On Monday, we moved from Hampton to Norfolk. This was a trip of about 10 miles past one of the biggest naval shipyards in the world. We saw multiple aircraft carriers, destroyers, submarines, ships high up in dry docks and ships that I have no idea what they are used for. I told Karen that they were for provisioning but I think that the naval architects were just having fun. I think it would be a great job being a naval architect as the variety of designs was fascinating. We were also careful to keep our distance from the naval vessels as there is a mega-buck fine for approaching any naval vessel within 500 yards. This can be tough within a restricted channel but, when it got tight, there were buoys placed around the vessels. There were also high-speed guard boats hovering around the vessels at dock to ensure you did not get too close. Any movement of a vessel was announced over channel 16 so you could stay clear.

At Norfolk, we went to the marina downtown to wash the salt of the boat and reprovision. After our trip down the bay, salt crystals had formed all over the deck and canvas and Vagus needed a good scrub, both inside and out. We also needed a clean so, while I washed the boat, Karen did laundry.

Norfolk is a great, friendly town and a great spot to stop. We were picked up by the grocery store manager to go shop at her store and when we were done she drove us back, giving us a verbal tour of Norfolk on the side. The grocery store was one of the best we have seen. In the afternoon we toured the battleship Wisconsin. This ship, while on exhibit, is ready to be recommissioned should the Navy require it in the future. It has seen service in every conflict from the 2nd world war to the Gulf war. It is truly immense: 16 inch guns (diameter of the barrel), 1600 crew, and teak decks! The teak decks were to help cool the rooms below as there was no air conditioning when the ship was built. We also saw a naval museum by the battleship and a very powerful memorial. The memorial consisted of letters home from service men that had died in action from the Civil War to the Gulf War. The letters were cast on bronze plaques scattered about a walkway. The theme through the ages was common in the desire to be home with their loved ones.

Our VHF radio had been making weird burps and whistles over the past week so we decided we needed a new radio. This involved a 30-minute bus trip to the other side of Norfolk to the West Marine Store. There we picked up a new Icom VHF radio with a remote mike that we can use in the cockpit. This has turned out to be a great convenience as we are constantly communicating to bridges and other boats as we proceed down the ICW.

After picking up the radio, it was once again time to proceed. We were now to start at Mile Zero on the Intracoastal Waterway, or ICW for short, and a mere 750 miles later we should be in Florida. Our first day out was slow as we were held up by bridges that the guidebooks said were always open. But a train decided to go through and play "let's switch the cars" on the other side. We only made a grand total of 12 miles that day. On top of that, our bow light got destroyed in the Great Bridge Lock. The lock only went down about 2 feet but we had to give our lines off to a lock attendant. Unfortunately he misjudged the distance between our boat and the hard dinghy on the boat in front of us. The dinghy was okay, but our bow light became bits of plastic. The good part of the day was catching up to friends that we had met in Norfolk and spending the evening with them. The next three days were travel days. We were traveling with two other boats from Canada and basically motoring or motor sailing for most of the day and anchoring at night. The days were getting shorter so we tried to get in between 2:00 and 3:00. It takes a bit of planning to find suitable anchorages within your expected range and to then be flexible as bridges or currents affect your arrival time. You do not want to be traveling at night as the big boys (tugs and barges) come out to play and, as well, it would be hard to stay in the middle of the channel. The water gets thin (shallow) to the sides. The weather was cool for the first two days but when we reached Dowry Creek off the Pungo River, the temperature increased and we got a picture of Karen with her first palm tree. Life is good.