First leg completed!

A home in River Dunes Plantation

A barge slips by us in the Chesapeake-Albemarle canal

An interesting planter

NS - generous sponsor of our retirement

Keep the coal moving - keep the pension coming

          

                         Always a thrill to cruise by Norfolk Naval Base                                

On the 22nd day of our Great Loop cruise, we completed the first leg of this adventure when we arrived at the Hampton Yacht Club in Hampton, VA.  The plan is to stay here for about a week while we catch up with old friends and while I take a short trip down to Atlanta to take my mother on a hot air balloon ride for her 86th birthday.  It was with mixed feelings that we ended our Atlantic ICW portion of this trip.  In some ways, it was a great way to begin because our familiarity with the ICW made us very comfortable.  On the other hand, that same familiarity tended to make the trip boring at times.  We did discover four new anchorages and three new marinas on this trip.  Our worst day was last Saturday when we crossed Albemarle Sound (NC).  In 8 or 10 crossings of the Albemarle, I think we have only had one that was pleasant.  I am always amazed that we have the technology to put people on the moon, but NOAA cannot predict or even report the weather accurately.  We were "supposed" to have E 10-15, but instead we had NE 20-25 - BIG DIFFERENCE!  Then, to make it even more exciting when you are crashing through the waves with water coming over the pilothouse, someone has decided to put lots of crabtraps in the channel - but, we made it safely!  When we leave Hampton, we will spend a few weeks on the Chesapeake Bay before heading north to New Jersey and New York.