Norfolk, VA

Deltaville, and the folks at Doziers were very nice, and we enjoyed our stay last night. They feature floating cement docks, complimentary coffee in the morning, magazine and book swap, huge TV in the lounge where we watched football last night, etc. The owners happen to be affiliated with the Doziers Waterway Guides, which we have relied on these past few months -- and have a big yacht named m/v Waterway Guides to prove it.

So Bill and I shoved off the dock in Deltaville around 8:45 this morning. We put the sails out and cruised along at about 7 knots for three hours or so before the wind died to less than 10 knots. We took the jib in but left the main out to steady ourselves since we were in very beamy seas. After lunch it got cold again (there is a trend here....) and the foul weather gear came out.

We proceeded to motorsail out of the Chesapeake Bay and into the Elizabeth River into Norfolk Virginia. We went by a carrier and submarines and saw F-15s and the new F-22s flying overhead. Norfolk is home to the Norfolk Naval Base, which is the largest naval base in the world.

We have decided that we are going to stay here through Friday morning. There is weather coming, and we are going to wait a few days before we enter the ICW. We are Tidewater Marina on the Elizabeth River, which is at Mile Marker 0 of the ICW. In the next few days, we will enter the ICW and travel down the Eastern Coast. The main thing that we are concerned about is a fixed 64 foot bridge. Mary Elizabeth's mast is 63 and 1/2 feet height -- not counting the wind vane. So... we are contemplating the pros and cons of the various routes (well, as the captain, Bill is contemplating the pros and cons of the various routes). The expected strong winds and rain will create waves, which will shorten the distance between the top of the mast and the bottom of the fixed bridge -- the main reason why we are going to hole up in Norfolk for a few days.

The adventure has begun!



For more pictures of Norfolk, click here.