Goodby Deltaville (Deltavillains describes a few folks)

Tuesday, early am, December 3rd:
Simple Plan. Spend months preparing, then start the engine, untie from the dock, and head out. But, wait, we didn't move. An exceptionally low tide had us grounded! We had moved our boat closer to the front of the marina to a dock with cleats only and no pilings to not only escape the strong wind but to also have a faster get-away. The dock was supposed to be deep enough for our 6' draft and we had no trouble docking there.

So we did a few more chores, wiped the remaining frost from our enclosure, questioned Mother Nature, and had a good laugh. Around 11:00, still not tied to the docks, Lapidus started floating. We quickly started our engine and crept out into the shallow narrow channel. Our depth finder indicated several times that we should be grounded, but we kept moving, so we were probably traveling in mud. Grounding in this channel is all too common.

With the wind and the current on our nose, we motored; our speed was much less than we wanted. But, the sun was shining, our enclosure kept us warm, and we were on our way. What a beautiful day.

The Hampton Roads harbor is home to vessels of all kinds, including commercial and military. We did not want to face this nautical freeway after dark. So, around five, we turned into the York River channel and went up the river to Yorktown. This area too has some commercial and military traffic, but it's not heavy and the river is wide and deep. We moved to the edge of the channel as a tug pulling a large barge passed us, and we followed him in. We were docked by 8 and enjoying a cocktail in one of our favorite spots that we often visited when we were staying in Glocester. We had not planned to visit here on our boat. But we didn't plan to leave late and dock at night at an unfamiliar dockage. So go plans. All in all, we loved our first day headed south.

So, today, we'll plan to enter the Hampton Roads harbor and Elizabeth River. The first 8 miles from Mile Marker 0, Norfolk, are congested with six bridges that we have to go through. More about that later.
My connection is iffy here. More pics tomorrow (if I can hook up).