Life in the Slow Lane (The Pearl)

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

April 23 - Great Bridge, VA

Getting Ready To Leave

Atlantic Yacht Basin

We spent the day getting the boat ready to leave Great Bridge. We filled the water tanks, ran a few errands, cleaned up the dock by the boat, put our bikes aboard and took care of last minute details with the marina. We will leave our car here until next fall. It will feel a little like leaving home when we cast off the lines. We've gotten to know all the dockmasters by name and made some new boating friends while we were here. We invited one of our new friends for dinner...her husband is moving another boat up from Florida and she is alone this week. They are from Ontario Canada and have shared a lot of helpful knowledge of the Erie Canal, Lake Ontario and the Thousand Islands with us. We truly enjoyed visiting with her and hearing her stories. Thanks Julie for all the information.

April 21 – Great Bridge, VA

Sightseeing

Atlantic Yacht Basin

It was such a beautiful day…just too nice to stay on the boat. We decided to take the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel to the Delmarva Peninsula. The CBBT was opened in 1964 and connects Southeastern Virginia with the Delmarva Peninsula. It’s a 17.6 miles engineering marvel that crosses over and under open waters where the Chesapeake Bay meets the Atlantic Ocean. The tunnel consists of more than 12 miles of trestle roadway, two mile long tunnels, two bridges, four man-made islands, almost two miles of causeway, and 5.5 miles of approach roads, totaling 23 miles. We have now traveled on and under the Chesapeake Bay.

The Eastern Shore of Virginia is very pretty, dotted with beautiful farmland, quaint little towns full of history and neat little harbors and beaches. We visited Cape Charles, for many years they were the terminal for the Little Creek-Cape Charles Ferry, providing passenger and car ferry service across the bay to Norfolk and Hampton. It’s now a charming little town with art shops, beaches, marinas, golf courses and a wonderful view of the Chesapeake Bay. We ate lunch at Kelly’s Gingernut Pub, which is located in a 1907 bank building, wandered through the shops and then looked for sea glass. We actually found a beach full of glass…more than we have found anywhere, but most of it wasn’t worth keeping.

In June the United States and the Commonwealth of Virginia will celebrate the Bicentennial of the War of 1812 and the writing of the Star Spangled Banner. To celebrate these historical events OpSail 2012 has planned activities that will range from the traditional Parades of Sail, ship tours, spectacular fireworks, concerts and festivals, educational events and programs, Adopt a Ship opportunities, and crew sporting events along Virginia's Waterfronts and in many Virginia communities. Many of the tall ships will be in Cape Charles. It would be amazing to see the tall ships and be a part of the parade of boats, but it will probably be a zoo. I think I’m glad we will be out of the area by then.

The start of the CBBT