You'd think after a few years of going up and down the east coast that we would do the same thing over and over or it would get boring. Well, you can certainly stick to a "path" (and revisiting favorites is fun!), but there are sooo many marina and anchorage options that you really can mix it up! Since we left Patuxent River we've hit quite a few "new" spots.
First up, Dividing Creek, VA. We were with a pack of boats heading down the Bay that first day and had though about hitting up Reedville (we've never been) or Deltaville (we like the anchorages there), but on a whim decided to try something new! We ended up spending the night completely alone in a beautiful spot.
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| A beautiful day to cross the mouth of the Potomac ended in a beautiful anchorage. |
Next, we had a bit of weather on the horizon to deal with and also had some friends that we wanted to see in a yard up Mobjack Bay. We'd never been there so we headed up the East River and bounced between two sides of the river over our days there to better position for winds. The anchorage was lovely with lots of bald eagle activity, but we also loved our time with friends! They helped us get a new TV, we had a lovely evening of sundowners, and our kiddos played. I did a little sewing for them and they made us a delicious dinner to take home with us. We may not see the crew of Kolohe again for some time, so I'm really glad we got these few days with them.
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| Cozy in the East River |
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| So great to see the Kolohe crew again! |
With weather and family/friend considerations again we booked a reservation at the Waterside Marina in Norfolk. We'd stayed on base in Norfolk and anchored out, but had not been to a marina in town. This allowed us to see some family and friends, get propane, knock out some laundry, and get groceries. The marina staff were awesome (they pay for your ride to the grocery store!), but we did have a crappy night when another boater hit our boat as he was docking, then proceeded to yell at our crew (some really horrible things, too) and refused to give insurance info. In the light of day we were able to see that the marks from the collision would buff out, but we were pretty disappointed that another boater would respond to the situation like that. Made for a bad mark on an otherwise decent stay.
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| Neptune, family, and my friend Jennifer from college--focusing on the good memories from this stop! |
After a short, VERY busy trip through Great Bridge we were finally back to an old favorite spot--the Great Bridge free docks! I love the south side docks with the nearby hiking trails and nice parking area. We had Navy and hometown friends visit, saw mom again, and met three new boats that helped us regain faith in people after the previous night's encounter. One boat, S/V Freedom, was another Beneteau 393 and we really enjoyed chatting with the owners about the boat we love! And Trent made friends by sharing Halloween candy with everyone.
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| Sooo many boats went through the locks with us--full house! But there was plenty of space at the docks and we had a visit from my old Master Chief and the Skipper's hometown crew. It was a wonderful stop! |
And now we are back in a familiar anchorage south of Coinjock and looking forward to a nice crossing of the Albemarle Sound tomorrow. The new places and experiences have been a real treat! Can't wait to see how many new places we see this season.
~Jo, 1st Mate
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