Hampton to Chesapeake | 3.7 Hours | 22.2 Miles
The clouds moved out overnight and this morning we were greeted by the reappearance of a bluebird sky. Unfortunately, a stiff breeze had also arrived, creating a significant wind chill. The wind-driven ripples made sure there was no beautiful reflection of the bell tower today. We were not moving quickly and neither was the heron across the creek. It held one position for over an hour as if frozen to the rock. Eventually it was time for us to get underway. I put on seemingly every piece of clothing brought aboard to face the cold. Immediately we laughed and referenced the episode of Friends where Joey puts on all of Chandler's clothes. The wind tried its best to pin us against the dock, but Barry worked the rudder and bow thruster to peel us away. Thankfully there were no boats in front of us to further complicate matters. As we made our way toward the Elizabeth River, the only traffic encountered was a small sailboat having a rough trip as it beat into the waves. Yes, we're spoiled. I had already peeled off multiple layers and was enjoying the warmth of our pilothouse.
The Elizabeth River is one of my favorite areas we've ever traveled. There is so much to see, many of which we now take for granted. The Navy aircraft carrier base provides the first point of interest. The USS Harry S. Truman and USS George H.W. Bush are berthed sided by side. Moving along Navy support vessels of all colors, sizes, and function line the shore. Cranes were busy unloading cargo ships. Cormorants skimmed across the water. A dark spot on the horizon revealed itself as the vehicle carrier Cape Rise. It was being turned 90-degrees into a slip by two tugboats. The operation occupied most of the channel and we passed much closer than the 500 feet recommended by the US government.
Once we passed the Rise and tugs, the lighting was much better and provided a better look. We neared Norfolk's Waterside and waved once more to friends Fernando and Judy on Sunset Run as we passed. The US Lightship Portsmouth glowed in the noon sun outside the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Museum. Navy patrolships kept a close eye on all boat traffic.
Waterfront industry became sparser and we began to calculate the time, speed, and distance equations to arrive at the 12:30 opening of the Great Bridge Lock. The only wildcard before us was a railroad bridge. Through multiple silos we could spot that Railroad Bridge No. 7 was in the upright position. Woohoo. We scooted our 27-foot boat through the 34-foot vertical clearance of the Gilmerton Bridge and then the open span of the railroad bridge without delay. A short time later we took the left fork in the river for the Albemarle and Chesapeake Canal. We pulled right into the lock, tied up, and descended about two feet. Upon our exit we checked out the heron statues in The Great Bridge Lock Park as we waited for the bridge to open at 1:00. Most birds were decorated as expected with scenes of the waterway.
A special shout-out goes to the folks who transformed one exhibit into the Hokie bird. The final step of today's journey to Chesapeake went quickly. The bridge opened, we passed through, made a U-turn, and tied up to the free dock at the Great Bridge Battlefield & Waterways Museum. We're very familiar with this area and took the opportunity to walk over to Kroger to both stretch our legs and pick up a few things ... since we could.
It was fitting pay-back that we had to stop on our walk back to Crossroads for the bridge to open. We detoured through the little park and admired a large camellia bloom. A short time later dear friends Susie and Todd (SaltyMare, Selene 53) stopped by to visit. We spent a while onboard catching up then they took us to one of their favorite local spots for dinner. Its always a great time when we're all together and can't wait to meet up again. As we exited the restaurant, artwork on the back of the delivery truck of a crab breaking out caught my eye and I thought it was quite clever. After goodbye hugs outside of Crossroads, we returned onboard, fired up the generator to get a little heat, and answered several much appreciated texts and emails from friends and family. It will be a chilly night, but we'll be off the dock by 8:00 in the morning heading further south. I'm pretty sure I'll again be outfitted with multiple layers tomorrow (just like Joey) and thinking of friends (and Friends) once more.
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