We left Atlantic City, New Jersey yesterday morning with the plan of
passing through the Cape May Canal and continuing on up to the north
end of Delaware Bay, ideally positioned for transiting south through
Chesapeake Bay over the next week or so. Yesterday was a beautiful
day on the ocean however with lots of sun, light northerly breezes,
and almost perfectly calm seas. By the time we were approaching Cape
May I did some quick calculations and determined that if we kept on
going south in the ocean, we could be in Norfolk, Virginia by 3:00AM,
bypass Chesapeake Bay entirely, save 100 miles or so, and still get a
half decent night's sleep. We ended up doing exactly that, slept
until almost noon today and still managed to get south of Norfollk to
the eponymous Great Bridge Bridge where we are now tied up at the town
dock.

https://www.google.com/search?q=great+bridge+bridge&biw=1366&bih=608&tbm= isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=Y7cYVOLBLJevyASAmYL QCA&sqi=2&ved=0CDMQsAQ#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=m0Zk SqVL162M6M%253A%3B3819ehhwKWySqM%3Bhttp%253A%252F% 252Fwww.cityofchesapeake.net%252FAssets%252Fimages %252Fdepartments%252Fpublic_works%252Fgreat-bridge-bridge.jpg%253F%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.cityofche sapeake.net%252FGovernment%252FCity-Departments%252FDepartments%252FPublic-Works-Department%252FDivisions%252Fbridges%252Fbridges-greatbridge.htm%3B300%3B225

Tomorrow we'll be tied up at Coinjock Marina in North Carolina
enjoying a big plate of their famous prime ribs.

http://tinyurl.com/waynebspottrack

In article ,
says...

We left Atlantic City, New Jersey yesterday morning with the plan of
passing through the Cape May Canal and continuing on up to the north
end of Delaware Bay, ideally positioned for transiting south through
Chesapeake Bay over the next week or so. Yesterday was a beautiful
day on the ocean however with lots of sun, light northerly breezes,
and almost perfectly calm seas. By the time we were approaching Cape
May I did some quick calculations and determined that if we kept on
going south in the ocean, we could be in Norfolk, Virginia by 3:00AM,
bypass Chesapeake Bay entirely, save 100 miles or so, and still get a
half decent night's sleep. We ended up doing exactly that, slept
until almost noon today and still managed to get south of Norfollk to
the eponymous Great Bridge Bridge where we are now tied up at the town
dock.

https://www.google.com/search?q=grea...ks-Department%
252FDivisions%252Fbridges%252Fbridges-greatbridge.htm%3B300%3B225

Tomorrow we'll be tied up at Coinjock Marina in North Carolina
enjoying a big plate of their famous prime ribs.

http://tinyurl.com/waynebspottrack

Cool. What it like transiting that river you're on? Good scenery?

On Tue, 16 Sep 2014 20:08:01 -0500, Boating All Out
wrote:

In article ,
says...

We left Atlantic City, New Jersey yesterday morning with the plan of
passing through the Cape May Canal and continuing on up to the north
end of Delaware Bay, ideally positioned for transiting south through
Chesapeake Bay over the next week or so. Yesterday was a beautiful
day on the ocean however with lots of sun, light northerly breezes,
and almost perfectly calm seas. By the time we were approaching Cape
May I did some quick calculations and determined that if we kept on
going south in the ocean, we could be in Norfolk, Virginia by 3:00AM,
bypass Chesapeake Bay entirely, save 100 miles or so, and still get a
half decent night's sleep. We ended up doing exactly that, slept
until almost noon today and still managed to get south of Norfollk to
the eponymous Great Bridge Bridge where we are now tied up at the town
dock.

https://www.google.com/search?q=grea...ks-Department%
252FDivisions%252Fbridges%252Fbridges-greatbridge.htm%3B300%3B225

Tomorrow we'll be tied up at Coinjock Marina in North Carolina
enjoying a big plate of their famous prime ribs.

http://tinyurl.com/waynebspottrack

Cool. What it like transiting that river you're on? Good scenery?

===

It's interesting. Right now we are on a part of the Intra Coastal
Waterway (ICW) called the Virginia Cut. It leads south from the city
of Norfolk, VA past a huge number of military vessels that are in port
for either re-supply, re-deployment or repairs. There is a huge
amount of activity related to all that and security is very tight.
There are patrol craft everywhere and most of the military ships have
floating barriers around them to prevent small boat attacks. There is
also a great deal of commercial traffic, some it *very* large. We
are sometimes like an ant walking in the midst of giants. Coming in
off of the ocean last night at 3:00AM we were surrounded by large
vessels moving in all directions, and some of them seemed very poorly
lit. Fortunately we have a good radar along with an AIS
receiver/decoder, but it still takes a lot of concentration to sort
things out.

Farther south from downtown Norfolk is very industrial and there are a
lot of gritty looking commercial docks for things llike coal loading,
petroleum products and other bulk cargo of various types. The town
of Great Bridge, where we are now, is sort of on the southern edge of
all that and the scenery becomes fairly rural between here and North
Carolina.

https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=136 6&bih=608&q=norfolk+naval+shipyard&oq=norfolk+nava l+&gs_l=img.1.1.0l10.2605.10225.0.17105.14.8.0.6.6 .0.105.774.4j4.8.0....0...1ac.1.53.img..0.14.791.J XDUuiTs39A

and by contrast:

https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=136 6&bih=608&q=icw+north+carolina&oq=icw+north+caroli na&gs_l=img.3..0i24.2314.10313.0.11770.18.6.0.12.1 2.0.180.993.0j6.6.0....0...1ac.1.53.img..0.18.1010 .ABk1JFaal8k

On Tue, 16 Sep 2014 23:42:39 -0400, wrote:

On Tue, 16 Sep 2014 21:49:09 -0400, Wayne.B
wrote:

On Tue, 16 Sep 2014 20:08:01 -0500, Boating All Out
wrote:

In article ,
says...

We left Atlantic City, New Jersey yesterday morning with the plan of
passing through the Cape May Canal and continuing on up to the north
end of Delaware Bay, ideally positioned for transiting south through
Chesapeake Bay over the next week or so. Yesterday was a beautiful
day on the ocean however with lots of sun, light northerly breezes,
and almost perfectly calm seas. By the time we were approaching Cape
May I did some quick calculations and determined that if we kept on
going south in the ocean, we could be in Norfolk, Virginia by 3:00AM,
bypass Chesapeake Bay entirely, save 100 miles or so, and still get a
half decent night's sleep. We ended up doing exactly that, slept
until almost noon today and still managed to get south of Norfollk to
the eponymous Great Bridge Bridge where we are now tied up at the town
dock.

https://www.google.com/search?q=grea...ks-Department%
252FDivisions%252Fbridges%252Fbridges-greatbridge.htm%3B300%3B225

Tomorrow we'll be tied up at Coinjock Marina in North Carolina
enjoying a big plate of their famous prime ribs.

http://tinyurl.com/waynebspottrack

Cool. What it like transiting that river you're on? Good scenery?

===

It's interesting. Right now we are on a part of the Intra Coastal
Waterway (ICW) called the Virginia Cut. It leads south from the city
of Norfolk, VA past a huge number of military vessels that are in port
for either re-supply, re-deployment or repairs. There is a huge
amount of activity related to all that and security is very tight.
There are patrol craft everywhere and most of the military ships have
floating barriers around them to prevent small boat attacks. There is
also a great deal of commercial traffic, some it *very* large. We
are sometimes like an ant walking in the midst of giants. Coming in
off of the ocean last night at 3:00AM we were surrounded by large
vessels moving in all directions, and some of them seemed very poorly
lit. Fortunately we have a good radar along with an AIS
receiver/decoder, but it still takes a lot of concentration to sort
things out.

Farther south from downtown Norfolk is very industrial and there are a
lot of gritty looking commercial docks for things llike coal loading,
petroleum products and other bulk cargo of various types. The town
of Great Bridge, where we are now, is sort of on the southern edge of
all that and the scenery becomes fairly rural between here and North
Carolina.

https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=136 6&bih=608&q=norfolk+naval+shipyard&oq=norfolk+nava l+&gs_l=img.1.1.0l10.2605.10225.0.17105.14.8.0.6.6 .0.105.774.4j4.8.0....0...1ac.1.53.img..0.14.791.J XDUuiTs39A

and by contrast:

https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=136 6&bih=608&q=icw+north+carolina&oq=icw+north+caroli na&gs_l=img.3..0i24.2314.10313.0.11770.18.6.0.12.1 2.0.180.993.0j6.6.0....0...1ac.1.53.img..0.18.1010 .ABk1JFaal8k



Is that the cut that goes between Portsmouth and Chesapeake Va?
I was stationed at Berkley Base along that stretch for a while in the
CG.
I looked at Google Earth and that whole area changed so much I had a
hard time even finding it.

===

Basically yes, but the waterway at Chesapeake, VA is technically still
the Elizabeth River. The entire passage from Norfolk south to
Currituck Sound is generally called the Virginia Cut however. The
river turns into the dredged cut at Great Bridge where we are now.

https://maps.google.com/maps?q=Chesapeake,+VA&hl=en&ll=36.757591,-76.245804&spn=0.150458,0.338173&sll=37.6,-95.665&sspn=37.779043,86.572266&oq=Chesapeake+Va&t =h&hnear=Chesapeake,+Virginia&z=12

On Tue, 16 Sep 2014 23:42:39 -0400, wrote:

Farther south from downtown Norfolk is very industrial and there are a
lot of gritty looking commercial docks for things llike coal loading,
petroleum products and other bulk cargo of various types. The town
of Great Bridge, where we are now, is sort of on the southern edge of
all that and the scenery becomes fairly rural between here and North
Carolina.

https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=136 6&bih=608&q=norfolk+naval+shipyard&oq=norfolk+nava l+&gs_l=img.1.1.0l10.2605.10225.0.17105.14.8.0.6.6 .0.105.774.4j4.8.0....0...1ac.1.53.img..0.14.791.J XDUuiTs39A

and by contrast:

https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=136 6&bih=608&q=icw+north+carolina&oq=icw+north+caroli na&gs_l=img.3..0i24.2314.10313.0.11770.18.6.0.12.1 2.0.180.993.0j6.6.0....0...1ac.1.53.img..0.18.1010 .ABk1JFaal8k



Is that the cut that goes between Portsmouth and Chesapeake Va?
I was stationed at Berkley Base along that stretch for a while in the
CG.
I looked at Google Earth and that whole area changed so much I had a
hard time even finding it.

===

Here's a chart segment that shows the ICW from here down to North
Carolina:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/0g7lym93h7phf0f/Screenshot%202014-09-17%2006.53.12.png?dl=0

On 9/17/2014 6:56 AM, Wayne.B wrote:
On Tue, 16 Sep 2014 23:42:39 -0400, wrote:

Farther south from downtown Norfolk is very industrial and there are a
lot of gritty looking commercial docks for things llike coal loading,
petroleum products and other bulk cargo of various types. The town
of Great Bridge, where we are now, is sort of on the southern edge of
all that and the scenery becomes fairly rural between here and North
Carolina.

https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=136 6&bih=608&q=norfolk+naval+shipyard&oq=norfolk+nava l+&gs_l=img.1.1.0l10.2605.10225.0.17105.14.8.0.6.6 .0.105.774.4j4.8.0....0...1ac.1.53.img..0.14.791.J XDUuiTs39A

and by contrast:

https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=136 6&bih=608&q=icw+north+carolina&oq=icw+north+caroli na&gs_l=img.3..0i24.2314.10313.0.11770.18.6.0.12.1 2.0.180.993.0j6.6.0....0...1ac.1.53.img..0.18.1010 .ABk1JFaal8k



Is that the cut that goes between Portsmouth and Chesapeake Va?
I was stationed at Berkley Base along that stretch for a while in the
CG.
I looked at Google Earth and that whole area changed so much I had a
hard time even finding it.

===

Here's a chart segment that shows the ICW from here down to North
Carolina:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/0g7lym93h7phf0f/Screenshot%202014-09-17%2006.53.12.png?dl=0


Are the blue box markers the route you just took? I seem to remember
going the other way ... via the "Dismal Swamp", but that was a long time
ago.

On Wed, 17 Sep 2014 08:34:41 -0400, "Mr. Luddite"
wrote:

On 9/17/2014 6:56 AM, Wayne.B wrote:
On Tue, 16 Sep 2014 23:42:39 -0400, wrote:

Farther south from downtown Norfolk is very industrial and there are a
lot of gritty looking commercial docks for things llike coal loading,
petroleum products and other bulk cargo of various types. The town
of Great Bridge, where we are now, is sort of on the southern edge of
all that and the scenery becomes fairly rural between here and North
Carolina.

https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=136 6&bih=608&q=norfolk+naval+shipyard&oq=norfolk+nava l+&gs_l=img.1.1.0l10.2605.10225.0.17105.14.8.0.6.6 .0.105.774.4j4.8.0....0...1ac.1.53.img..0.14.791.J XDUuiTs39A

and by contrast:

https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=136 6&bih=608&q=icw+north+carolina&oq=icw+north+caroli na&gs_l=img.3..0i24.2314.10313.0.11770.18.6.0.12.1 2.0.180.993.0j6.6.0....0...1ac.1.53.img..0.18.1010 .ABk1JFaal8k



Is that the cut that goes between Portsmouth and Chesapeake Va?
I was stationed at Berkley Base along that stretch for a while in the
CG.
I looked at Google Earth and that whole area changed so much I had a
hard time even finding it.

===

Here's a chart segment that shows the ICW from here down to North
Carolina:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/0g7lym93h7phf0f/Screenshot%202014-09-17%2006.53.12.png?dl=0


Are the blue box markers the route you just took? I seem to remember
going the other way ... via the "Dismal Swamp", but that was a long time
ago.


===

The blue boxes are waypoints on the route we are taking today as we
speak. Short run today, we'll be docked at Coinjock before 1:00PM.
I'll be doing oil changes this afternoon on both engines and the
primary generator. That will definitely work up my appetite for the
traditional prime rib dinner.

The purple/maroon lines on that chart segment are tracks from previous
runs. If you look closely you can see that we took the Dismal Swamp
route when we went north in June. Never again. We took over 20 log
hits, fortunately with no damage.

On Wed, 17 Sep 2014 10:53:16 -0400, wrote:

On Wed, 17 Sep 2014 06:56:55 -0400, Wayne.B
wrote:

On Tue, 16 Sep 2014 23:42:39 -0400, wrote:

Farther south from downtown Norfolk is very industrial and there are a
lot of gritty looking commercial docks for things llike coal loading,
petroleum products and other bulk cargo of various types. The town
of Great Bridge, where we are now, is sort of on the southern edge of
all that and the scenery becomes fairly rural between here and North
Carolina.

https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=136 6&bih=608&q=norfolk+naval+shipyard&oq=norfolk+nava l+&gs_l=img.1.1.0l10.2605.10225.0.17105.14.8.0.6.6 .0.105.774.4j4.8.0....0...1ac.1.53.img..0.14.791.J XDUuiTs39A

and by contrast:

https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=136 6&bih=608&q=icw+north+carolina&oq=icw+north+caroli na&gs_l=img.3..0i24.2314.10313.0.11770.18.6.0.12.1 2.0.180.993.0j6.6.0....0...1ac.1.53.img..0.18.1010 .ABk1JFaal8k



Is that the cut that goes between Portsmouth and Chesapeake Va?
I was stationed at Berkley Base along that stretch for a while in the
CG.
I looked at Google Earth and that whole area changed so much I had a
hard time even finding it.

===

Here's a chart segment that shows the ICW from here down to North
Carolina:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/0g7lym93h7phf0f/Screenshot%202014-09-17%2006.53.12.png?dl=0

I knew the ICW went that way but we never went down there.
We used to see pretty big boats coming and going. I thought there must
be a big marina down there until someone told me that was the ICW.

===

Especially in the spring and fall there is a whole armada of boats
migrating north and south along the ICW.