Officially entered the ICW

This Red 36 marks the official start of the northern end of the Intracoastal Waterway. 

Yesterday morning, we left Hampton and headed toward the ICW.  We'd been told many times by many people to "keep your heads on a swivel."  There can be a lot of traffic in this harbor -- the third largest in the U.S.  However, that was not the case yesterday morning.  There were very few vessels in our path.

The route to the ICW takes you past the majestic behemoths of the naval yard, lots of industrial acres, downtown Portsmouth, more industrial sites, and finally to peaceful pine forests.  We experienced our first VHF communication with bridges and locks and had a good day overall.  That's not to say that there wasn't a pleasure boater who didn't know -- or chose not to follow -- the "rules of the road" for waterways (he was reprimanded by a bridge master).

Waiting for bridges to lift or locks to open takes a lot of finesse to keep the boat "treading water" in the appointed location, usually close to said bridge and other boats.  David did a great job.  I kept an eye on the depth of water (we draw 6' and some areas have very "skinny" waters) and communicated with the bridge and lock personnel.  We did just fine, but didn't realize how stressful it was until we exited the lock and bridge in Chesapeake, VA, and decided to tie up at the Atlantic Yacht Basin half a mile away.  Very nice people greeted us and gave us the lay of the land.  We walked to town to stock up on groceries, grabbed showers at the marina, grilled dinner, and ate in the cockpit for the first time on this trip.  It was 60 degrees with blue skies and sunshine when we arrived yesterday afternoon.

Time to sign off and prepare for today's trip down to Coinjock Marina where Aric tells us they serve the best prime rib :)

Things to watch for on the Chesapeake Bay:

Cargo ships and military targets -- the two "small" wrecked boats to the right are used for target practice!

Smith Point Lighthouse and many others

Nearly invisible "fish traps" -- not all of these are marked on the charts!

Yesterday's trip through Norfolk harbor to the ICW:

A container ship at anchor as the morning fog is lifting

Navy vessels in port and lots of security boats scurrying around

Healthcare at the ready

Interesting scenery

The tugboat pilot CANNOT see where he is pushing this 4-story beast!

Elizabeth River ferry

Our first bridge

Our mast passing under the bridge

The underbellies of two cars as we pass under another bridge

Inside the Great Bridge Lock in Chesapeake, VA