April 24 - Bloxoms, VA

Finally on the Move

Salt Ponds - Anchorage

We finally untied the lines and pulled away from the dock. It felt a little sad and exciting at the same time. Just as we were pulling away from the dock a large barge came into sight...we stopped for a pump out and let the barge pass. Commercial vessels take precedence over pleasure crafts, so we knew they would allow him through the bridge and lock before us. The barge, another boater and The Pearl made the 8:00 bridge opening, but the pleasure boats had to wait for the 9:00 lock. It took them almost 45 minutes to get the barge in place for him to lock through...morning rush hour on the ICW. We had a beautiful, but cold morning to start moving north. The twelve miles from Great Bridge to Norfolk are very slow...there are seven bridges and a lock you have to deal with. One bridge is 65 feet and the railroad bridges stay open unless there's a train coming. Our luck last fall was wonderful...this time it seemed there were issues at each bridge and we were detained at each one. It felt great to finally get through the Gilmerton Bridge and pass the boat yards in Portsmouth. There was very little boat traffic around Norfolk, but it was very windy (15-20 mph) and Hampton Roads was a little rough today. I thought it might take us a while to get our sea legs back, but it wasn't bad at all...it really felt great to be back on the water, cold wind and all.

We're anchored in Salt Ponds, a little inlet just past Hampton. The map calls the area Bloxom's Corner, but it all seems to run together with Hampton. There are lots of nice vacation beach homes and several marinas in this inlet. The anchorage is pretty and very quiet today, but the space is small and I don't think we would come in here again. I definitely wouldn't want to be in here on a summer weekend. It was a little too cold to sit outside and enjoy the view for long, so we spent the evening fixing homemade pizza, visiting on the phone with family and watching TV.

This thing looked like a dragon

Looking back at Great Bridge

Morning traffic

Going through the lock...they lowered us 1.5 feet

One of the military ships in Portsmouth

Waterside Marina in Norfolk

Looking back at the Chesapeake Bay from Salt Ponds inlet

Our evening view