October 25-26, 2014 Norfolk,VA to Coinjock,NC

Leaving Tidewater Marina

It was a sunny, calm day Saturday and we didn't rush to leave.  Basically we left around 11 since we only had about 10 miles until we reached Top Rack Marina down the Elizabeth River.

It's always apparent how much we've forgotten when we've been away from the boat for awhile.  We had just turned out of the marina basin when the navigation system died because the inverter tripped due to an overload condition.  I forgot to shut down the battery charger and hot water heater.  That was a fun 5 minutes slowly moving down the river with 2 barges coming at us and a large motor yacht trying to pass us while I was running up and down trying to follow the re-set sequencing.

Eisenhower, Warship #69

But it all came back up and we enjoyed a leisurely trip down the river, past the navy yard and then a commercial shipping port.

How they got the Eisenhower in this berth is a mystery but there it was looking all freshly painted.

I am struck by this interesting change of attitude we go through whenever we are in one place for over a week..  We arrive at a destination and stay for a few days and are consumed with a desire to leave.  Then we settle in and enjoy the place with no thoughts of leaving.  Soon after we enter the squatter stage where the place feels like home because we've gotten so familiar with the area.  Then are faced with having to leave and a pall of reluctance settles in and it takes a concentrated effort to get ready to depart.  But once we're moving again all is at it should be.

We ended up as the last boat in a 5 boat flotilla moving through the Gilmerton Bridge and a mile beyond that several of the sailboats hung a right to enter the Dismal Swamp Canal which we took  coming up here a few months ago.

Tied up at Top Rack Marina

Top Rack is located right next to Dominion Boulevard Steel Bridge and there was a gaggle of boats all waiting to go through the bridge (it opens on the hour).  We had to thread our way through them to the fuel dock at Top Rack.  We fueled  up, pumped out and moved the boat over two slips where we were to tie up for the night.  Meanwhile the bridge opened and the long line of boats went through.

A few hours later another Looper boat came in and tied up right next to us.  We ended up talking and later went to the bar and dinner with them.  Great couple, John and Debbie who, it turns out know Bob and Carole who we met in Marathon.  Small world.

We intended on leaving early enough to make the 9am bridge opening.  I thought all the boat traffic trying to get through the bridge at the 8am opening would jostle us awake.

No, we had to go through the small (blue) lift bridge.

And we really were jostled awake around 8am and made it off the dock right before 9am.  This time we were right in the thick of the group of boats waiting for the bridge opening.

We had to idle in front of Steel bridge for about 5 minutes but all made it through.  (The new, higher Steel Bridge will be in operation by 2017).

 We motored quickly to Great Bridge Lock where, luckily, we were directed to the south lock wall which has all rubber railings so we didn't need finders.  15 boats squeezed into the Lock.

Great Bridge Lock and our locking companions 

The precipitous drop of 1.3 feet took all of 5 minutes and then, as a group, we  headed for Great Bridge, Bridge which has an opening schedule synced with the Great Bridge Lock.  And it opened up after a short wait so all 15 boats paraded through.

The parade out of the Lock to the Bridge

Made it through the last of the swing bridges

There are two other bridges we had to negotiate.  Both are swing bridges and in order to make both of the openings we had to boogie ... like 9.5 mph!  I usually never go nearly that fast except when we need to blow out the engines a little, and this was as good a time as any.  So we boogied.   And made both bridge openings, the last only by the benevolent nature of the bridge tender (and lack of traffic.  It was a Sunday).

The rest of the day we cruised at a comfortable 7.5 mph through parts of Currituck Sound and then on to Coinjock Bay.  Mary gets annoyed when boats pass us.  I dont and usually wave and ask where they're going.

And we were passed.  By several boats, some even sailboats.  Well, I should qualify this.  Sailboats usually motor and dont sail especially in these waters.  So we were passed by motoring sailboats, not sailing sailboats.

Running across Currituck Sound with company

We did have an encounter with 2 Sea Ray boats about 30-40 feet long.  They just came up out of no where and zoomed by us throwing up a huge wakes.  If I hadn't heard them and abruptly turned into the wakes we'd have had  quite a mess on our hands.  No radio call, and they didn't answer the radio either.  Complete buffoons. They waked all the boats up the line too.  Had they stopped here in at the marina in Coinjock with the rest of us there would have been confrontations  I'm pretty sure.

Coinjock Marina

We came in to Coinjock Marina along with several of the boats that had passed us or we heard on the radio.  The marina is basically just a long, long dock.  It's always fun to walk up and down the docks and have a conversations with these folks.

 And much to Mary's delight there is an abundance of dogs here including ones we knew as puppies last year when we came through here.  Black labs, equipped with a tennis ball which you were required to throw so they could go fetch it.  Even in the water.  Pretty funny.

We are having dinner here (Prime Rib.  Hey, its the recommended entree of choice!).  And I suppose the bar will have the Packer game so ...  Uh Oh.  No game at the bar, but it is on of our satellite stations.

Very clear night with a beautiful quarter moon shinning on the silhouette of the full moon.  Neat.

We are very tightly packed on the dock so the extraction process tomorrow morning will be entertaining.  And we'll be participating!