The End of the Beginning

We retrieved our car from Myrtle Beach, but it took two days to do so.  Of course we had to have dinner in Myrtle Beach at an all-you-can-eat seafood buffet.  Sue ate so many crab legs that I almost had to carry her out of the place.  One thing we did accomplish during the trip was to select a marina in Myrtle Beach in which to spend the upcoming winter.  We want to stay somewhat north, so we can make it to the Great Lakes next summer.

Huge osprey nest on top of ICW marker

Our week stay at Dowry Creek Marina was kinda unremarkable.  We learned that the afternoon seabreeze came from the SE at 15-20 mph, which created whitecaps against the exposed stern of our boat.  It made so much noise that we sometimes slept in the forward bunkroom.  I’m reminded of the term “fetch slap” which one of our boating friends in Chattanooga invented.  The marina had way too many spiders, which was surprising, considering the salt water environment.  And the city water was barely drinkable, but only if you didn’t notice the yellow color.  The marina did have a nice Father’s Day get-together for all the permanent and transient boaters.  We met a couple aboard the S/V Nemo, whom we traveled with for the next 3 days.

Our friends aboard S/V Nemo about to cross into our wake

We anchored our first night out amidst a thousand crab pots.  This was the first time we saw as many crab traps as we used to dodge in Lake Pontchartrain.  The second night found us at Coinjock Marina in North Carolina, where we bought a T-shirt which said “Whereinthehelliscoinjock?”  At the marina restaurant we ate a 32oz prime rib, and again, I almost had to carry Sue back to the boat.  (We’re actually eating our way up the East Coast).

The Admiral at the helm, with everything under control

We got up early the next morning to help S/V Nemo get under way, since their sailboat actually motored more slowly than our “crawler”.  We soon joined them as we worked our way through the 10 bridges (all needing an opening) and one lock in the last 20 miles getting into Norfolk.  We needed a listing of all the bridges, their Mile Mark (location) on the ICW, and their hours of openings.  It was very slow going in daytime temperatures approaching 100 degrees.  And they call this “pleasure” boating!

Red buoy "36", the beginning of the ICWW.  Behind
is Portsmouth Naval Hospital, where I spent a week
in 1973 with viral meningitis

The 4^th day we worked our way past the highly industrialized waterfront areas of Norfolk, Chesapeake and Portsmouth VA.  We passed the numerous Navy ships, both in the repair yards and at the Naval Station Norfolk.   We passed the Naval Air Station, where I had the pleasure to spend 2 years of my adult life, when I was young and indestructible, flying Navy helicopters and defying death. 

We passed Red buoy “36” at Hospital Point in Norfolk, which is the official end/beginning of the Intercoastal Waterway, which then runs south and west all the way to Corpus Christi, Texas.  It is a mile mark for us, since we started cruising this year on April 24 from Sanford, Florida, and have traveled exactly 900 statute miles so far.  Also of note, we have used 240 gallons of diesel to travel the past 360 statute miles, a fuel economy (if there is such a thing with boats) of 1.5 sm/gal.  (The next time you fill up your car & complain about the cost of fuel, don’t come crying to me!)

As this USCG Cutter was getting under way, we had
to keep our distance from him

Because another cold front was coming through the area bringing lots of thunderstorms, we decided to head to Hampton Public Piers up the Hampton River in VA.  It seems like a very nice place which is really boater-friendly.  We’ll spend 3-4 days here acting like a tourist, and planning our next venture.  We have officially reached our destination – Chesapeake Bay!!  Now we gotta figure out where to go next!

One aircraft carrier after another at Norfolk
Naval Station

In Hampton Roads, we met our first
buoy with a gong, or bell. It took us
a while to figure out what we were
hearing!