In which we stay a fathom away from other people...
We haven't been through a lock since this time last year, entering the Dismal Swamp, so excitement was running high. We came through the 10am bridge opening and right into the lock as the only boat. Which was good because it was a bit like the Keystone Cops. Because of The Rona the lock-masters aren't handling lines, and the cleats were too deep for me to reach. I managed to leap up onto the wall and secure the front (excuse me, bow) but, as it does, then the stern began to wander away and I was stuck on the wall. 'Hook' I yelled to Rick since I had forgotten the word 'boat hook' in all the drama and bless him, he knew what I meant and used the boat-hook to d r a g the boat to the wall and I tied us up. We had no further instructions so we didn't know if the water was going up or down and needed to make sure the lines stayed slack for either event. It turned out that the water was going down and then we suddenly had to figure out the line situation and get me back on the boat. It was total goof-ball but we made it. I'm super glad no one was watching/filming. (Also, the boat hook is a bit bent...)
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| Here I am sitting on the line, looking my very best. |
The lovely industrial outskirts of Norfolk came in to view, and then it was time to wait, AGAIN, for the same rail bridge we had to wait for last year. What are the odds. It took about 30 minutes for trains to pass in both directions and for central control to raise the bridge for little old us (feels very powerful!).
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| Stupid Bridge |
As you loyal readers probably remember, Norfolk is a long working harbor. You can see from this picture how every side all the way up to our marina is working dock. Rick was a little anxious to be surrounded by this much activity, until I pointed out to him that there was not actually ANY activity on the water. We were just about the only boat the whole way.
Tucked into the Waterside Marina we had lunch and walked to a nearby dock for our 2pm Naval Yard Water Tour. It's been cloudy and sprinkling so we had rain gear, but we weren't complaining - we needed a break from sun. The only thing is that the reason it's raining is because the humidity is so high the clouds can't take it anymore and water just has to fall out of the sky.
I'm not going to include many pix of the navy boats because it's just too hard to convey how many there are, and how many miles of dry dock, etc there are. I'm not a big proponent of military spending, but it is hard not to be awed by the sheer power. One aircraft carrier we saw was as tall as a 22-story building and carried over 6000 people. They are small cities with barber shops, laundry, cinemas and 24/7 fast food.
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| Lots of container yards and ships on the water as well. Rick uses his AIS (Automated Identification System) to see what boats are around us and learn about them. Naturally none of the military boats have AIS. |
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| A boat with legs! It cruises to where it is needed and puts its legs down. How crazy is that - it's like a Dr Seuss boat! |
Here's the main takeway for me - I am looking forward to saying 'please stay a fathom away from me':
After our tour we went for a walk around downtown Norfolk and ended up spoiling our dinner with fried pickles and spinach dip at a local brewery. Oh well...
Can you ever eat too many pickle chips?!?
We like being right down town - last year we were on the other side of the water in the small town of Portsmouth. It's not often that we get to be by the lights of a big city.
And the boat name of the day:
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