August 27 - September 3, 2014
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| Bike mechanics |
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| The wall at Atlantic Yacht Basin in Chesapeake VA |
Arriving
at the Norfolk, VA airport on
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| Railway lift to pull boats |
Wednesday (8/28/14) with sister Susan in tow, the
three of us climbed into an Enterprise rental car for our return to Atlantic
Yacht Basin (AYB), Chesapeake, VA where SaSea Sally was docked in a shed.
Clay's car driving left me questioning whether he'd remember how to drive a
boat; it seemed he'd forgotten how to drive a car. And, Sus was wild-eyed in
the back seat, holding on for dear life, and wondering, I'm sure, what she'd
gotten herself into!
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| Shoulder therapy on the gunnel? |
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| They never used any cleaning supplies (outside anyway) |
The
shed was dark, dreary but safe mooring for the month we were absent. Spending
$2/foot more than the outside storage, Clay was comforted during our absence in
case of hurricane or severe weather. Upon our arrival, I was anxious to move
the boat outside despite the late hour, so we revved the engines, broke cobwebs
along the deck, retrieved lines and fenders, and moved in the light of the
sunset (which also gave us satellite reception for television and XM
music/news).
We
made steady progress towards unloading, unpacking, and stowing our tote bag
contents amidst the not-too-dirty interior, then took stock of grocery needs
for a Wednesday provisioning run. We dined at nearby Lockside Restaurant, then
returned for our first overnight aboard SaSea Sally in almost a month.
As
planned, Thursday was a day of provisioning at Wal-Mart. While I stashed and
stowed our purchases, Sus dealt with a dead cell phone and Clay washed the
quite-dirty exterior of the boat. We returned our Enterprise rental late
afternoon, then walked to AYB from a dropoff at nearby Farm Fresh with the
makings for a delightful dinner of salmon onboard.
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| The crew |
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| The crew in Great Bridge Lock Park across from AYB Marina |
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| I didn't get this cute pastry |
At
Sus' prompt, our Friday walk ended at Panera where we breakfasted on bagels
(Clay opted for his favorite pecan, pronounced pee-kan, roll) and fresh fruit
which Sus had backpacked the length of our walk. Post showers, Sus and I
enjoyed the day on land while Clay finalized details for a Saturday departure;
I'm sure we had more fun than he! We hit a Walgreens end-of-season sale on flip
flops, beach balls, and other summer items; tested pretzels from Dollar Tree (a
winning selection and the price was right!); and tried on a myriad of clothing
items at Cato, selecting for purchase a couple items each. Ending the day with
grilled burgers, we proclaimed the day a success!
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| Note the "two way" lock gates |
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| THE NEW Great Bridge brige |
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| Fishing and crabbing in Great Bridge |
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| Double lock gates to lock either way depending on water level |
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| Great Bridge Lock house |
GrOur
Friday breakfast was worth a repeat on Saturday (we confirmed we had the
routine down pat as we packed our fresh fruit medley in containers housed in
Sus' backpack), so we again ended our walk with breakfast bagels (and pee-kan
roll for Clay) at Panera, but hustled on back shortly after our final swigs of
java; we had a noon bridge opening to make at Great Bridge, VA. Departing AYB
at 11:40 a.m., we made the bridge opening then radioed the lockmaster for entry
just beyond. The female taskmaster, err...lockmaster, required two deckhands to
man the process, so Sus was quickly called into action; my arms aren't quite
long enough to handle all 43' with two lines solo. She's a trooper, took
directions well, and displayed the confidence I had in her managing the task!
You go, girl!
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| Carrier undergoing retrofit |
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| Beautiful deckhand at Great Bridge Lock |
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| Unloading a bulk ship |
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| Crane on a barge |
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| Navy yard cranes |
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| Super high lift bridge! |
We
arrived Norfolk at 2:15 p.m., choosing Waterside Marina on the Elizabeth River
in the heart of downtown as our overnight location. We were anxious to explore
the downtown area which presented much 'curb appeal.' The sights were
delightfully nautical with landscapes well manicured and riverwalk extensive.
But cutsie little eclectic shops were almost non-existent much to Sus'
disappointment. The waterfront complex of shops and services which looked so
promising was nearly empty, having been upstaged by nearby MacArthur
Center (Dillards, Nordstroms, etc) and leaving only Hooters and Joe's Crab
Shack to entertain those at the riverfront (not much entertainment unless you
want to eat).
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| Mile Marker "0" on the Atlantic ICW |
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| Navy drydocks in Norfolk |
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| Carrier being worked on |
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| Materials handling facility |
With
our shopping cut short (we weren't interested in the chain shops of the
MacArthur Center), we meandered back to the boat where Sus struck up a
conversation with the next-door neighbors, a husband and wife duo (each
sporting 80+ years) aboard a sailboat. She found much in common with these two
folks who had lived in Columbia, MO during his college years; I was pleased
that Sus was getting a taste of the congeniality of the boating community!
Later eve, Sus opted to stay onboard (saying she just couldn't walk another
step) while Clay and I walked ten-plus blocks to the Big Easy Oyster Bar which
featured a speakeasy atmosphere complete with live music.
Sunday's
departure incorporated an initial detour to Tidewater Marina in Plymouth, VA,
directly across the river to acquire the navigational charts for the Chesapeake
Bay. I'm a hardcopy person and prefer navigating with these charts as a
cross-reference to Clay's electronics (GPS et al). Glad we detoured...read on!
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| Sunset from Waterside Marina |
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| Models? |
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| Hood ornaments cruising to Smithfield, VA |
We
cruised to Smithfield, VA, docking at Smithfield Station which was a marina,
hotel and boardwalk complex of shops on the Pagan River. Herb (No Agenda) was
quick to catch our lines and snug us in; again, I was pleased for Sus to
witness the extreme helpfulness evident almost everywhere in the boating world.
Introduced to Herb's wife Renee, we three women were quick to bond, sharing
quips and quotes and personal stories. Just as in the small 
world evidenced by
the chance meeting with the Waterside sailboaters, we soon found a common
denominator withRenee (her best friend Christine was from Columbia, MO). We
pursued further conversation around Smithfield Station's pool where we learned
that Christine's dad had lived two doors from mom when each resided at The
Bluffs (retirement home).
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| Sally after a shower |
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| Susan walking back to the boat |
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| Herb and Renee's boat |
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| USS Wisconsin (Nicknamed "Whiskey") |
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| Three mermaids |
As
we chatted with Renee, we learned the story of nearby Windsor Castle Park, a
208-acre riverside park featuring a woodland trail system, picnic and open area
space, dog park, 
kayak/canoe launch, fishing pier, mountain bike path, scenic
overlooks and the historic manor house called Windsor Castle. Windsor Castle
Farm was "originally part of a 1450 acre parcel patented in 1637 by Arthur
Smith, an ancestor of the town's founder, Arthur Smith IV. The purchase of land
for the creation of the park was made possible through the generous
contribution of Mr. Joseph W. Luter, III, founder and former CEO of
Smithfield Foods." We'd heard of Smithfield Foods and were aware of its
presence here with the aroma of ham quite evident in the air all around. We were
pleased to learn of Windsor Castle Park where Renee ran each early morning as
we now had our morning walking route defined for us.
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| Big tree in Windsor Castle Park, Smithfield VA |
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| Susan with Ben Franklin |
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| Sally and Susan with one of Smithfield's pig statues |
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| Another PIG. |
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| Smithfield Station Marina and restaurant |
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| Smithfield Station Marina Conf Center |
We
elected to make our stay at Smithfield Station a two-night docking which gave
us the day Monday to 'play.' Clay, Sus and I walked the 3+ mile walking trail
circling Windsor Castle Park followed by a late breakfast. We welcomed Herb,
Renee and Christine aboard for a tour of our 43' Mainship then accepted a ride into town (it was beastly hot) to explore the shops in downtown Smithfield. We,
of course, saw the pig motif incorporated in many gifts/souvenirs, and Sus got
a taste of her eclectic shopping opportunity. Our only purchase of the day was
lunch at Taste of Smithfield.
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| Sally with Ben Franklin |
Back
to the marina (on foot and downhill all the way), we donned swimsuits and
enjoyed time poolside. Sus was a sport to tolerate my lap swimming (a short
pool, but nonetheless swimmable) while she could only bob around in the water.
We dined at Smithfield Station after finding Renee's #1 restaurant recommendation
(Smithfield Inn) closed on this Labor Day Monday.
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| USCG doing their thing on Labor Day |
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| Two carriers in Newport News getting demoed or retrofitted |
Tuesday
morning we repeated our walk at the park, took a quick dip in the pool, then
prepared to launch toward Rebel Marina on Willoughby Bay in Norfolk
(recommended by our good friend Tom (Journey) and emphasized by the
availability of a courtesy car to get Sus to the Norfolk airport for her
Wednesday flight home). As Clay started the engines, he discovered a black GPS
screen. Not good when you depend on the boat's electronics to get you from
point A to point B! It's always good to have back-up Plan B (as we've mentioned
numerous times along our Loop!) And, thank goodness for those paper
navigational charts purchased at Tidewater just two days prior; they're rather
expensive, rather large and unwieldy, but they work when electronics don't. Of
course, that put me in navigating mode requiring far more of my time and
attention than had the trip to Smithfield. But, no worries. The task confirmed
the presence of my self-taught navigational skills and gave Sus a chance to
learn as well. We twins do like to share!
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| Fort Guarding the north shore of Norfolk VA |
Wednesday's
walk excluded
Clay as we left him to deal with an electronics guru who
installed a new GPS switch in the flybridge. Clay had quickly realized the
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| BIG BOY in the Navy Yard in Norfolk |
faulty switch's demise and that the task was beyond his realm of expertise.
Over breakfast, Clay outlined his plan for the day which included borrowing the
courtesy car for lunch en route to the Norfolk airport, a provisioning stop,
and departure by 3 p.m. for a cruise across the Chesapeake Bay to Cape Charles
Town Harbor.
We
found Surf Rider to be a delightful lunch stop waterside (Little Creek) where
Sus and I chose yummy black and bleu (fish and bleu cheese) wraps, and Clay
chose fried clams with fries. Norfolk's airport, conveniently located nearby,
was our next stop where we dropped Sus along with a sincere invitation to join
us again! She makes a good Looper: meets people well; enjoys a bit of
adventure; adapts to Plan B, C, D, etc; and even welcomes a 9 p.m.
bedtime!
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| Norfolk Bay Lighthouse |
Only
one hour past our planned departure time, we revved the engines and entered the
Chesapeake Bay at 4 p.m. for a three-hour extremely rough ride among what Clay
called 'confused' waves which had us pitching and tossing in all directions. I
felt like a ball in one of those circle games where participants have to keep
the ball in motion, tossing from one player to another. I don't mind playing
the game, but being the ball is a different scenario entirely! A constant
battle with balance left me exhausted as we arrived at Cape Charles Town Harbor
in the light of the setting sun. Thank goodness for leftovers as I had little
energy for much else!
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| Safe at Cape Charles Town Harbor on the "Eastern Shore" of VA |
This
email summarizes our time with Sus onboard SaSea Sally. With August behind us
and September beginning, we look forward to time in the Chesapeake area...and
to maybe a bit of cooler weather which would allow and encourage anchoring
overnight more often. Uh-oh, that anchor word...let's hope Clay and I can stay
untangled from the chain!
