Should I Stay or Should I Go Now? Mon. Nov. 8th

 Should I Stay or Should I Go Now?   Mon. Nov. 8th

The title to today's blog summarized our dilemma.  Forecast was still for winds in the Chesapeake to be 22 knots from the north- a little stiff and some forecasts suggested more gusts of 30-35, but tomorrow's forecast is for less than 7 knots out of the north- not enough wind to move us along comfortably so we'd probably have to motor to Norfolk. We know that one of the first bridges on the ICW doesn't open until Tuesday at 11:00 am (normally 8:30 is the first opening for recreational vessels), which is rather late to be leaving Norfolk if we want to secure a berth or a comfortable anchorage for the night.  (The Army Corps of Engineers dredges the ICW to a depth of about 15 feet, but outside of the 100 yard wide channel, the depths quickly rise to only a few feet, meaning that one can't anchor just anywhere.)  Given that the sun was shining and we learned that there'd be plenty of room to anchor in Norfolk, we left the Severn River around 7:45 am, pulling out just a little jib. As forecast, the winds were a steady 22 knots but the seas were not as large as they had been on Friday, making the 40 mile trip not so bad. The most significant stress was that we had decided to tow the dinghy instead of securing it on deck since we'd want to use it once in Norfolk.  The dinghy survived what looked a a few waves that wanted to capsize it. Finally the winds and seas diminished as we arrived in Norfolk around 2:00 pm and once inside the bay, we had to even turn on the engine as we passed the Naval Base.  It was amazing to see the number of US Navy (and one Norwegian) war ships berthed in Norfolk. There must have been at least 20 vessels including three aircraft carriers, with 24/7 police boats on patrol to ensure pleasure boaters like us don't get too close.  

We dropped anchor off of Hospital Point in Portsmouth around 3:45 pm and Sarah caught the last five minutes of an EPA alumni webinar on the Chesapeake Bay, but stayed on for the chat room and ended up seeing Derry Allen from DC, with whom she had worked with years ago.  The sun set shortly after 5:00 pm and as the weather was warmer, we had a quick gin and tonic before retiring below for our second round of crab cakes and tiramisu for dessert.  We were glad to have made the decision to leave the Severn as it means we'll have the benefit of a day on shore tomorrow and start our journey down the ICW on Wed. when that first bridge should be operating normally.