Norfolk to DC

We enjoyed good conditions on our voyage up Chesapeake Bay and the Potomac River.  Below is a picture of the helm.  It includes Garmin charts at large and small scale, autopilot heading,  plus our iPad with Navionics displaying detailed sonar charts.

This is a high traffic area for large sea going boats.  They move fast and can be upon you before you know it.

We also saw a lot more ospreys building nests.  Some were much more advanced than others.

Very few boats were moving about for this entire leg.  It seemed we were the only pleasure boat moving on the water.  Temperatures were cool ranging from 50 to 65, but quite comfortable inside out of the wind.  The best aspect was NO BUGS!

 Our secluded anchorage just off the Potomac was very peaceful and offered a gorgeous sunset.

Roosters on shore were our wake up call to a beautiful sunrise.

With a good weather forecast and only 95 miles to go, we decided to reach our destination in one last hop.  Again the water was flat and we were the only boat making waves.  The only hitch we encountered was an interception by patrol boat to have us avoid entering a live military gunnery range.  Didn't see any action, but glad to have been directed out of the zone.

Upon further checking we contacted the marina about their shallow entrance depth.  They recommended that we delay our arrival so that the tide rise would help.  Our intended 4 pm arrival was at dead low, but we would have an extra foot if we waited until 6 pm. That required us to slow down and crawl along for the next several hours.  Even then we found ourselves skimming the bottom silt as we made our way in.  We'll be very sure to leave at high tide!

Here is Fort Washington at the entrance to Swan Creek where Tantallon Marina is located.  It was constructed in 1812 to defend the Potomac entrance to Washington DC.

The marina is fairly basic, but in a nice neighborhood, well maintained, and has locked dock access.

Our first day after arrival, we rented a car and drove to nearby National Mall.  It has many tourist attractions and is filled with restaurants and hotels and a retired Air Force One jet.

 John, hobnobbing with the famous!

Our primary reason for visiting here was to spend time with granddaughter Fancy and husband Patrick.  They live in Arlington which is about 12 miles from our marina closer to DC. 

Our timing was excellent since the Cherry blossoms were in full bloom.  So we joined the madding crowd to walk around the Tidal Basin among all the flowering trees.

We flew home April 8 with plans to return by June 1.  Below is a view of the Potomac.
Where to next we do not know.

Norfolk, VA

April 1, 2019
Our stay in Coinjock, SC, was not the best for sleeping.  We were the only boat on the dock and the current continued to slap against our hull, while the wind buffeted us all evening.  But we did get a great sunset to start with.

We were slow to get going and didn't shove off until 9:30.  Didn't worry since it was going to be a short mileage day.  We were to learn another lesson.

We saw only one other boat moving on the water.  It was a cold and blustery day.  The Currituck Sound was quite shallow and the waves were square and tight, continually blowing spray up onto the windshield.  We cruised at our slow rate of 8 mph, trying to minimize the unpleasantness, but extending the duration.  Once back in the narrower river channels, things improved greatly. And the ospreys were out in force building their nests.  We also spotted several bald eagles, including this big guy:

What we did not count on was a series of low bridges that opened on time schedules and not upon request.  The first one we came to required us to wait about 20 minutes.  The second we timed a bit better and only had to sit for about 10 minutes.  The third we adjusted our speed to just reach it when it opened.  But then we had 4 miles to the next bridge (the Great Bridge and Lock) which only opens on the hour, giving us 55 mins to get there.  We idle at 5 mph, so we ended up tying to a pier near the bridge and waiting.  We did luck out with an open RR bridge near Norfolk that can be down for over an hour if a train is near.  The Norfolk Naval Station was quite busy and full of a variety of ships.  The speed limit is 7 mph for several miles thru the area, and we were the only boat moving.  We eventually reached Rebel Marina north of Norfolk, after 60 miles, at about 4:30 feeling more tired than previous 100 mile days.

The weather forecast heavy winds, waves and rain for the next day and it proved true.

We hunkered down, slept in, took showers, did laundry, stayed warm and dry and caught up on our blog.
Hopefully, tomorrow's weather will improve and we'll head up into the Chesapeake Bay.  Only about 190 miles to DC.