It's hard to believe we woke up in this quiet, remote spot near the Pungo Ferry Bridge, and are now anchored in Norfolk,Virginia. And it all happened so quickly!
We were just motoring along, and "Bam!" there was the North Landing Swing Bridge. I didn't even have a chance to snap a photo of this bridge that caused boats to back up along the ICW because it couldn't open due to flooding.
Then came the next swing bridge, two railroad bridges (open, thank goodness), another bridge where we had to wait for 30 minutes,
and then at the end of Virginia Cut, a lock! I'll tell you, the deck monkey was scurrying today to rig dock lines and fenders. We even anchored once!
With only a 3' drop, this lock looked like it would be non-event, but one boater made it memorable for us. He somehow got his forward line to shore first, still had way on, and with no stern line to shore, he got turned sideways in the lock. I heard crunching noises, but I don't know if it was his bow pulpit on the lock, or his boat hitting the boat in front of him. Either way, it was a memorable lock experience for us all. Heck, the Panama Canal wasn't that exciting.
After a few more bridges, we popped out into one of the busiest ports in America.
With its commercial traffic, navy traffic, and ferries and pleasure boats, Norfolk can be a nightmare. Luckily traffic was light and we just motored along gawking like a couple of country bumpkins at all the ships.
And so our tale of the ICW ends for now. We'll visit Norfolk tomorrow then head north again. Please join us as we explore the mighty Chesapeake Bay.
1 comment:
Good bllog post
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