Waiting for weather in Hampton, VA

Sorry about the delay in posting...we have been moving frequently in remote places through Virginia and North Carolina doing 7 hour days...its draining and doesn't leave much time to write.

We left off with our arrival in Hampton, VA. safe and sound at the Public dock as there is not much anchorage space here. Although there are about 5 boats anchored...one night a party boat was returning back to dock by us. As he came up the channel, he made a near miss on the stern of a French boat and blasted his air horn several times to express his displeasure of them anchoring in the channel, then narrowly past the bow of another sail boat and blasted his horn again. The sail boats were not in the wrong; the captain of the party boat had obviously been drinking.

We had the pleasure of meeting up with some friends we had met in along the Hudson River...Steve and Patti from Nyack Boat Club.

Steve & Patti from Nyack

Steve had delivered their boat earlier as they are in a rally south, leaving November 1st with 20 other boats...its not a rally as in a race, it's lead by Wally Moran somebody that has travelled the ICW several times. They provide their experience and a diesel mechanic to help guide them safely down the ICW. FYI...the ICW was maintained by the Army Corp of Engineerings up to a few years ago. Without the Army maintaining the ICW, shoaling (the sandy bottom drifts into the channel making the depths shallow which increases the chances of running aground) continues to happen. Particular with each passing storm. But anyway, I digress...we had a great time aboard our boat with take out sushi...good down to earth friends.

Aside from other little projects, we managed to hook up one solar panel...the other is a bit of a reach so it will need to wait. On Thursday which had high winds (you always have to be looking at the weather), Julie and I went to the Virginia Space Center which happened to have an IMAX theatre...we sat for 3 hours to watch D-Day ( a great history lesson), the Lemurs of Madagascar, narrated by Morgan Freeman, and the Space Station (making of).

We prepared the boat for departure the next day...filled water tanks and measured for the needed fuel we will get in the morning.

Sunset from the Hampton Public Pier