Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Chesapeake to Norfolk

We woke early the next morning and left in the dark, we had a long day ahead of us and were intent on making Norfolk. A little chilly but a beautiful morning, the kids joined us and saw their first sunrise!

We motor sailed until the wind came up, strong northerlies. We were then able to broad reach doing 6.8 to 7.5 knots. For you motorboaters this is practically screaming for our 32 foot sailboat. We made videos, the kids had fun below and up top, despite the slightly bumpy ride. We found out that Alistair has an iron constitution, when it gets bumpy most everyone stays up top in the fresh air as being below when the boat is tossing about can make one feel a bit queasy. Alistair however played below all day as if nothing.

We reached Norfolk in the late afternoon and anchored in Hospital Point, just across from downtown Norfolk. Norfolk is a Navy town and as you come in, you are flanked with Navy destroyers, aircraft carriers, sometimes submarines, etc. The kids took it all in and for days and still now there are drawings of war ships, cutouts, submarines, torpedos and more.

We shared our anchorage with about aprox. 15 other cruising boats. Most cruisers try not to go below Norfolk until late October early November because of Hurricane season. More than half of the cruisers were Canadian, they trek down from Canada usually through the lock system and into the Hudson.

Everyone was tired so we had an early night, our plan to go into Norfolk the next day.



1 comment:

Steph from fangswandsandfairydust.com said...

Hello Lopez Family -- You all look like you are having a great time. Today there is a nasty fog -- at least in my neighborhood. We are well; coping with Buster's (the cat) chemo. Some days are good and some not so good.

We have to go to a wedding in Montreal in a couple of weeks. Let me know if you run into my step sister Carol Brewer, cruising south on the Intercoastal waterway in some kind of biggish boat.

Take care, Love Steph