PORTSMOUTH, VIRGINIA

Well, our plan to cruise north through the Dismal Swamp got blown out of the water with tropical storm Ana. Although the canal itself would have, most likely, been passable, getting to the river leading to the canal would have been problematic due to the direction of the waves on Albermarle Sound as well as the weather exposure at the docks on the southern end of the canal. We were also told it was a bit risky going through there during stormy weather because the trees lining the narrow canal sometimes get blown over, blocking the channel. We heard stories of people being stuck in the canal for three days waiting for the channel to be cleared. It would have been interesting going through a shipping channel designed by George Washington, but it just didn’t work out.

We had a lazy morning today, not getting away from the dock until about 9AM. Before getting underway we strategized about visiting Washington DC by boat, cruising up the Potomac River from Chesapeake Bay. It’s about 110 miles up (and another 110 miles back) from the bay, so that means an extra four days of traveling, but we’re not in any rush, and it would be fun to go up there, see the sights and maybe look up some friends who live in the area. Not sure when we’ll head up that direction, but it will most likely be in a day or two.

Aircraft Carrier IKE

In the meantime, we are tied up to a public, free dock in Portsmouth, VA - right across the river from Norfolk. We have six PDQ catamarans tied up in this little basin, right next to the main street of Portsmouth where they’ll be having an art festival all weekend. We will probably be here for two nights, leaving on Sunday for the Chesapeake. A lot depends on weather, however. Right now, the forecast calls for Ana to travel up the East Coast, but be blown back out to sea by a low pressure system coming from the northwest. If this happens, the most we should see is some fairly strong wind and a few rain showers. The winds in this storm are just under hurricane strength, so if the path of the storm changes from the forecast and heads north, we’ll have to modify plans.

Mothballed Navy ship

Our course today took us through some beautiful Virginia waterways, through a lock and up to the Navy port city of Norfolk where much of the ship maintenance is done. The river is lined with huge drydocks and ships either being actively worked on, or mothballed. Unfortunately, the shipyard directly across the river from us is a 24 hour operation, so there’s a mechanical drone in the background all of the time. Oh well, “white” noise to help us sleep…