Back Home in Deltaville

Anxious to return to our home port of Deltaville, we were up early and departed Waterside Marina at 6:30 am. The wind was light and getting out of the tight quarters was much easier than getting in had been on Sunday.

Commercial traffic was also in full gear by fist light. Tugs, barges, water taxis, Navy patrol boats, and container ships were all active and sharing the same waters as we headed down the Elizabeth River to Hampton Roads and the Chesapeake Bay. Everyone plays nicely together and there is no need to stress about an approaching container ship, but you still get a rush when a megaship passes by, dwarfing your boat.

We had an uneventful trip up the Bay. We were joined in a small convoy by three other Loop boats. Our newly-installed solar panel took full advantage of the clear skies and bright sunshine to keep our batteries topped off. We successfully navigated the minefields of crabpots which seemed to be in deeper water than ever before. I was able to conduct my lookout from Fiberglass Beach (the bow) and catch a few rays at the same time.

The flies were plentiful and annoying, but not of the biting variety that we typically see later in the summer. We both had our flyswatters and quickly amassed a pile of trophies. We had a visit from Eddie the Stinkbug, but I gently picked him up and set him free in the breeze.

We passed the NOAA buoy and rounded Stingray Point light to enter the Rappahannock River and took a quick turn to port into Broad Creek. We laughed about having no ice this time as the tempearture at 2:00 was in the mid-80s. We pumped out without event then put Crossroads into her slip where she'll be for the next two weeks. We'll move plenty of "stuff" both on and off, while getting as many of our remaining projects done prior to our official Loop departure date. The time will fly by.