Today we traveled a mere 50 miles from Coinjock NC to Norfolk, VA. But it took us FIVE HOURS to cover the same distance we could normally do in 90 minutes. The reason is due to one of the most congested areas of the waterway with restricted bridge openings and a lock that only opens hourly on the half hour. So you have to be willing to pace yourself (in other words, slow down) so don't you get to the next bridge opening too early and have to sit around and wait. Then, there are a few places, where you need to make sure you're a little early, as the bridge tenders don't wait for you for even 30 seconds. So it's a bit of a game to navigate each section "just right". Oh yeah, and then there are the 300 foot commercial barges being pushed by 60 foot tugs down a narrow and shallow channel that you have to pass (coming and going).
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| Looking back on a beautiful day |
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| The Admiral handling the lines at Great Bridge Lock |
Even still, the wind inside the ICW today was relatively benign except for those moments when we had to wait our turn to pass under a bridge or enter the lock. And when stopped and waiting, it is easy to drift with the current and the wind requiring constant attention to maneuver the boat back into position. But that is where the coolest piece of technology on ENCORE pays for itself. It is called "Skyhook", which when activated, takes the boats exact GPS position and heading and then automatically "holds" that position without any oversight or manual intervention from the Captain. It makes the waiting a whole lot easier and less stressful, not to mention the "wow factor" by other boaters who see us basically hover in the water.
So now we are tied up at the Tidewater Yacht Basin on the Portsmouth side of the city. Based on the forecast for tomorrow however (strong winds and rain all day with 3 head foot seas), I think we may just stay and two nights here before our final long 160 mile run up the Chesapeake Bay. The forecast for Wednesday is for light and variable winds out of the south with waves 1 foot or less -- and that would be a really nice reward for our final day.
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| Looking toward Norfolk and the Elizabeth River from Portsmouth |
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