Cruising Down Memory Lane

Great Bridge to Hampton  |  4.5 Hours  |  22.1 Miles  

The time change had us out of sorts, but we were up for the first daylight opening of the Great Bridge bridge. Barry called ahead to make sure the lock was operating on normal schedule. It had been closed yesterday because of high water. At 7:50 I began removing our dock lines and fenders and we pulled away from the free dock in front of the Great Bridge Battlefield & Waterways History Foundation museum which was still illuminated by night lights. Crossroads eased through the open bridge spans and moved forward into the lock. We had the chamber to ourselves for the one foot lift. 

We exited into the Elizabeth River and enjoyed a pleasant ride. This route is familiar, but always offeres something new. The marine radio was busy with Coast Guard securite announcements. Soon after our departure we heard that the Norfolk Southern Railroad Bridge #7 would be closing to allow for train passage. No worries, that train would be gone by the time we arrived. Not long thereafter, a notice came of the Great Bridge Lock being closed because of high water. We had escaped just in time. Veterans Bridge came into view around a bend and marked the entrance into industrial development. We rounded another bend and discovered the Old Number 7 was still down and closed to traffic. A call to the tender told us there would be a 15 minute wait. Thirty minutes later, we were still holding station. Then we saw that the earlier train was making its way back across the river, caboose first. It seemed to be the longest train ever.

Eventually the horn sounded and the span was raised to permit our passage. As we passed through, the significant damage to the fenders was apparent. The repairs for a boat running into it will have the bridge closed tomorrow. We breezed through Railroad Bridge #5 shortly before it was closed for a train. We were rolling and enjoying the views in favorable light. The towering Jordan Bridge was busy with pedestrians and vehicle traffic. 

As we passed through Portsmouth on the left, we spotted an old friend in the marina. SaltyMare, a Selene 53, was the pride and joy of Susie and Todd who we were fortunate enough to visit with twice during this trip. The beautiful boat now has another great family to carry on adventures. To the right, was Norfolk Waterside with their colorful welcome mural which brought back many memories. Cranes began sprouting up on the horizon as we neared the cargo terminals. Stacks and more stacks of trailers were ready to receive offloaded containers. The Zim Mount Kilimanjaro was docked along with two "smaller" ships. The ship was built in 2023 and sails under the flag of Hong Kong. You know it is BIG when the length is measured in miles. It was listed on AIS as being .2 nautical miles long which is roughly 1,200 feet, or 10 football fields including the end zones. 

The closer we got to the open exposure of Hampton Roads, the breezier it became and the choppier the water got. Crossroads took several good saltwater sprays and I chose to observed the aircraft carriers at the Navy base from the comfort of the pilothouse. The USS Bainbridge (DDG-96), a guided missile destroyer, was inbound to the base and its helper tug was waiting for its arrival. Smaller craft met us at the entrance to the Hampton River. Several sailing dinghies were out in the stiff breeze exhibiting more nerve than I would ever have. This one sailor spent more time bailing with his red bucket than he did piloting. We pulled up to the Bluewater Marina fuel dock just as we did way back on December 30. The marina was closed so we just tied up ourselves. I gave myself the customary dockhand tip. A mallard couple came by to welcome us. 

I watched two exciting conference finals before we went for a walk around the neighborhood. The houses we last saw when they were decorated for Christmas now featured the wonderful blooms of spring. It was a welcome sight. As much as I love spending time in The Bahamas, I've always missed springtime in Virginia. Now if we can just do something about the cold temperatures and this incessant wind. The gusts built all afternoon and dark clouds moved in behind the Hampton University bell tower. Tomorrow will be another blustery day so we'll hang out here and wait for the Chesapeake Bay conditions to improve before moving north.