Leaving The Dock and Heading South

Deltaville to Hampton  |  6.5 Hours  |  42 Miles  

True to the forecast, the wind laid down overnight. It was a chilly, but not frigid, morning as we prepared for departure. At 6:55 we unplugged from shore power and by 7:05 we had exited our slip at Stingray Point Marina. As we made our way to bigger waters we took a good look at our home base for the past eight years. When we return in the spring, major renovations will have been done as floating docks will replace some of the aging fixed docks.

Our departure coincided perfectly with the morning's high tide. It is always reassuring to see dry piling above the water level and know that we have an extra foot of water to keep us afloat. The morning sky glowed bright orange as we exited Broad Creek and peered beyond Stingray Point to the east. The sun peeked above the horizon as I finished bringing in all of our fenders. One of my all-time favorite shots is of the sunrise (or sunset) alongside its reflection in the pilothouse windows.

A tighter view captured the elegant glowing peaks of the cloud bank. We set our course and headed south, settling into cruising mode. We were the only boat on the Chesapeake Bay except for a single northbound container ship. Our ride was smooth and the miles clicked away as we passed familiar sights. Before we knew it, we had turned into Hampton Roads where the wind picked up, gusting to 25 knots. The Old Point Comfort Lighthouse on the grounds of Fort Monroe heralded the final stretch for the day. The structure is looking a bit like North Carolina's Old Baldy these days as her normally brilliant white paint has been removed in preparation for a fresh coat.

Our only real excitement came in the final 100-feet of our trip as we met a tug pushing a large barge on our approach to the fuel dock at Bluewater Marina. After a slight diversion and delay, it passed and we eased ourselves onto the floating dock to end our first day of travel. We filled up our diesel tanks with 439 gallons and then turned on the heat. I settled into my favorite spot in the sun-warmed pilothouse and took a well-earned nap. The days and weeks leading up to our departure have been very busy. It is often said that getting off the dock is the most difficult part of cruising. I'll sleep to that.