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Portsmouth VA docked near Olde Town...great place
Buddy Boat Cutter Loose, Island Spirit, and Team Leader Catspaw |
Arriving Portsmouth VA, from Great Bridge and the ICW, we have reached ICW mile marker 001. That means that we have now completed the Intracoastal Waterway from Virginia to Florida into the Keys and up the west coast of Florida to Punda Gorda. We are feeling a sense of accomplishment and pride as we complete this first year of full-time cruising, living aboard our Island Packet 35.
Here in Portsmouth, VA, we always take a few days and enjoy the Olde Towne with great restaurants, pubs, bakeries and movie theater. We rode the paddle wheel ferry over to the Norfolk side of the Elizabeth River at Watersides and walked to the mall where we were overwhelmed by the USA marketing machine. We bought nothing....because we need nothing...yet it was still fun to act like you were shopping for something that you really didn't need. Cruising does change your perspective on what is really needed, and this trip into an upscale mega mall reminded us of just how much we have been changed by this year afloat.
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| The final run NORTH up the Chesapeake Bay |
The weather turned on us as a low pressure built off the coast of Carolina and kicked up N and NE winds of 20+ knots. The course up the Chesapeake Bay is due North. So, with a North or Northeast wind of 20-25 knots, the seas come up and we really did not want to bash into that for 150 miles.
With that situation, we simply remained at dock for 4 days in Portsmouth, waiting for the winds to move to the East which they will do tomorrow, Monday. So we will depart for our final push up the Bay which we plan in 2 long 75 mile days or 3 50 mile days. Either way, we will be back "HOME" in Rock Hall, MD by mid week. The journey's end is in sight.....and what a truly wonderful trip it has been....
Photos of Portsmouth
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| Radeen at Great Bridge Lock |
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Overview of a loaded barge at dock with a crane off loading gravel
Check out the scale of this photo...then look at next picture close up! |
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'HEY BOSS.....This is going to take a while!"
I wonder how long it takes to off load a barge of gravel one scoop at a time?! |
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| Railroad Bridge and Gilmerton Lift Bridge arriving Norfolk VA |
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| The harbor is large, commercial and so busy, very interesting section |
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| Our Portsmouth VA docking location along the city wall with Cutter Loose & Catspaw |
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| Patrica on Cutter Loose prepared a beautiful french toast breakfast. |
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Coconut Bread from Hope Town, Bahamas, saved for this day...
Thank you Patricia and Eric, you guys are the fleet's best chefs! |
Thank you Portsmouth VA for your wonderful hospitality and great Olde Town historic section. We sincerely appreciate this city....
Oh come on guys... buy something dammit!
ReplyDeletesurely you can use a 50" led HDTV flatscreen, a sharper image massage chair and a couple of snowboards!
That french toast looks great!
I just bought some pancake batter in a pressurized can. Looks like a big can of that cheese whiz. That's my answer to Bahamian Coconut French Toast!
Congratulations on your first retirement victory lap! I've enjoyed your voyage immensely, enjoyed sharing a small part of it with you, and look forward to more adventures together.