Mobjack Bay to Norfolk, VA: ICW Mile Zero
Shelly Bringing Up the Staysail to Dry Out Before Storage
We are spending election day here in Portsmouth, Virginia, across the river from Norfolk, getting prepped for the long haul down the ICW and avoiding the news. Yesterday we had another wild, windy ride from Mobjack Bay to mile zero of the ICW. Lots of wind and waves! We even had a lone dolphin check us out, jumping out of the water between the 5-foot waves.
We are now officially out of the Chesapeake Bay, having sailed nearly the entire length. We entered the Elizabeth river, the beginning of the ICW, and man is it busy here. This is one of the busiest shipping channels in the U.S., with the naval station and shipyard, as well as lots of commercial traffic.
Aircraft Carriers at the Shipyard
Luckily, there wasn’t much commercial traffic and as planned, not a lot of private traffic heading to the ICW. There were several barges we had to avoid in the channel, as well as the container ship below. That container ship came out of one of the side yards and turned right in front of us. Well about a mile in front of us, which is pretty damn close. You have to pass almost next to them in the channel. Exciting.
Watch Out, Container Ship Being Towed Out!
Tomorrow we head down the ICW, going under a bunch of bridges and through the one lock on this section of the ICW. We’ll only get about 12 miles, but it should be one of the more difficult portions of the waterway. Got to keep moving, it got down to 40 degrees F last night. Might as well be winter camping in Colorado…
I see that vessel finder is working here because this is where we are.
Posted in Sailing by Mark with comments disabled.