We're in Virginia!

We crossed the Currituck Sound and the ICW to Norfolk, VA today. Another day with almost no waves in a large sound, but it was quite foggy when we started out this morning. Kathy made me go slow because it scares her to rely on the radar and GPS charts and positioning when you can only see the channel markers when you are this close to them.

The fog lifted about 11:00 AM and we cruised through the Currituck Sound, followed by the ICW in a picturesque landscape of salt marshes and fir trees. Interestingly, we don't see any more liveoak trees and Spanish moss that were so common and striking just 100 miles South.

We would have made it to Norfolk by 3 hours earlier except we got caught by very poorly thought out bridge opening times, like each bridge opens only on the hour and they're only 2 miles apart, and then we had to wait 2 hours at the last bridge which they will not open from 3:30 to 5:30 PM for rush hour. Oh well, that's boating sometimes.

Norfolk is a major Navy port. They're everywhere! Some of these ships are absolutely huge. In the channel we went through, there were two aircraft carriers and many other very large Navy ships. Reid would love this! There was a fast Harbor Police boat guarding the line of floats here. They'd run up and down the float line like a hockey goalie as boats went by along the ICW past the area.

This was an extremely large supply ship or something in a dry dock and on the right is what looks to me like an old aircraft carrier that has been converted to carry containers on the decks and in the lower aircraft bays. Photographs can't convey the size of these ships well at all. Just imagine your jaw dropping....that's how big they are.

We'll stay in Norfolk tomorrow to see the sights and then begin cruising in the Chesapeake. Our marina is right on the waterfront downtown so we can walk to lots of interesting stuff, like the Chrysler art museum, the battleship USS Wisconsin. a 1730 church, Nauticus (a maritime museum) and 2 or 3 hundred restaurants.