We left Ocean Marina in late morning waiting for the winds to die down a bit as we will be entering the Chesapeake Bay. Traveling down the 15 miles of the Elizabeth River we saw old homes, tall office buildings, and Old Dominion University that comprise the north side of Norfolk and Portsmouth.
Entering the commercial port, we viewed freighters unloading bulk cargo onto train cars and huge cranes unloading containers on to truck trailer beds.
Further on, we passed an active Norfolk Naval Yard and watched an aircraft carrier come to berth in the yard. We watched from afar as Navy patrol boats monitor the area to clear the way for the ships to navigate.
Later we had to stop and hold position so a loaded freighter could enter the channel. We certainly did not want to get in his way!!
Continuing in the shipping channel up the Elizabeth River, we joined the James River at Hampton Roads to go through the channel that takes us out to the Chesapeake Bay, and for the freighters- out to sea. Along this stretch we passed three barges pushed by tugboats, three freighters and a few pleasure boats. A busy place!
In the channel we passed the Hampton Roads Naval Yards and Fort Monroe. The first Ft Monroe was erected at Point Comfort by Captain John Smith in 1618. The fort went through many iterations until the War of 1812. At that time British snuck into the bay and Norfolk’s port, as well as Washington DC. To guard against a repeat invasion the fort was erected in 1819 to guard the entrance to Norfolk’s harbor. The fort is the largest stone fort in the US and the only moat encircled fort. It currently is part of the Hampton Naval Facility on Point Comfort which houses naval air operations and administrative offices.
We left the shipping channel and turned north into the Chesapeake Bay. North of Point Comfort is Buckroe Beach, Va where condos and homes line the beach. Further north we passed the Back and York Rivers. With todays breeze, the sailboats out in the bay went faster than we did.
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As we cruised, we noticed about 25 freighters anchored staging out in the entrance to the Chesapeake waiting to get into Norfolk’s port. They were too far to the east for a photo, but we used our AIS(Automatic Identification System ) to look up their names and sizes.the sizes ranged from 200-299 meters long, 32 to 50 meters wide and drafts 21 to 35 feet. Those were some big boys!!
Bill decided to dance his way up the Chesapeake!
Next stop north is MobJack Bay and up the East River to anchor for the night. The shore of the bay is heavily wooded with a scattering of houses. We enjoyed watching the crew team practice and small sailboats go by.
