Our last bit of cruising in North Carolina is focused on getting to the milestone, “Mile 0” of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway in Norfolk/Portsmouth, VA. We started our transit of the AIWW almost a year ago on our second season on the boat when we crossed the Okeechobee Waterway at Stuart, Florida some 700 miles ago. Now in our third season we’ve made our way up the east coast through 5 states and countless connecting river and canal systems. This last segment into the busy commercial and naval port consists of river and canals a lot of bridge openings and a combination bridge/lock at Great Bridge/Chesapeake, VA.
As it turns out Chesapeake is where we decide to tie up for a few days so Pat can get a rental car and deliver Basel to his caretakers in Charlotte, NC, since we’ve decided it’s too risky (and cumbersome to file all the paperwork with customs, USDA, US Fish & Wildlife, etc) to try to get him back in the US after we’ve travelled through Canada.
During this time we tie up at the Atlantic Yacht Basin which is a beehive of activity and directly upstream of the Great Bridge/lock, where we get a sense of the commercial/tow and recreational/loopers and yachties seasonal migration north. We also get to catch up with other loopers moving through the area, stopping to get needed maintenance and repairs done and stage ourselves for the next big water in Chesapeake Bay.
After we depart Great Bridge we spend a fun weekend at the free city dock in the heart of downtown Portsmouth. It turns out to be the grand opening of the renovated Norfolk Waterside district and the water ferries are free. Of course the free dock is one of the ferry stops, so we get to experience the crowds right outside our windows.
Packing Basel and his stuff for his trip to Charlotte.
Meanwhile Tricks gets off the boat and has a romp in the boatyard!
The daily parade of boats waiting for the hourly opening of the Great Bridge.
One of the beauties just restored at the boatyard, a 1930's era Consolidated.
This was Billy Joel's boat until last year.
Happy Happy's turn going through the Great Bridge and lock system.
The last bridge that needs to be open to get to Norfolk!
It's not often you tie up across from an aircraft carrier!
Downtown Portsmouth's historic district.
.... and the busier Norfolk side of things.
