Blogs from Norfolk, Virginia, United States, North America

Tuesday 13th Went cattle class to Norfolk VA from Springfield VA on the Greyhound, as Amtrak cancelled my train The journey to cousins was a mission I tell you - I DO NOT recommend Greyhound - but I endured - it is an adventure after all . . Just not to be repeated any time soon or ever again! The service was overbooked so 2 coaches were needed. Over 1 and a half hours later the second one arrived whilst they hunted for another driver - who turned out not to exactly know his way. Anyway - upside was we got onto a cleaner coach with more space - some comfort then - and arrived seriously late The Greyhound staff at Richmond were quite rude - especially on the Info Desk ... read more

We left Charleston April 17 with a fresh SW breeze. Having dodged a few racing fleets that view even large freighters as a nuisance and are sure they own the channels:) We made Beauford, NC in two days. Enjoyed a really nice town and the old beautifully restored waterfront. April 21 we quit the town and motored three hours with the wind on our nose to Cape Lookout bight where we anchored in total solitude and went ashore to see the old lighthouse, walk the wide dune-lined beaches, watch the birds and wild horses. Then with the right weather we braved rounding Cape Hatteras within 6 miles offshore. We made it in two days to Hampton Roads but the second night had some nasty weather for us. In spite of the forecast 12-15 knots we got ... read more

The weather is behaving and giving us a favourable window starting tonight. We will leave at midnight. The winds will be higher as we start out, but will diminish as the night goes on. If we are not too tired we will skip Beaufort and head for Wrightsville Beach because the winds and waves are still very calm right into Sunday. Plan for the moment is to arrive at Wrightsville Beach in Masonboro Inlet by 2 pm Sunday. We will monitor weather and our fatigue and make the decision along the way. We are now making final lists of things we need to get done before we tuck in for an early sleep this evening. We had tested the motor again yesterday and to our disappointment although it was better it was still overheating at high ... read more

Effectivement, le 24 nov le soleil est au rendez-vous et continue jusqu’à aujourd’hui, mardi le 29 nov. Notre détour via Delaware Bay & Chesapeake Bay au lieu de la haute mer a ajouté 3 jours à notre voyage et les conditions n’étaient pas tellement meilleures mais ça fait partie de l’expérience. On a atteint le Port de Norfolk, Virginie dimanche et quel port, c’est immense et c’est la base navale américaine donc plein de toutes sortes de bateaux de guerre, vraiment impressionnant. Lundi matin, on était tout excité d’enfin emprunter le ICW (Intracoastal Waterway) qui nous amène jusqu’en Floride, alors on part à 7am traverse le grand port et à 10 hres on arrive au 2ième pont qui doit ouvrir pour constater qu’il est en réparation et qu’exceptionnellement, il n’ouvre pas entre 7am-6pm ce lundi et ... read more

Unless you have on-board internet connections, wifi is in short supply for cruising boaters We gather like honey bees at dockside hot spots. We're taking an early morning oppportunity to get our blog launched before casting off for the ICW. The trip so far has been 'busy' but the pace should ease up on this next leg. We will share some of the experiences of the earlier days later on. It's cloudy but fair in Norfolk. The day is in full swing for the towns folk. We're at the harbour, facing a massive Portsmouth drydock and boat-building facility. We used this time in a big city centre to shop for and install new house batteries. Our old ones were slow to recharge and we realized they were doing well for 7+ years old. The commuter ferry ... read more