Three Days in Portsmouth

The primary goal of our stay in Portsmouth was to determine where we would be taking the boat in order to get some work done.  In addition to the hard top bimini replacement that I've been wanting for a long time, the trip has demonstrated a few more items that could use some attention. We had hoped that our extender would find a WiFi signal we could use from the boat, but that wasn't the case, so we ended up spending a little time at coffee shops and other places that had the access we needed.

Rover's home for a few days in Portsmouth

One big help was having the Active Captain companion application on my tablet.  Since you can download the database and use it in an offline mode, we were able to search through a large number of marinas and boatyards in Virginia and Maryland and contact them without internet access while sitting on the boat.

Oh, did I mention that the neighbors at the High street dock can be a bit noisy?  I guess it takes a lot of noise to build or maintain battleships and aircraft carriers. It seems like they run crews nonstop while working on these big gray boats.

Noisy Neighbors across the river.

It wasn't all work though.  We managed a couple of touristy things as well.  Adjacent to both free docks are tourist information centers, and I've found those can be great resources for finding things to do.  We got a self-guided walking tour pamphlet and wandered around some of the Portsmouth historic district, later going back and riding more of it with our bicycles.

The Portsmouth ferry just steps from our door

There is also a ferry service that goes between the docks in Portsmouth and downtown Norfolk, and for $3.50 you can get a round-trip ride.  Or better, for $4 you can get an all day pass that works for the ferry as well as the local buses.  On Sunday, after exhausting the limited possibilities for boatyards open that day, we took the ferry over to Norfolk to check things out.  I'm not 100% sure why, but we ended up taking a rather expensive tour of the battleship Wisconsin.  It was interesting to see some of the areas not open to the regular tour, but I'm not sure the price is justified.

The Battleship Wisconsin from the bow

...and from the side.

Don't want to be captain...but the chair is pretty comfy

The tour guide looks nervous with Anja as Tactical Officer

After the battleship, we had a late lunch and returned to check on our furry crew (since we figured they wouldn't be allowed on the tours).  We ended up taking them on the ferry back to Norfolk so they would have the experience of riding on a public transit ferry.  In Norfolk we decided we were thirsty and the mission there was to find a smoothie shop...which we did after a little effort.  I think the dogs liked getting out and checking out the area.

As for our goal...well...we think we found a place to get some of the work done, but it doesn't tick all of the boxes so we are reworking the plan again.  We need to get up to Maryland to retrieve my car (unless my friend has sold it...which at this point I could only hope would be the case) and we need to find a "stable location" where family can finally come visit and see the boat.

Return to the Land of Big Ships

After spending the night at Great Bridge (Chesapeake, Va.), the next leg of this little adventure was a short one...to the Free dock at Portsmouth. They have two docks that sit downtown right along the waterfront. There are restaurants and attractions as well as a Dollar General for any emergency provisioning. Last time I was there I was even able to find a WiFi signal...something that has been scarce on this trip. It seemed like the perfect place to regroup and and try to find a boatyard.

The new dock at Great Bridge

We left the dock just after 9 AM (yes, just after the scheduled bridge opening) to slide across the canal to Atlantic Yacht Basin for some diesel, to top off our water tanks, and a pump-out. AYB has some of the cheapest fuel prices I've seen on this stretch of the ICW and this day was no exception. We used just  over 32 gallons of diesel since we left Southport...and other than a couple hours worth of generator to recharge batteries while sailing, it was all motoring along the ICW. Since I'm still trying to get a better idea of the fuel burn of the boat, it is good to get the tank topped off and do the calculations.  If my numbers are correct, the engines seem to burn a little under 0.8 gallons per hour at 2500 RPM.

Between taking our time getting underway from the free dock, adding fuel, adding water, and pumping out the holding tanks, we just barely made the 10 AM Great Bridge opening.  But we did make it.  Of course the next obstacle was only a few hundred feet away...the Great Bridge Lock. This would be my 3rd time through the lock, but it would be the first for my wife.

The Great Bridge bridge and lock

Going through the lock is really no big deal. You rig long dock lines at the front and back of the boat, find a couple boat poles, and put out a couple fenders. You motor into the lock and and pull up along side the lock wall. There you throw (or for this lock drop onto the outstretched boat pole) your rigged dock lines to the lock worker on shore who loops the line around a cleat or bollard and gives the rest back to you. Then all you do is keep your boat parallel to the dock wall without touching by using the line and pole. Every time I've been through this lock the change in elevation has been a foot or less, so you really don't have to do much and before you know it the gate at the other end of the lock opens and you are on your way.

Not long past the bridges and locks, the wilderness scenery that borders the ICW starts to fade, slowly being replaced with the industrial "scenery" that makes up the economies of Norfolk and Portsmouth.  Large docks with pipelines or conveyors or cranes line the waterway and the depths of the channel that were under 12 feet now are showing 35 foot or more. We are in big boat country.

Gilmerton Bridge with the railway bridge in front.

We pass under a bascule bridge that has a closed height of 65 ft (enough clearance for my mast) as a barge on the other side waits for the next opening.  We arrive at the Gilmerton highway lift bridge, our last obstacle on the trip. Even in as populated place as this, the bridge opens on demand. Well...it does when the adjacent train bridge isn't closed. We had to wait for two trains to pass before this lift bridge would grant us passage to Portsmouth. This bridge lifts it's section of highway 135 feet in the air...much farther than I need to pass and as soon as it gets over 65 foot or so, we continue our journey.

Naval Shipyards

Wonder how often they have to haul these out?

The commercial shipping docks soon give way to docks for more menacing looking boats. Norfolk has one of the largest U.S. Navy shipyards and the huge gray steel ships start to dot the docks along the channel as we arrive at the free docks.

Free dock in the heart of Poirtsmouth

We were able to tie up at the high street dock, where we would spend the next couple of days checking out the town, reprovisioning, and trying to find a boatyard for or next destination in the Chesapeake.  Of course, could I find the internet that was here last year...nope.  And that is why these posts are behind.