We've Got a Hankerin' for Some Shrimp!

Hampton, Virginia

After our ocean passage along the New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland coasts, we arrived in Hampton, Virginia intending to get a slip at the Downtown Hampton Public Piers. Their Visitors' Center is designed to welcome transient boaters and we like stopping here before beginning the Intracoastal Waterway to fill our propane tanks, top up on water and fuel and basically replenish our stores. Their docks were full for the weekend however, with boats participating in a Snowbird Rally, so we dropped the hook in the nearby anchorage on the Hampton River instead. This turned out to be perfect because it was calm, not to mention free of charge, plus we were still allowed to use the services provided by the Visitor's Center. This includes the laundry machines so we dinghied a couple loads over to shore. Since there are a few bars nearby, it works out well to have a beer while we waited for the wash and another as we waited for the dryer. It was good clean fun (and we stopped drinking before reaching the spin cycle).

We happened to be in town to catch the Phoebus Fall Festival which was comedic gold with the doggie costume contest, a T-Rex on the loose and the haphazard parade segments. Their parade was presented in easy to digest instalements where separate and random groups marched through the craft beer sampling area.

One item on our to-do list for Hampton was to collect a package at the post office labelled « General Delivery. Hold for SV Kianda ». (SV = sailing vessel.) Many weeks ago, a friend of mine asked me for a postal address where she could send us something. Sylvie's creativity, thoughtfulness and personal level of awesome have always been way above average. The package she sent contains multiple smaller boxes, all individually wrapped and marked with instructions on when to open them. I admit I opened the Halloween box more than 2 weeks early but it technically had no opening instructions (a loophole!) It simply said «Trick or Treat Smell my Feet» which can be left open to interpretation. Now the boat is well stocked with goodies and surprises for later. Thanks so much Sylvie – you're sweeter than all the treats combined!

The ICW

Dave and I are planning to do more offshore sailing along our way south but the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) is an enjoyable experience that we want to include in our adventure as well. Depending on the geography, the weather and our destination choices, sometimes one route is more advantageous than the other. Therefore, from here until we reach Florida, we'll be alternating between 'the inside' (the canals, rivers and sounds of the ICW) and 'the outside' (the open sea of the Atlantic) as best suits us.

After three mostly misty days in Hampton, we left our anchorage to cross the 10 nautical mile harbour that would lead us to Norfolk which marks Mile Zero of the ICW. One of our cruising guidebooks says many of us will never experience a busier harbour than Hampton Roads, even compared to New York Harbor, because of the concentration of pleasure craft, commercial ships and military vessels (which we must remain clear of by 500 ft). The book also said to secure everything down as if you were going out to sea. On the day of our departure, that really wasn't necessary. Aside from one cargo ship, the only boats we came across were lovely schooners. The harbour was, however, busy with my favourite kind of traffic: dolphins! It's always a delight to spot the dolphins but the real magic moment is when they race over to our boat and surf our bow wave! It's called bow riding (though we've had it happen at the stern and the sides of the boat as well). The boat's forward motion creates a wave that the dolphins use to propel themselves just for the fun of it. It feels like they're engaging with us and it's so amazing! They're right there!

Barely into our first day on the ICW, at Mile 5.8 to be exact, there was an unexpected surprise: the Gilmerton Bridge was closed due to a mechanical problem. A backlog of sailboats was quickly gathering at this unforeseeable impasse, waiting for the bridge to be raised for them to proceed on their way. Not knowing how long the delay would last, we turned off the engine and dropped our anchor to wait in line with the other sailboats, all of us pretending not to notice the power boaters laugh right on through. With no mast, many of the power boats don't need the bridge raised to pass underneath. Point for them, I admit.

Rather than potentially wait there in the channel all afternoon, I suggested we call it an early day and find a proper spot to anchor for the night before the limited spaces nearby filled up with other boats with the same reasoning. We got ourselves set in mouth of an adjacent creek and enjoyed the rest of the beautiful afternoon and evening at rest. Sometimes it's really nice to just stop for a bit and this bridge breakdown provided that opportunity. In the end, the bridge was operational again around 3pm and the boat traffic carried on.

We were up before dawn the next morning to make sure we caught the bridge before its scheduled closure from 6:30am to 8:30am for rush hour vehicle traffic. (I thought about the poor souls who have to go to work on weekdays. Wait, what's a weekday again? Oh yeah, it's those days when the bridge has scheduled closures!) As we prepared to make our way over there, we heard a tug boat call the bridge operator on the VHF for an opening, and it was pretty clear who was large and in charge. The communication went like this:

Tug Boat to Gilmerton Bridge: «Hurry up...Open up...I'm coming...Open it!»

There was no response but the bridge began to lift.

The tug called again: «You open 50 feet?»

The bridge operator responded: «I'm open 75 feet.» (With a sigh and rolling eyes and a head shake behind the radio no doubt.)

And the tug responded: «I'm coming through.»

When we call a bridge for an opening, we're so polite because we worry (for no actual reason) that if they don't like our tone they might not open for us. «Gilmerton Bridge, Gilmerton Bridge, this is sailboat Kianda heading southbound. We'd like to request an opening at your convenience, pretty please, with a cherry on top.» Something like that.

We arrived at the bridge at 6:15am and all was good until we heard the horn of a train. We both knew what that meant. This bridge is immediately followed by a train bridge which is normally a non-issue because it's always open except when a train is crossing - like at that moment. Thanks a lot train, you're thwarting our plan! Our bridge wasn't going to open until the train bridge could open and it was getting very close to 6:30 am. When we contacted the bridge operator to announce our intention to cross we were told «I'll see what I can do for you.»

In the meantime the world woke up around us including heavy commercial shipping traffic. Space is limited in the area where we waited and a huge cargo ship with its two accompanying tugs pulled up right behind us. And so did a tug and barge. And then another tug called from the other side of the bridges wanting to transition. It was getting crowded and that damn train just kept going and going! We hugged the side of the channel to stay out of the big guys' way while being careful not to run aground. The water was getting agitated and swirly from all the activity (and did I mention this was all in the dark before sunrise?) so we were diligent to keep the boat under control. At 7:30 am the bridge operator finally announced: «Tug and barge are clear; Kianda come on through.» And on we went!

At Mile 7 of the ICW, there's a fork in the road where cruisers must chose between two routes: the Virginia Cut route or the Great Dismal Swamp route (the two rejoin near Mile 79). Five years ago when we travelled from New Brunswick to Bahamas, we took the Great Dismal Swamp and loved it. So beautiful! We expected to do it again this time around but before proceeding, by chance, we decided to confirm the status of the canal because at times a fallen tree can stop boaters from transitioning. So Dave made a call and, whadaya know, the Great Dismal Swamp route has been closed since fall 2016 because of damage due to flooding caused by hurricane Matthew. A quick change of plans was in order (no biggie; unexpected twists are the new normal in our daily life these days) - we would travel the Virginia Cut!

This suited me fine for two reasons: 1) I like to take the route I haven't seen before and 2) friends of ours found a snake on board their sailboat after going through the Great Dismal Swamp a few years ago. It slithered across their dock lines when they were tied to a dock for the night. Nermal (the cat) found it on deck. With a broom, it was shooed overboard (I believe it was Brad and not Nermal who handled the broom though it was never specified). Dave told me that he read in the guidebook that this is a common occurrence. He was just messing with me as he knows how I dislike snakes, but it was still enough for me to favour the other, less swampy route this time around.

We were pleasantly surprised by the Virginia Cut. As we traveled beyond the industrial activity of Norfolk, the canal became quite peaceful and opened up to broader rivers and open-water sounds. We motored by day (putting up a sail when possible) and spent our nights at anchor in creeks along the way, seemingly in the middle of nowhere. The general pattern those days was we got underway early, then the larger, faster boats would pass us throughout the morning, and by early afternoon we were alone on the water again. Our boat is on the smaller side of the boats that do this kind of thing; I'd say the average sailboat size we encounter most is about 42ft while we're at 32ft. Even a 1 knot speed advantage over us means they're soon beyond sight. This is fine; it's not a race and we enjoy the serenity that comes once the herd passes by. The Annapolis Boat Show recently ended as well which will cause an increase of boats on the ICW with cruisers now eager to head south.

Belhaven, NC

We made our way through Virginia and by the time we got to Belhaven, North Carolina, we realized we hadn't been to shore in 5 days! We wanted two things from our quick stop in Belhaven: a run and some fresh seafood. Dave and I grew up in the Maritimes and we love seafood, so we're excited to get our fill now that we're on the coast again. In my family, crab, lobster and scallops are basically a form of currency. If someone offers you a mason jar of clams that they dug themselves, you must be very special to them! (FYI we moved to Ontario 2 years ago and the seafood scene not the same there at all.)

We read that there are many seafood restaurants in Belhaven but when we pulled up in our dinghy at 1:55, nothing was open! This little town is basically closed for business from 2-5pm. Don't think you're getting a late lunch! But we made up for it at dinner time with a shrimp appetizer, Dave's swordfish and my tuna steak. We got our legs into gear as well and went for a run. A little boy playing in his yard said out to us : « Y'all are joggin' hard!» He then dropped his football and ran with us until I told him that his shoelace was untied and he feigned a dramatic fall and that was the end of our running trio.

Oriental, NC

Oriental, NC has a population of 800 people and 3000 boats! Or so the saying goes in the proud-to-be 'Sailing Capital of North Carolina'. We noticed at least 7 marine stores and even stores that aren't specifically for nautical gear have a section with boating essentials. Where else could you buy carrots, cheese, cruising charts and zinc anodes all in one store? It's also clear that this town caters to boaters at the small Piggly Wiggly grocery store where an entire aisle is dedicated to wine (on both sides!) and another aisle for the beer.

Since we had been moving along quite steadily lately, we decided it was time to press pause for awhile and savour our surroundings. The Whittaker Point Marina in Oriental was the perfect place to treat ourselves to a few 'down days' with nothing on the agenda. Oriental is super casual and relaxed and is a good spot to do not much. We stayed three days and it really felt like a vacation. Long weekend!

It took no time to unwind and feel at home. By the second day we were zipping back and forth with our bikes on the concrete docks from our boat to the pool like we owned the place – stopping to chat with new acquaintances or to visit with the marina dog. We were warned that the pool temperature was only 80 degrees but then they always say « oh wait, you're Canadian » so it's obviously no problem.

The people in Oriental are so friendly. Everyone we crossed paths with said hello, waved or smiled. I really mean every car that drove past us waved without exception. It's great to see people be so nice to each other. Other bonuses that Oriental has to offer are: a great coffee shop, a cool art gallery and an awesome little fish market. From the patio of the coffee shop we watched a shrimping boat come in and we headed to the fish shack. He said the boat had 7000lbs of shrimp to offload. So we helped out by taking 1.5lbs off his hands and had the freshest shrimp dinner possible back at the marina. Some dolphins were playing nearby which added to the full contentedness of our evening and we decided there was no reason not to stay in Oriental one more day.

Later in the evening there was some excitement in the marina over the scheduled arrival of a 75ft mega yacht. The marina caretaker, a couple of liveaboards and Dave as well, all stood on the dock ready and eager to help the big fancy yacht get secured. The captain stood on deck and with his remote that controls everything onboard, casually maneuvering it like it was nothing. This vessel can stop or turn on a dime. He then invited the guys onboard for a look-see. Meanwhile I had been in the clubhouse and when I returned to our boat, I couldn't find Dave. It wasn't hard to guess where he was when I saw that the big yacht had arrived. I got out the binoculars, and lo and behold, there he was on the yacht, beer in hand, seeing how the other half lives.

It turns out that the captain of the yacht is the owner of the marina (and other businesses) where we stayed in Poughkeepsie, NY. He told Dave that he's on his way to Florida and since he wants to make some miles, he pushed it and burned 140 gallons of fuel per hour! That equates to almost $400 of fuel per hour and he did this for most of the day. « I don't want to be doing that too often.» he said. Our 40 gallon fuel tank on Kianda normally allows us 72hrs (about 3 days) of motoring at full throttle before we need to refill. So, this guy is burning fuel (and money) like there's no tomorrow is what I'm sayin'.

When Dave came back to our boat he said « you should have come over ». No thank you, I'm not dazzled by such extravagance. Tell me everything.

When Dave and the guys boarded they were led to the 2^nd story salon where there was a football game playing on two wide screen TVs. The captain opened a large refrigerated drawer full of beer and told them to help themselves. «But he has problems on his boat too. » Dave noted. Which lead me to ask: « Such as? » On their way to Oriental the dishwasher stopped mid-cycle and the water ran out and got under the carpet. Dave said he wasn't worried about it; he just wants to get to Florida.

We had a (perhaps less flashy but) genuinely enjoyable cocktail hour on a trawler called Nearly Perfect that was docked ahead of us at the marina. The owners are a couple from Texas who live aboard their boat and have been cruising full time since 2015. They said that each weekend it got harder and harder to leave the boat to return to the house, so one day they decided it was time to retire, sell most of their possessions and live life afloat. Their words of wisdom: never live somewhere where the temperature (in Fahrenheit) goes down lower than your age!

The final treat that Oriental offered us before our early morning departure from the dock was the most beautiful sunrise we've ever seen. Next stop : Beaufort, North Carolina!

From Norfolk to Oriental.

Virginia Cut route vs Great Dismal Swamp route.

A veggie garden for cruisers at the Hampton Pier!

Our special surprises!

The moment before both dogs went ape-shit, especially the beige one
who was caught completely by surprise. (Note T-Rex in background.)
Dogs. Lost. Their. Minds.

A schooner in Hampton Roads Harbor.

Sunrise at the Gilmerton Bridge, Norfolk.

Most beautiful morning on the Alligator-Pungo River, NC.

Whittaker Point Marina, Oriental, NC.

Getting dinner from the shrimping boats in Oriental.

Why not stay another day?

Dinner with a view.

Here's how it went while underway:  1st we spot them from afar...

Then they come a little closer...

Then, if we're lucky, the magic moment!!!

OMG!
We're making eye contact here!