Downtown Hampton Public Piers - last day

Sandy Bottom Nature Park, we paid a visit, lots of live snakes on exhibit!

We still had a car for the day even though we didn't use it all that much. The entire morning and part of the afternoon was spent cleaning the boat. I had double waxed the part of the hull close to the water line and it kept the "ICW mustache" at bay for 8 months but the wax gradually wore away from all the mileage. Now we are once again getting the brown stain on the bow. Nevertheless, On/Off cleans it off in less than a couple of minutes but it takes a lot of preparation - you don't want to get any of that on you!

The Taphouse Bar, what a great place! Excellent food, good service - what more to want?

So with the use of On/Off and boat soap for the topsides and Ann's cleaning and vacuuming of the insides, we are once again a fairly clean boat. I have to qualify that and say that if I'm generous with myself, it may approach a 0.6 Sharman in the quality of the cleaning, certainly no higher. To celebrate we had dinner out at the Taphouse, an outstanding local bar - but the food is anything other than bar food. If you're even in Hampton, you've got to go there!

Oh, did I mention the list of beers on tap? Outstanding

Ann is doing more and more of the approaches, even the ones that can be difficult. The entry into a slip at this marina appears easy as pie - but it's not! We have yet to see one boat that made it on the first try. The problem is the sideways current, not really strong but enough to surprise you. Add to that the 1/2 length fingers so you really can't come in and snug up against a finger pier, they are too short. Ann did well.

If you believe the forecast, Thursday is to be a good day with light winds out of the south and a high of 82. If it turns out that way, we'll head north to Adamsville for one night. The whole week looks good for heading north but then we've seen that forecast before - they generally deteriorate when the future meets the present.

Hampton Downtown Public Piers - at a dock

You will encounter some marinas that offer free herbs as grown by the dockmaster, this marina is one 

With a charge of only $1.25/ft per day, this place is a real bargain. You are within walking distance of several downtown restaurants, notably. The Taphouse.  They have 20 to 30 beers on tap and serve basic food, good but basic. Besides, you go there for the beer selections. We'll be going there on Wednesday night.

If you want to see the local sights on the water, this boat goes out several times a day

Today was provisioning day with a visit to the nearest Walmart. Despite everything else, they always have the lowest prices and that counts for a lot along the ICW when we buy things in quantity. And, not by just a little but sometimes you can save $1 to $2 on a $5 dollar item in the food section on the identical brand and quantity from a local supermarket. After awhile, that adds up so we go.

Our marina is just in front of the large building to the left of the bridge

We had a boat pull out this morning but later returned after encountering 2 to 3 ft waves on the bow heading north. We had decided to wait for a south wind before going north, we want comfort! Such a wind is due Thursday with a high of 84 which is quite a contrast from today's high of 66. As usual, when presented with the opportunity, we did a wash. The marina here only has one washer and one dryer but they work well. On Wednesday we plan on exploring the area after cleaning the boat in the morning. The weather looks good for the next week for going north and we'll take advantage of the opportunity.

Hampton, Virginia - at a dock

There's a beautiful street nearby with lots of restaurants and shops along it

Our overnight stay at the free dock was uneventful. The wind was pushing us into the dock but not that much so we selected to put the boat in reverse with a line from the aft cleat to the mid cleat on the dock. Well, it worked to a degree. It was enough to leave the dock but I had wanted more of an angle. I think I led the line too far forward and that prevented the bow moving further away from the dock, live and learn. 

The Gilmerton Bridge has been in upgrade mode now for 5 years! Rumor has it that it's to be finally completed by August of 2014 - but I don't believe it! It's closed for the morning and evening rush hours so we made the first opening at 9:30 am today. 

The slips are not full length so you have to be very careful in docking, Ann did well

There are a tons of Navy ships undergoing refitting and repairs in the Norfolk shipyards. They are all guarded by boats with blinking blue lights, you aren't allowed to get too close. As you pass by, far out in the channel, you are shadowed by one of the boats with the blinking blue lights, eerie. 

We'll rent a car for the next two days and provision and explore the area. The weather during that time looks more like New York than Virginia with highs barely breaking 60! We've gotta slow down...

At a free dock south of Hampton

The approach to the south lock

 We headed for the Dismal Swamp Lock at 8:30 intending to make the 11:00 opening but it was not to be. We found the lock to be full! The lockmaster was good enough to add another opening for the two boats that couldn't fit in the first opening. That's the first time that's ever happened to us in four years. I think there are definitely more boaters out than the last four years. When we passed the visitors' center at 12:30, it was already two deep and then on the way north we were passed by six boats headed south! That visitors' center is going to be one busy place.

Imagine having to walk through this swamp?

With the delay in getting through the lock (we didn't pass through until 12:15 for a lock that was scheduled for 11:00! So we had to hustle north to make the 3:30 lock opening at the other end which we barely made. Along the way we had the usual knocks against the keel, 9 in all that we counted. None were too dramatic but you noticed them all. We thought the canal in general was about a foot deeper than normal but we still had the hits.

We docked for the night at this free dock, we were by ourselves

The Dismal Swamp itself was magnificent as usual. It's a beautiful ride but photos do not do it justice. As noted, we didn't stop this time at the visitor's center but just continued on. There are free docks just before rejoining the ICW. They are well kept and new but can be noisy due to the nearby interstate.

Ann did her usual magic, salmon ala Ann

We even had a sunset!

On Monday we're headed for Hampton for 3 to 4 days, depending upon the weather which is predicted to turn colder until Thursday. So with that we plan on moving again when the weather warms up on Thursday.

Elizabeth City - at a free dock

Not a pretty picture, sorry about that - Fuzzy Bills

We headed out in good cheer, a fine day, almost no wind which is not a bad thing in crossing Albemarle Sound - or so we thought. After passing through the last of the buoys leaving the Alligator River into the Sound we noticed a few familiar looking insects on the back window, ut ho. A couple of years ago we made the mistake of anchoring in one of the remove anchorages right by the Albemarle Sound and woke up in the morning with a boat covered in Fuzzy Bills, a form of midge fly. They look like mosquitoes but they don't bite. However, they only live for the day and when they die, they leave a thick, green stain on the fiberglass which took me about five hours to clean off, ugh.

Ann is everybody's friend, he's the yard security guy

These insects looked like the same variety. So, trying to be proactive, I started shooing them off the boat and by using my handheld zapper (which gives off a very satisfying sizzle when dispatching a target, they really work!). But to no avail, there seemed to be an infinite supply - everything was covered as we sped across the Sound. It wasn't until halfway up the Elizabeth River that I started making headway. I figured that if I got them off the boat before they expired, I at least wouldn't get the green slime disease.

It's a free dock but they want you to patronize a local restaurant and leave a report

Such are the exciting times one gets while cruising. We listened to all the boaters crossing the Sound today and they all had the same problem There are four boats docked here, all four were covered with the Fuzzy Bills. We recovered enough for lunch out and went back to the boat for our 5:00 wine party, we thought we earned it.

We're headed through the Dismal Swamp today and will stop at the free dock just beyond the last Dismal Swamp lock and be in Hampton the next day. It's supposed to turn colder down here over the next few days. Everybody we've talked to has complained about the abnormal winter, all up and down the ICW, much colder than normal, must be global warming.....

Alligator River Marina - at a dock

The ICW suddenly seems very narrow when you meet one of these guys

We had intended only going to the Pungo River anchorage by the entrance to the Pungo-Alligator Canal so we only left by 8:30 am but the weather was fair, winds light and we were making too time. We reached the anchorage by noon so we just continued onward and finally reached the Alligator River Marina by 5:30 pm. It was an easy but long ride.

The birds are very grateful for all the perches provided for them

The Alligator River Marina is not the usual marina. It's actually a service station with an attached restaurant and 9/11 type store along with slips for  boats. It does have the prerequisites of a marina in laundry, showers, WiFi, rest rooms and fuel. So I guess you could call it a marina, it just has a different look. Regardless of all that, it's very protected and the only marina in the area between Elizabeth City and the Pungo River, location is everything.

Note the arrangement of the fenders, horizontally, not vertically - needed for fixed piers

After all the storms of the last week or so, we're due for some settled weather and we'll take advantage of the break in heading north. We plan on reaching Elizabeth City on Saturday and then passing through the Dismal Swamp Canal to reach Hampton, Virginia by Monday. Then it's a wait for weather to go north through Chesapeake Bay.

RE Mayo Seafood in Hobucken - at a dock

Rustic docks, to say the least

More storms were forecast for Thursday, all day long. So with that forecast we just decided to stay put. At $0.40/ft, it's hard to go wrong. We just puttered around the boat, bought more seafood for our freezer and Ann prepared another fine meal, "Shrimp Mango Stir Fry". We enjoyed last night's scallops so much that we bought another pound today for future enjoyment.

Outstanding marina store - if you like shrimp boat stuff

This marina is becoming more popular as more boaters learn of its advantages. We had three new boats pull in today for the night. I think the word is spreading. Still, you are on your own, nobody came out to help with docking although it's no big deal, just a face dock. The fuel hose must be about three inches in diameter, it's meant for heavy use! The boat behind us featured in yesterday's blog fished the Bering Sea for five years and transited the Panama Canal five times. They don't just fish locally. Their towers for their drag nets are taller than our mast!

We say goodbye to an excellent seafood market

Our next two stops include the Pungo River anchorage and the Alligator River Marina. It's a little too far to the marina, 64 miles., so we're resigned to just making the Pungo River anchorage even though it's only 29 miles distant. On the other hand, we're really not in any hurry so it doesn't matter.