This blog will chronicle our (Pat and Patty Anderson's)
cruising adventures on the Great Loop!
DAY 37 - May 7, 2017
Only one topic really - the dreaded crossing of Albemarle Sound! It is a short distance, less than 15 miles, but it can be merely uncomfortable or downright dangerous, depending on conditions! We had spent three nights and two days at Broad Creek since Thursday evening waiting for the weather to improve. Friday it was was 25-35 mph winds with gusts to 45, and Saturday it was 20+ - not weather to cross Albemarle Sound in a little C-Dory!
The forecast for Sunday was much better, winds of 11 mph in the morning, climbing to 16 in the afternoon. So we got up early, and were underway shortly after 7 a.m. We think the waves were probably 2-3 feet, they always seem larger when you are out there bucking them, but 2-3 feet is probably realistic. They were not very steep, since there is really no opposing tide. Still, we had a hard time starting out. If you take the waves head on, you slam down in the trough. If you take them on the beam, you roll, sometimes violently. We did a little of each starting out! Most everything that could get thrown down to the cabin floor did. We secured everything we could, and put the rest down on the cabin floor before it was thrown there! We finally found our line (angle to the waves) that did not involve either slamming or rolling! Fortunately, it was also more or less the line we needed to get to the other side reasonably directly! It took us two and a half hours to transit Albemarle Sound to the North River, but we did it without any real problems, once we had found the correct line.
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| R42 on the ICW where we anchored |
In the North River, it was easy cruising! We had identified our next anchorage at the Pungo Ferry Bridge. We anchored as far off the ICW channel as we could get in about 7 feet on the north side of the river behind R42. Since it was early evening, the ICW traffic was pretty much done for the day. There was supposed to be a dock at the Pungo Ferry landing, but we found only a few old pilings there. Instead, there was something much better - the brand new City of Virginia Beach boat ramp! It has a kayak landing spot right on the river, and I landed Baxter there,
We had a quiet night at this anchorage, and I wrote a glowing review of the spot for Active Captain!
DAY 38 - May 8, 2017
We had called and made a reservation at the Hampton Public Piers, so our goal for the day was simply to get there before it closed! This, however, involved numerous bridges, including a couple of swing bridges that only open on the hour and/or half hour, and the famous (infamous?) Great Bridge and Great Bridge Lock.The Great Bridge, it turns out, is not really so great (so why Is it called the Great Bridge, anyway?), and the lock, which had caused us great anxiety, turned out to be a piece of cake. The lock attendants were absolutely great, they took our lines and looped them around cleats up on top, and all we had to do was hang on to the free end of the lines they passed back down to us. This is only a two foot rise lock, so no big deal!
But we had seriously underestimated both the distance to Hampton from Pungo Ferry Bridge and the time we would spend waiting on so many bridge openings - we made it to Hampton Public Piers about a quarter to 5 p.m., when they close! Along the way, I got chased out of the Security Zone by a Navy patrol boat, which did not stop or board us, but only shooed us away! There are miles and miles of Navy warships in Portsmouth and Norfolk, and past Norfolk, and they are serious about pleasure craft not getting too close!
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| Daydream at Hampton Public Piers |
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| Just a short jump to the dock! |
It turns out the boat on the other side of our finger pier belongs to Tom Hale, the former Managing Editor of Waterway Guides, the big brother of Skipper Bob's guides. Waterway Guides has advertising, which really pays the freight! Tom, who lives in Annapolis, gave us the straight scoop on what we need to see on the Chesapeake.
We need to relax here for a day or three and then on to the Chesapeake!
Since you were not sailors before becoming powerboaters, you may not be familiar with the term "tacking." Sailboats can't go directly into the wind; a good design might allow forward progress within 45º of either side of the wind... so, you tack back and forth as necessary to get to your destination. Sometimes, in crappy conditions, you have to do that with waves: find the most comfortable line, and around 90º the other way to work your way forward through the waves. Today, it was nice that your "line" took you more or less direct... at some point, you will use this information. Travel safe.
ReplyDeleteYes, we were prepared to zig and zag if need be! We are generally familiar with tacking, I went out on a couple of sailing trips with my neighbor at our prior home in Fall City, and Lydia's father-in-law charters a sailboat every year, and we have cruised a little together. Safety is our number one concern, which is why we waited at Broad Creek for three nights and two days before crossing.
DeleteHi Pat,
ReplyDeleteGlad you had a good crossing. Did you take your Ocarina for those lay days? Have you used your induction cooker on this trip? Have fun exploring the area.
Steve
I have the ocarina with me, but have not taken it out, maybe I will, maybe not! We also have our ukuleles on board, but haven't played them either! We have used the induction cooker in the marinas in St. Augustine,Savannah, Charleston and here in Hampton. I haven't run it on the generator yet because it is easier just to use the Coleman one burner in the cockpit than to set up the generator!
DeleteJust two years ago, Aven would have walked the dock past your boat. We stayed a couple of days at the Crown Plaza and enjoyed the rooftop pool during a hot weather period. My younger sister is a professor in the western portion of the state so we are regular visitors.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy the stop and I hope you have nice weather for it!
Greg