November 4-5

We rather outfoxed ourselves this Sunday morning. We set the alarm to get an early start, but felt a little foolish listening to the weather forecast at 5:45 am when we were sure we had set the alarm for 6:45 am. We totally missed the return to standard time!

We figured out how to get a close-up view of a Navy helicopter, though. You simply depart Hampton Roads at the same time as an aircraft carrier, in this case Warship 69. We were subject to very close scrutiny by the helicopter pictured flying just above the carrier. We sat very still and altered our course wide to starboard.

Shortly after Norfolk/Portsmouth there is a lock which equalizes the water level between Hampton Roads and the Intracoastal Waterway. The lock operates hourly, and so on busy days, a number of boats lock through at once. On Sunday, eleven boats were packed into the lock with us for the 12:30 passage. This makes for quite a flotilla as the lock empties and everyone continues on their way.

The return to standard time has changed our evening schedule as well – mainly there is no evening. We were quite thankful for this after a long day when we tried to make our way into Blackwater Creek, twice, and got hung up on a shoal each time. We ended up anchoring in the mouth of the creek with one other boat, who I’m thinking met the same fate as us. Just before turning in, I went above to check things out, just in time to see a tug and barge pass not far off our bow.

Monday morning we were up to get an early start as well, this time on purpose, and in our haste, and fog, passed the green daymarker on the starboard side. You shouldn’t do that. Drat! Stuck again. Brother Doug says there are only two kinds of sailors, those who have been aground, and liars.

After that ignominious start, we had a great day. We passed through Currituck Sound and then on to Albemarle Sound in the afternoon. It was pretty breezy, which led to a spectacular sail across a sound that has a reputation of being at times rather difficult. Once again, the day passes too quickly, and evening approaches in another beautiful anchorage.

November 1-3

We spent Halloween evening anchored in the Hampton River, just off the campus of Hampton University. Hampton University is one of the top ten ‘historically black colleges and universities’ in the United States. The area for anchoring is restricted to a single line in which there were seven tightly packed sailboats just outside of the navigable channel. Interestingly, all but one of these boats was Canadian.

On the other side of the river is the Bluewater Yachting Center. This is the starting point for the Caribbean 1500, a race/cruise from Hampton, Virginia to Tortola in the British Virgin Islands. They are scheduled to depart November 4th, but current weather may have some impact on that.

Hampton Roads is a very interesting area, steeped in history and commerce. ‘Roads’ is a mariner’s term for anchorage. Hampton Roads is located in the mouth of the James River, at the bottom of Chesapeake Bay, with immediate access to the Atlantic Ocean. Hampton Roads is bound by Hampton and Newport News on the north side and Norfolk and Portsmouth on the south side.

The town of Hampton is the oldest English-speaking settlement in America, founded in 1610. Another interesting piece of folklore is that when the pirate Blackbeard was captured and beheaded, his head was hung on a post in the Hampton River.

Newport News is home to the largest shipyard in the world, owned by Northrop Grumman. Norfolk is the site of the Norfolk Naval Base and a short distance away is Langley Air Force Base.

The weather on Wednesday and Thursday was very nice, with highs in the mid-70s. We wanted to get a picture of us in shorts in November, but as you can see, I couldn’t scramble aboard from the dock before the timer went off.

Friday and Saturday, however, were much windier. Whether due to Noel or just a strong cold front, the winds were 20 to 30 knots, with gusts to 40 knots during the night. We are counting on things settling down on Sunday so that both the Caribbean 1500 and we can get off to a smooth start.