Boats of Every Description

A cruise through Norfolk is a boat-lover's dream. What a wonderland of ships! I think we saw everything except Noah's Ark! The day began as we left Atlantic Yacht Basin before sunrise and ended at Deltaville early in the afternoon.  It was an exciting ride!

Leaving the dock at Atlantic Yacht Basin

Larry and Elke on Bajan Speed pulling away from the dock as the sky picks up some color.

Waiting for the 0600 opening of the Great Bridge Bridge

Bajan Speed passing under the Great Bridge Bridge

That is not a typo- this bridge is actually called the Great Bridge Bridge. It carries Battlefield Boulevard across the Albemarle and Chesapeake Canal in Chesapeake, VA. This was the scene of a battle between colonists and British soldiers in 1775. The British hoped to choke off supplies to Norfolk by capturing this strategic bridge, but the colonists drove the troops back and held the bridge. The original wooden bridge was 10 feet wide- the modern version is 4 lanes wide. Immediately after this bridge is the Great Bridge Lock- no photos since I have to hold a line while locking through.

A small tug passing our stern

These tow boats look a bit different than the ones we are used to on the Mississippi.

These are parts of a bridge being built

A railroad bridge opening to allow us to pass under it. There is a car bridge behind it.

So many bridges!

Aircraft carrier in Norfolk

Norfolk

Navy ship

Notice how tiny the man is just above the dome.

Red tugs- these help steer big ships in the harbor

Waterside in Norfolk

Bajan Speed in front of a carrier

Sailboats at anchor 

Really big guns

More of Norfolk 

Loading a container ship

Cargo ships

More Navy ships

Looking through our windows at a cargo ship- we gave him a wide berth!

We are out of the shipping channels and into the Chesapeake

We are docked in Deltaville, VA

Little River, SC and Southport, NC

We spent 3 nights at the Myrtle Beach Yacht Club in Little River, SC. We enjoyed several great meals with friends Andy and Julie and Hot Tomato, Crab Catchers, and the Flying Fish restaurants. The Myrtle Beach area has sooo many restaurants- I think it's possible to eat in a different one every night of the year! We took advantage of this stopover to retrieve our van from Andy and Julie and drive it to New Bern, where we are headed.

We had a great meal here with friends Andy and Julie in Little River

Our friends have a great view of the ICW from their condo

We moved on to Southport, NC, and met up with more Looper buddies- Robert and Kay, and Patsy. We met some new friends, Harry and Karen. Good times!

Lighthouse near Southport

Southport

Sunrise

Early morning shrimping

The shoaling at New River Inlet was the worst that we have seen so far in our travels. We were within about 45 minutes of low tide and saw 2 boats that had just run aground. Mark radioed a boat that we knew was half an hour ahead of us for advice. We made it through the Inlet with no problem but there was some nail biting involved. 

Our next stop was the anchorage at Mile Hammock Bay near Camp LeJeune.  This was our first day of brand new territory on the Loop- from here on, it's a new path for us!

Red Sky in Morning- Sailor Take Warning

I will not pooh-pooh this old adage again! We left Morningstar Marina on St. Simon's Island just before sunrise yesterday. Three different weather/wind web sites promised 1-2 foot seas with light winds all day. It seemed like a perfect day to cruise on the  "outside"- in the Atlantic Ocean. Doing so  saves time and miles, and avoids the shallow, tide-challenged cuts common in Georgia. Little Mud River, Fields Cut, and Hell Gate, to name a few, are nearly impassable at low tide for our 4' draft.

So we merrily untied our lines and left the marina oohing and ahhing at the beautiful sunrise.

What a gorgeous sunrise!

Lovely!

Before conditions deteriorated

Just a few hours later the waves were 4-6 feet with occasional 8-10 footers. In case you were wondering, the trip was no longer enjoyable!! How could a day that started so gloriously go so wrong so quickly?? We were bouncing around like a beebee in a boxcar. No more photos- I needed both hands and both feet just to stay in my seat, as did Mark. We were bounced, pummeled, and beaten up for the next 6 hours or so. It was impossible to do another other than hang on. It seemed like the torture would never end. It was our most unpleasant day ever in 5 years of cruising.

Mara Beel performed like the champ she is- to be expected from an Ocean Alexander. (FYI- we are not going to buy another boat with "ocean" in its name.) Anyway, she handled the waves perfectly and the auto pilot held us on course with no issues. I hope we are never in waves that big again. Fortunately we were not bothered by sea sickness. The biggest casualty was the 5 bottles of beer that exploded in the cooler. In the cabin, things were scattered about, but not damaged. The outside of the boat was caked in salt- it went all the way up to the bridge. I know this is true because I got salt spray in my face through a tiny opening we had unzipped in the Isenglass.  Mark said this was the only time he wanted a bigger boat.

We were about 5 miles offshore, and came in Calibogue Sound and got back on the ICW. We spent the night at Windmill Harbor Marina on Hilton Head. Whew! We had lots to clean up but what a relief to be off the open sea!

Windmill Harbor is surrounded by beautiful homes.

The entrance to Windmill Harbor is through a lock.

So Excited to be Back on Mara Beel

We didn't expect to be land lubbers for 7 months, but our return was delayed by Hurricane Matthew 2 weeks before we were due to come back. Our boat was not affected but nearby marinas were damaged, and the ICW was filled with debris. So we waited until after Christmas to head south. Mara Beel was wonderfully cared for at St. Marys Boat Services- a great boatyard with friendly folks. We splashed at noon on January 5th and immediately headed over to Amelia Island marina, just a few miles away.

All boat systems were working properly, so yesterday we motored on down to St. Augustine. To avoid low tide, we left at 0615 in the dark, with me standing on the bow with a powerful Marine Beam flashlight for the next hour. What a terrific flashlight! Even so, we were happy when the sun appeared and the flashlight could be stowed.

The beautiful red sunrise accurately predicted storms later.

We enjoyed an easy cruise to St. Augustine and Rivers Edge Marina- this is our third stay here. Friends Connie and Joe on Chesapeake are here- good to connect with them again. St. Augustine is my favorite town- it's just so beautiful, historic, and interesting. Today, January 7, is St. Augustine's winter this year. No doubt spring will arrive tomorrow!

We spent the evening and much of today shuttling our van from St. Marys to Fort Pierce since it was too stormy to cruise.  We met brand new friends on Shingebiss- Liz and Steve. When we returned to our boat Mark worked on a sump pump, bilge pump, heating system, and reluctant genset. All were easily set right and are working fine.  Which means the next time he needs to tighten a bolt it will be a 45 minute job! Karma.

Saw this shrimp boat coming up the San Sebastian River right past us- birds definitely love it!

We will make our way to our winter home in Fort Myers during the next week or so.

Cruising Again

We pulled out of Fort Pierce yesterday morning after a pleasant 3-week stay. We enjoyed our time here with numerous friends and activities, but we are excited to be cruising again. We are headed north with good friends Pam and John on Short Vacation. Today's trip was lovely, perfect weather for our 55-mile run to one of our favorite anchorages on the Banana River. By the way, we've added a link to our web page which you can use to see our exact location on a map- the link is near the top left corner of this page.

Much of our route today followed the Indian River section of the Intracoastal Waterway. The tide line- where the Indian River and the Fort Pierce Inlet waters meet- is clearly visible. The river water is much browner than the Atlantic.

Not sure what there folks in their rubber overalls are doing.

This plane is spraying for mosquitoes- hoping to keep the Zika virus away??

I enjoy watching the pelicans scout the water and then dive headfirst to grab (or miss) a fish.

Searching....

Searching...

Diving..

Splash!

This is our third overnight stay in this anchorage, and there are several reasons why we like it so well: first, we pass through a swing bridge named Mathers Bridge just south of us. Second, its a protected, quiet spot. Wind doesn't bother us in here. Third, free entertainment. This area is heavily used by rowers in every size boat from single person to 20 rowers and a coxswain. Schools here have crew teams, and rowing clubs are abundant. We love to watch the rowers, who range in age from children to people our age.

And then there are the beautiful sunrises, like this morning's.

We love being surrounded by nature's beauty!