Boating with Sunset Delight: Chesapeake, VA

4/8/2017

We had a couple of choices for places to stay tonight and, after deliberation, opted for a place within walking distance of a grocery store and as close to Norfolk as possible. This meant a long day on the water of at least seven hours underway.

Once again we had high winds with a chill in the air. As usual Clark drove from the flybridge. To cut down on the windchill, he kept the front window panel in the full enclosure closed. Jeff, Devon, and Violet spent a large portion of the day up top with Clark.

I, on the other hand, spent the majority of the trip down below with Sierra. At one point I thought she would fall asleep as we played on my bed. I was very hopeful that I could take a nap when she did, but she fooled me and stayed awake and playful for hours.

Last year when Clark and I passed through this section of Virginia, we traveled the "Dismal Swamp" route, so I did not get to see this alternate route on the Great Loop. Since I spent almost the entire trip today below deck, I still have not seen it. However, I have Clark's pictures to show me some of what I missed.

An alternate choice for a place to spend tonight was Coinjock Marina. However, the only attraction at this particular marina was the on-site restaurant.

Coinjock Marina

Coinjock Restaurant

Some other sights seen along the way ...

Barge and Tow Evelyn Doris (love the name)

Danger - Submerged Wreck

Clark continues to pursue the perfect railroad track picture. To do so, he has gone to a two-camera approach with cell phone in one hand and camera in the other, he snaps pictures in unison as the boat goes past the opening in the track.

Open RR bridge

Looking down the tracks

We arrived at the Atlantic Yacht Basin in Chesapeake, Virginia around 5:00 pm. As we approached the marina, I quickly realized that this was a working boatyard and staying here would be a no-frills affair.

Atlantic Yacht Basin in Chesapeake, VA

As soon after we tied up at dock as feasible, the six of us set off to walk the two blocks into town to hit the food store to supplement our provisions. Before we got ten feet from the boat, Jeff and Sierra were "kidnapped" by the dock attendant to take them to see the turtles that hang out at the marina begging food. They said they would catch up with us at the market. Unfortunately, today being Saturday, the turtles did not come around. According to the dock master, the turtles know when it is the weekend and do not bother to come since no food will be forthcoming from the workers at the boatyard.

I definitely have been spoiled on this trip having a car at spots where I need to provision food. As a result, I forgot to tone down the quantity of food I bought. It did not look excessive sitting in the cart, but when it came time to pack it into bags and carry it back to the marina, I knew I had bought more than I should have.

By the time we finished our shopping, the sun was already setting. As we dragged our groceries back to the boat, Clark stopped to capture pictures of the setting sun.