Naval Norfolk
We arrived in Norfolk late afternoon on November 10th after sailing from Chincoteague.
During the night the current and winds caused our anchor to drag and we had to reposition in the cold, dark and rain. For some unknown reason the anchor alarm did not go off and we were lucky to have randomly checked the anchor app. Nate now set 2-3 seperate anchor alarms at night.
Once moving to a marina where we would wait for a good weather window to sail around Cape Hatteras, we located a vet to have Queso’s paw examined. Of course, this meant an urgent care vet as none of the local vets could see us immediately as new patients. We rented a car for the day to load up on groceries until our vet appointment. He was put on antibiotics and given a cone.
Josephine arrived back in Norfolk November 11th after a happy trip to Oklahoma. We were tucked into a cozy spot at Waterside Marina. This area had walkable Starbucks for Jo to study, trails for running (still training for Turkey Trot), a skincare salon, bookstore, museum, movie theater (saw Blitz) and restaurants. We were across from several warships under going maintenance and these ships had 24 hour police surveillance pilot boats sailing around these boats. We often saw Navy and Coast Guard walking the streets.
Nate misplaced the cover to our water tank. We searched and searched. Only after ordering a new part did we find it - stuck in a beer cozy!
Josephine was asked to put all the perishables away when we got back from the grocery store. Here is what I found upon opening the fridge:
While Nate was driving our car from Boston to Charleston, Jo and I visited Battleship Wisconsin which is now retired next to the Nauticus Museum in Norfolk. We went right at opening and since it was not busy we got a personal tour from volunteer Doug. He took us all through the boat pointing out the 8 football fields of teak decking, donut kitchen, library, dentist, mail room, and many more details. I am sure we would have have missed so much without his knowledge. My favorite story of the boat was how a shipmate could find his friend for three days due to how large the ship is. To find him he sent him a postcard through the ship mail tell him where to meet on the boat!
We met up with Nate’s rowing friend from his Tufts days, Jim, and one of the guys who had been in Boston for the Head of Charles reunion. He came on the boat for dinner and then we all went to an Admirals hockey game. I enjoyed watching grown-ups be put in time out, I mean the penalty box. A few days later we got to meet the rest of Jim’s family for lunch at their house. We all enjoyed discussing politics and learning about Jim’s career as a pilot of Marine One for the Obamas.
Other activities included a laundry date where Nate and I carried bags of dirty clothes two miles and ate lunch while they were drying. The marina doesn’t allow boats to hang laundry outside and since we don’t have a dryer we had to visit the laundromat which we have found to always be bustling with locals. I also managed to finish my journal that I started 11 years ago!
We had a final dinner in Norfolk to prepare for the infamous Cape Hatteras. As we waited for dinner we played a travel size game of Mancala. We hired marine meteorologist Chris Parker to give us an individualized weather prediction. The report called for an early departure November 17th. A sailor has to examine the waves and the wind for the duration of the planned sail. There are no stopping points around the Cape which is partly why sailors call it the Graveyard of the Atlantic with an estimated 3,000 sunken ships in this area.
