Portsmouth & Norfolk, VA

 TRAVEL DAY 43 - The Dismal Swamp to Portsmouth

May 4, 2023

1.55 Hours/10 Miles

    Another chilly morning, this time in Virginia. The winds in Portsmouth were supposed to pick up by noon and then start to lay down in the afternoon. We decided to catch the 11:00 am lock opening at the Deep Creek Lock to allow for better conditions when we arrived in Portsmouth/Norfolk and to allow the 50 or so Loopers there for the Fall Rendezvous a chance to move on.  

Norfolk

    At about 10 am we heard the Tyche (fellow looper) who had locked through at 8:30 am call on the VHF back to the lock that the Norfolk Southern #7 railroad bridge was lowered and they couldn't raise it. The bridge tender had no ETA for a reopening so Tyche would radio if it looked like it was opening.  We waited through the afternoon when we heard 30 plus boats were there and no opening was in sight. It looked like we would need to spend another night at the Elizabeth Dock/Deep Creek Lock. Around 2:30 pm we got word it opened. The Lockmaster radioed us "Vessels on the Elizabeth Dock, if you want to lock thru I'll open..."  We responded that 3 of us would and we made hurried preparations to "pop off" the dock and head the 100' or so to the lock. He locked us through and we made our way for the short 1.5 hour trip to Portsmouth and our slip.

Deep Creek Lock - 9' Drop to the Elizabeth River

    Once we got to the #7 railroad bridge it was down.   We held our position there for a scheduled 3:30 pm opening with 5 other boats. As the train passed, we were relieved to hear the bridge tender announce on VHF 13 that the bridge would open momentarily.

Hampton Roads Beltway

    We continued up the Elizabeth River toward Portsmouth & Norfolk. This is an incredibly busy commercial & industrial shipping area. Full of large container ships, tug boats, shipyards and military vessels, it was hands on the wheel, stay alert time. I enjoyed seeing the huge aircraft carriers and destroyers lining the river, many with armed military boats guarding them and preventing vessels from getting too close.

Aircraft Carrier

Military Ships

    Though it was a little disappointing to have left so late and the marina would be closed, it actually worked out great. We received our slip assignment from the marina in Portsmouth along with a map of how to get in. In addition, the wind as predicted died to nothing and backing in & securing to the dock was easy.

One of many aircraft Carriers

    We were immediately greeted by several Loopers informing us of the 5 pm docktales. We were able to reconnect with several folks we met earlier in the journey and it was a fun Looper reunion.

Docktales


Fish & Slips

    Dinner at the marina restaurant "Fish & Slips" with the crew of Ineffable and we were wiped out for the day. Looper Midnight comes to call once again...

Deep Creek Lock to Portsmouth

  Portsmouth & Norfolk

May 5, 2023

    Friday dawned beautifully although a little noisy with some dock work going on.  Today was a work day for me as I had 1 last engine task, changing out the turbo charger. My friend was bringing me a rebuilt turbo charger. Although the turbo was working, after 23 years of service, it did have some corrosion on the outlet side and he felt it would be prudent to do it.

Ferry

    While I prepped the engine for the work, Beth & the crew of Ineffable decided to go to Waterside in Norfolk. Norfolk is directly across the river from Portsmouth and can be easily accessed from our marina via a $2 ferry ride. One of the ferry stops was a short walk from our marina.

Waterside - Norfolk

    I finished up fairly quickly and then went over to the ferry to traverse the Elizabeth River and eat lunch at Waterside with the gang.  We still had a wait until my buddy got there with the engine part.

On the Ferry back to Portsmouth

    Later in the afternoon, Vaughan showed up with the new Turbo Charger and it was an easy pull out and reinstall. I swear, I don't know where I would be on this journey without some incredible friends!

Engine Work

    Our friend Murlene and her husband Mark from Virginia Beach stopped by for a visit and dinner.  We "popped" back over to Waterside for a dinner and chatting about old times on a beautiful Cinco De Mayo evening by the water.

Fun with Virginia friends

    We said goodbye to all our friends and settled in for the evening. Tomorrow was one last adventure in Norfolk before heading north to the Chesapeake Bay. 

Norfolk looking over to Portsmouth

Portsmouth & Norfolk

May 6, 2023

    Saturday, we decided to visit Nauticus and the Hampton Roads Naval Museum. The museum is home to the battleship USS Wisconsin. It was a treat to tour the battleship. We passed on the $40 per person option to tour the ship's bridge & engine room. I had had enough of engine rooms for a while.

16" Guns of the USS Wisconsin

    Later that afternoon, our daughter and her boyfriend came to visit us. We had a fun day with them and explored Portsmouth with a brewery and a nice dinner.

Gosport Tavern

    Afterword we played cards at the boat and made plans for breakfast the next morning before we departed for Hampton. The next morning we scootered in to Portsmouth and got some breakfast. Back to the marina for some goodbyes and we headed off to Hampton.

Kelsey, Willie & Bailey with Pau Hana


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