Captain’s log 10-26-06
Departure Point / Start Time Wicomico River VA 8:00 AM
Arrival Point / End Time Norfolk VA 7:30 PM
Distance Traveled / Engine 55NM 8h
Today was the day that NOAA finally had the forecast correct. They called for 15-20 knots out of NW, and they were correct. Few times it blew 23-25 but for the most time it staid in the 10-20 knot range. The waves were 2-3 foot coming from astern and the autopilot was able to cope with them. The sun was out and we had all the ingredients of a great trip. In the interest of getting to Norfolk before dark I started motoring in the afternoon. We were making 6 knots and I used the engine runtime to make water. We saw pelicans fly around and I never knew they were in Chesapeake Bay. I knew we were approaching Norfolk when we started hearing and seeing choppers and navy fighters fly low above our heads. The traffic was getting thicker and thicker in the air and on the water. I was just glad we made it into Norfolk before dark. That night, as we anchored in Lafayette river, while eating the pork chops, we heard a drowning cat meow. Crystal jumped up in panic and screamed for Bella. Without hesitation, I jumped on the port side of the boat and grabbed the poor little Bella. We never knew if it was the birds, the flatness of the water in the harbor, or something else, but Bella somehow decided to jump off. With all her hair wet, she was as small as a little mouse. My clothes felt very heavy in the water and I was barely able to reach up and lift her back on deck. The water was freezing. We were just talking about how cold the water was (50F) when we heard Bella fall in. I used the dinghy to come back up, turned the heater on, and used the remaining hot water to rinse off the stinky harbor smell. The next day we are starting the ICW. Hopefully we’ll have warmer weather and easier trips that the last week was.
Arrival Point / End Time Norfolk VA 7:30 PM
Distance Traveled / Engine 55NM 8h
Today was the day that NOAA finally had the forecast correct. They called for 15-20 knots out of NW, and they were correct. Few times it blew 23-25 but for the most time it staid in the 10-20 knot range. The waves were 2-3 foot coming from astern and the autopilot was able to cope with them. The sun was out and we had all the ingredients of a great trip. In the interest of getting to Norfolk before dark I started motoring in the afternoon. We were making 6 knots and I used the engine runtime to make water. We saw pelicans fly around and I never knew they were in Chesapeake Bay. I knew we were approaching Norfolk when we started hearing and seeing choppers and navy fighters fly low above our heads. The traffic was getting thicker and thicker in the air and on the water. I was just glad we made it into Norfolk before dark. That night, as we anchored in Lafayette river, while eating the pork chops, we heard a drowning cat meow. Crystal jumped up in panic and screamed for Bella. Without hesitation, I jumped on the port side of the boat and grabbed the poor little Bella. We never knew if it was the birds, the flatness of the water in the harbor, or something else, but Bella somehow decided to jump off. With all her hair wet, she was as small as a little mouse. My clothes felt very heavy in the water and I was barely able to reach up and lift her back on deck. The water was freezing. We were just talking about how cold the water was (50F) when we heard Bella fall in. I used the dinghy to come back up, turned the heater on, and used the remaining hot water to rinse off the stinky harbor smell. The next day we are starting the ICW. Hopefully we’ll have warmer weather and easier trips that the last week was.
posted by sundowner-cruise at 9:20 AM
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