Hampton Public Docks

After we left Coinjock, we sailed pleasantly through the Currituck Sound, and then navigated through the numerous bridges (and one lock) between there and Hampton Roads. We managed to get through all the bridges with minimal wait time which was a first for us, I think. We had to make it to the last bridge by 3:30 or wait until 6:30 when it re-opened to waterway traffic (after rush hour). Got there for the 2:30 opening and congratulated ourselves on probably being able to arrive at our destination by 5:00 or so, a bit earlier than we anticipated.

As we made our way through the busy Norfolk area, we pulled in behind a tug pushing a large barge and surveyed the sky. “Looks like we might be in for some more rain,” I said to Tom as I handed him a cool drink. It had been overcast and sprinkling off and on most of the day. So we closed hatches and put various belongings that needed to stay dry inside, and watched the tug who was joined by a second one. The sky got darker and darker and then a bolt of lightening hit close to our east, sending Callie scurrying to her hidey hole and me unplugging the computer to save it at least if we got hit. The rain started down in torrents and we were really happy to have that barge in front of us because it was easy to see when nothing else was visible. Of course we kept an eye on the electronic chart as well. and turned on our navigation lights, hoping we could be seen by others. This is a very busy waterway.

And then the tugs stopped, or nearly so. Just right in the channel. Sat there. Drifting slowly. And so did we. The only other option was to pull out of the channel and anchor for a while. We decided those tugboat captains had radar on board and if they weren't going any further, then neither were we. It seemed like forever that the rain, wind and thunder (though not so much lightening) continued. Finally, the sky started to lighten up a bit and the barge started moving out the channel with us in hot pursuit.

The trip across Hampton Roads was uneventful, if a bit choppy. We made our way to Hampton Public Docks and looked over the docks available. After a few tries at backing into a double slip and lassoing a piling with a swift current flowing past the slip, we got tied up with the help of a couple on a neighboring boat. They were glad we had made it safely through the storm which had come through the marina as well. Shortly after securing lines and mixing a “festive” beverage, another storm came through which was as much of a doozy as the earlier one. Glad we weren't on the water for that one.