Our cruise up to Norfolk from Charleston took just over 44 hours, was 436 nm in length and involved 2 overnights of travel. It was a wonderful cruise and even though some folks thought we were crazy to go around Cape Hatteras, we were fortunate and made it without a hitch – thankfully!
Once in the Chesapeake and headed to Norfolk we took in the sights and sounds of the Bay. Certainly, seeing two warships at the entrance was exciting, but little did we realize that in a few miles, we would be passing the largest U.S. Navel Base in the world – Norfolk, Virginia!
It’s about a 12 nm run into the Chesapeake before you make the turn South towards Norfolk and Portsmouth. You actually go OVER two highways that are tunnels underneath the Bay! We followed the main shipping channel West to Hampton, and then made the turn South which put us right along side the Norfolk Navel Base and oh, what a sight! U.S. Navy ships for the next couple of miles docked and getting work done. One of the ships docked was the new aircraft carrier – USS Gerald Ford, finishing up commissioning and preparing for sea trials.
We docked across from Norfolk in Portsmouth at the Tidewater Yacht Marina (https://tidewateryachtmarina.com) where we were warmly welcomed and became quick friends. There was a nice water taxi close by that would run us over to Norfolk every 15 minutes.
We found Portsmouth to be a charming town with a nice main street that was tree lined with lots of shade along with restaurants & shops. It was a busy area and on Saturday mornings, there was a wonderful Farmers Market filled with local vendors and lots of shoppers out.
While exploring Portsmouth, we came across our first “light ship”. Not knowing what this was, we had to go check it out and what a find! Early on in the 1800’s as commerce by water became more prominent, the U.S. Government needed a way to help ships safely find their way thru the various inlets and waterways. These light ships were used at various points up and down the East Coast to help warn off ships from dangerous shoals. Imagine if you will, a floating light house that would be manned 24/7/365 by a crew in all weather conditions! This would not be our last encounter of a light ship! See link for more information – https://portsmouthlightship.com/
Next week, join us for a tour of a U.S. Battleship!
