Belhaven to Hampton | 11.1 Hours | 63.9 Miles
The anchor was up with the sun and we were soon in the North River, cruising toward Coinjock. Along the way we enjoyed the moment someone yelled, "Fish On." Beyond Coinjock we crossed the Currituck Sound. We once again lucked out and had perfect conditions for crossing a large stretch of open water. It was still chilly outside and all these early photos were taken through the windows as we enjoyed the warmth of the enclosed pilothouse. An osprey was perched on my favorite fallen tree, while another pair tended a small nest on a day marker. I am always in awe of the perfect symmetry and beautiful proportions of the small pines growing all alone at the edge of the water. High overhead in a mature pine, a bald eagle sat quietly on its nest. The bright white of its head was the only clue to its presence.
By noon we had moved into the North Landing River, crossed into Virginia, and began to strategize our arrival time at the upcoming bridges. We slowed our speed to make the 12:30 opening of the North Landing Swing Bridge. I am convinced that a hobbit lives inside the oversized stump of a dead tree. It looks like Shrek's house in the swamp, but is much too small. Osprey were quite plentiful and occupied many branches. The most interesting bird of the day was a juvenile bald eagle perched atop a dead tree. Its trademark white feathers have not yet come in to cover its head.
By early afternoon the sun was out for all creatures to absorb its warmth. I spent a few minutes on Fiberglass Beach, channeling my inner turtle. The Centerville Swing Bridge was supposed to open upon request, but a traffic accident had cars backed up on the span. We waited an extra 10 minutes behind a sport fisher for the traffic to clear and the span to open. Waterside artillery along the shore paid homage the area's rich history.
A few more turtles and osprey were witness to our entry into Chesapeake where we staged for the opening of the Great Bridge Lock. This lock is experiencing electrical issues and is currently only opening every other hour. We had a few extra minutes to sit and wait for the bridge to open and spent that time checking out all the vessels docked along both sides of the ICW. Some were more interesting than others.
The bascule bridge opened right on time at 2:00 and we joined the parade of a dozen other boats into the lock chamber. Not since our days on the Great Loop had we seen this many boats in a chamber at once. Thankfully we were lowered only a foot before the gates opened and we all alternately merged for a single file exit.
The parade of boats soon lost several members as we approached the Gilmerton Bridge with a clearance of 35-feet. Our air draft is 26.5 feet so we scooted right underneath it. All the sailboats had to hold station for another 2.5 hours until the next scheduled opening at 5:00. The Elizabeth River led us through Norfolk and past many familiar spots. We checked out the progress of decommissioning the nuclear powered aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVN 65). Much of her steel has been recycled and used in the next generation USS Enterprise (CVN 80), currently under construction in nearby Newport News. The new Enterprise has a planned delivery date of March 2028. Moving further north we passed by Waterside and then Town Point Park which was packed with folks attending the Virginia Wine Festival. Many cargo terminals and Navy docks were viewed before we reached the northern end of the Norfolk Naval Base where the USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) was docked. She returned just two weeks ago from a year-long deployment. We crossed the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel and set our sights on the former Chamberlin Hotel at Old Point Comfort. The nine-story building opened in 1928 and sits on the grounds of historic Fort Monroe. It has been renovated from its former life as a hotel and is now a luxury retirement community for people 55 and up. Yes, I did do a double-take at my eligibility for a retirement home. We entered Mill Creek to the left of the grand building and passed alongside the Old Point Comfort Marina. Our anchor was hardly wet before the wind picked up and rain began to fall. We closed Crossroads up and began to prepare dinner. One more leg of our journey remains. Tomorrow night we should be back in slip D58 at Stingray Point Marina in Deltaville.
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