Month: April 2017

Norfolk, VA

We arrived in Norfolk by noon yesterday.  Had a rough ride in the Albemae Sound.  I prefer the calmer rivers and narrower sections of the ICW. Too many boats caused congestion waiting for the bridge and locks.  Marina is in the center of the downtown .  They were having a big NATO   festival in the park next to us.  Nice displays and entertainment but it was too hot!  88 and very humid.  Went to the huge maritime museum, Nauticus.  Had planned to stay here a few days but weather forecast indicated we would be stuck in port several days if we didn’t leave today.  Originally had not planned on taking the extra week required to go up the Potomac River but other boaters convinced us to take the time.  Headed for a small marina at the mouth of the Potomac.

Coinjock Marina, NC

Coinjock is an Indian word meaning mulberry.  We were one of the first boats to arrive and the marina did not look very impressive .  However, it filled up quickly and I think we had the smallest boat here.  The restaurant is known for their prime rib.  They had live entertainment and the place was hopping   The 12oz prime rib served was large enough for 2 but we decided it is just not our favorite choice.  Will have 2 more meals from our takeout.  By the time we were ready to leave at 6:30 AM, more than a half dozen boats were already on their way.

Dowry Creek, Bellhaven, NC

This was a great Marina in a lovely, bucolic setting. Nice pool and great boater lounge as well as scenic, tranquil   scenery.  They had a nice loaner car we used to go to Spoon River Restaurant.  This was the best dining experience of the entire trip.  Farm to table restaurant had fabulous food, presentation, and service in the tiny town of Belhaven.  The owner gave us 2 complimentary glasses of one of her favorite wines and she gave me a fresh bouquet of peonies to take home.  The dining room was filled with fresh peonies from their farm.  Evening was a unique experience.

Beaufort, North Carolina 

Since my captain is insisting on earlier and earlier departures, we arrived in this lovely town by noon.  We used the courtesy car to go to the grocery store and replenish supplies.  Marina has a great location right in town.  We faced Carrot Island. I wanted to go shelling there with the dinghy but we didn’t have time to shop and explore the island. Had a wonderful dinner at The Grocery Company, a great restaurant in a building that previously housed an old grocery store.  Departure time this morning ,  6:30 AM.

New River Area Firing Exercises

We were fortunate to get through shortly before the ICW was closed for firing exercises .  The US Navy periodically closes the area in the Browns Island Inlet between Bear Creek and Onslow Beach for live fire.  Boats have no option but to wait up to several hours for practice to be completed.  Closure was announced on the radio after we went through.  We saw set up but I missed the photo opportunity.

Surf City, Topsail Island, NC

Surf City is definitely a summer resort town.   Some of the businesses here have not yet opened for the season.  We enjoyed the sunshine today after a full day of rain yesterday.  This is a small marina with only one employee.  Today was his day off so we had to dock the boat by ourselves. No one else here to catch a line. Walked down to the water this evening to watch the surfers .  It was cool and windy after the sun went down but there were nine people surfing, all wearing wetsuits.

Titusville

We could not get into Cocoa Beach so we went on to Titusville.  It is very hot today.  Record breaking temperatures in the 90’s the last few days. Looking forward to the cool down coming tomorrow.  This town had hurricane damage from Matthew, 2016. Good pizzeria downtown but many empty storefronts.  The coolest thing was the manatee that came right up to the boat to catch water drops as it was cleaned. Lulu craned her neck over the dock trying to figure out what they were.  Looper boat next to us said they hang out here.