10/26/09

We've begun our second day at 7:45 AM. Beautiful sunrise! We see sail and power boats, some traveling south. It's rough and we're not out to the bay yet. We've cut our speed to 12 mph from 22. It's a comfortable speed for the conditions. Now our speed is 23 and we're on auto-pilot. It is rough and we're at 18. Jim's had 2 bathroom breaks and I've been at the wheel. Luckily, all has been fine.
At 9:50 AM, we passed where the Chesapeake Bay meets the mouth of the Potomic River. It's 8 to 10 miles wide. There is little out here now. We're passing Smith Point Light. It looked like a ship from a distance.
10:27 - I really just saw the Little Engine that Could. It was pushing a barge in the middle of the Bay.
11:00 - Another barge or 2 or 3 are being pushed by tugs. Those little engines really get around!
12:00 - We have 25 miles to go to Norfolk. Waves and wind are kicking up. Jimmy's taken over the wheel and I need the bathroom. He's done most of the piloting.
I stopped writing the rest of the trip so I could hang on to my seat. When we entered the Intracoastal waterway, it became calmer. We passed the Navy Base with many ships. We had to stay 100 yards from all ships and the base.
At about 1:45, we docked at Waterside in Norfolk. It was a 6 hour trip and we made very good time, especially with the conditions. Many of the shops are gone. There are a few restaurants. Tomorrow, with rain forcasted, we'll visit with Jimmy's friends the Zimmermanns and Ira will meet us here on Wednesday to continue the trip.