marker post that had been closest to us when we dropped anchor the night before. Nowhere to be seen. We then noticed that the large barge, also at anchor was considerably closer. We had dragged our anchor through the mud overnight. By over half a mile. Crikey.
That we did this without either of us, especially Mike, waking up can only show how tired we must have been. Mike always sleeps with one eye open and usually disturbs at the slightest sound or movement.
That we did this without hitting the bottom, albeit gently, is fortunate. We had picked our spot to be somewhere where the depth was not very much, but was at least consistently not very much rather than rapidly dropping to not enough.
Upside is that the mud had exfoliated our anchor chain a treat and it looked a lot better for the experience.
Then on through more cold and wet, by now we were both in full oilskins and woollies, to the edge of Norfolk. But first a lock. Not to move us up or down but simply to control the throughput of water into the ICW. Delightful lockkeeper had time for a chat while we waited for the gates to open. Wet weather and thunderstorms forecast apparently.
We are just about getting used to the southern drawl but still find it difficult to follow what people are saying on the radio sometimes which means we have to ask for messages to be repeated while we pull quizzical faces at each other, mouthing what we think may just have been said until we work it out.
Things started to get pretty industrial which was fascinating and reminded us both of a trip we had done with Mum a few years ago on a Mersey ferry along the Manchester Ship Canal. We arrived at this rail bridge at one of the few times it was closed. We heard the hooting of the train from way off and watched it lumber over the bridge before we lost count of the number of waggons it was pulling. Then up goes the rail bridge quickly followed by the adjacent road bridge. Not just for us though, there was a trawler waiting to come through from the other side. |
We knew there were US Navy boatyards and docks in Norfolk but we hadn’t expected the sheer number that we passed. They were all protected by sea fences and barricades as anti-terrorist measures. Through the gloom we saw that one had two small boats sitting in front with blue lights flashing. We got the message and kept our distance but just to be sure one motored alongside us to make sure we stayed well away while we were passing. No idea what was special about that particular warship. 
|
Not just US Navy ships though, there were cargo ships and tankers to dodge as well…….. |
We quickly learnt that, while the ships themselves can only keep a steady course, the tugs can dart about here, there and everywhere so are much more unpredictable. A sharp lookout was maintained. |
We were heading for a slip looked after by Gary Naigle and Greta Gustavson who offered their facilities to Ocean Cruising Club members in exchange for a bottle of wine for the owner of the slip. We had pictured something industrial and functional given the location in downtown Norfolk between the Maritime museum complete with the USS Wisconsin and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) headquarters. Wrong. It was charming. A small condominium building where each resident had a slip in the attached, private, marina. We stepped out of the gate onto a leafy cobbled street; the cobbles having originally come from England as ballast in ships. Greta and Gary were fantastically hospitable which started with them standing out in the rain to help us berth and then set off to find a (very long) fishing net to recover a small but critical piece of wood that had pinged off the pulpit (front of the boat) as we came in. (The observant will now be wondering what we hit and how hard in order for a small piece of wood to come flying off. We tapped a wooden post on the jetty at just the right angle to ping the piece of wood off. No other damage. Only a tap. That’s all) Another 14 hour, cold wet day so we decided to stay put for 24 hours and at least stretch our legs but hopefully dry out a bit. Excellent decision. Also staying were Rob and Sarah with Seraphina of New Maldon. We hadn’t met them before but remembered their yacht from Marmaris and more recently Antigua. They invited us for dinner along with Gary and Greta the next night and we had a tremendous time with them. Hopefully our tracks will cross again. But back to our day in Norfolk. A gentle day with a bit of an explore of the leafy lanes and lovely old buildings in the area. Unfortunately the fabulous Maritime Museum is closed on Mondays so we will have to do that on our way back. We ventured into a shopping mall in search of a SIM card for our mobile phone so that we can make calls within the US at local rates rather than international roaming rates. That was a bit like venturing into a foreign land after so long in very quiet places. During the day the US Environmental Protection Agency Ship – ‘Bold’ moved and came in right behind us. 
This meant that what had been a very tight berth to get in to became a very, very, very tight berth to get out of. Gary was most put out and immediately got on the case. The ships’ captain said they had access 60 metres out from their quay. Gary said they couldn’t possibly have because that would have obliterated the condominiums entire marina. What’s more he had the original plans to prove it. In the interests of neighbourliness the captain said she would put a small boat in the water when we were ready to leave and help us to make the turn. More on the next blog. |
