Milford Haven to Hampton VA

Day 18, Saturday, October 15, 2016

You can monitor my trip at the link: Second Winds Progress Live

Sunrise on the Stutts Creek

I felt cold as I crawled into bed last night.  I slept with an additional sweatshirt on but throughout the night I had the feeling that the boat was quite a bit colder than usual. I prepared for a cold ride out on the Bay this morning but I was pleasingly mistaken. 

I raised the anchor and got underway before the sun broke over the horizon.  It was really neat pulling out into the Stutts Creek in the calm brisk air.  I worked my way out into the Bay via the “Hole in the Wall”

Friendly pod of feeding dolphins

channel.  This is a somewhat convoluted very shallow passage. At one point, with the sun shining into my eyes, I mistook a caution shallow water sign for a marker.  Knowing the water was shallow, I was traveling about 3 knots when my keel touch the bottom. One of the really nice features of this boat is that I can raise that keel with a touch of a switch so with the board up a bit, I slowly eased back into the channel. 

In the middle of all of this I was greeted by a pod of feeding dolphins.  I estimate

Oyster dredge (I think!)

that there were around 15 of these neat animals frolicking around my boat for probably 10 minutes. 

Out in the Bay, I turned the boat to a south southwest heading, set the tiller pilot on a waypoint about 20 miles south and cruised along at about 5 knots.  At one point I figured that I had a northeasterly breeze that might help if I put up the sails but for the most part, they just luffed.  I finally took the down.

Fort Monroe

My goal is a marina in Hampton, VA. On my way, I passed the mouth of the historically significant Rappahannock and York Rivers.  The entrances to these two rivers are huge.  I can see how Gen. McClellan to transport the massive Union armies through here in his quest to capture Richmond in the Civil War. 

As I entered Hampton Roads, I passed the historic Fort Monroe that was relatively

Officer billets at Fort Monroe

recently declared a national monument.  It was here that Gen McClellan launched is Peninsula Campaign and where President Jefferson Davis of the Confederacy was imprisoned after the war. Next to the fort is a row of beautiful old brick homes that, according to our friend Carole Grove, were the quarter of ranking officers over the years.

Next to the officers homes is the stately “The Chamberlain” hotel that in years past, according to Carole, accommodated the rich and famous who arrived via their private yachts.  It has more recently been converted into luxurious apartments.

Lighthouse on Ft. Monroe

I made my way through Hampton Roads and up the Hampton River heading for the Bluewater Yachting Center where our group was gathering for our trip down the Intracoastal Waterway.  Directly across the river from the marina, I was surprised to hear a band loudly playing and an excited announcer calling a football game.  Hampton University, which was established in 1868, is a private historic black university that was created after the Civil War to

 provide education to freedmen. By the way, Hampton bested Morgan State by a score of 21 to 12.

The Chamberlain

At the marina, I was assigned a slip and assisted in mooring. by a most helpful young staff.  This is a home for the big boats.  I am probably the smallest boat here.  To drive home the fact that the big boat are most welcome, the costs of dockage is $2.00 per foot of boat length with a 40 foot minimum.  I ain’t use to paying 80 bucks to tie up to a slip!  I bought 12 gallons of fuel, hooked my electric cord to the dock outlets and for the first time added a heating element to my trip.  I am carrying a small electric heater that I can use if I have shore power so I will be sleeping in a warm boat tonight.

Osprey flying over Hampton Roads

Several members of our flotilla set up a happy hour gathering on one of the huge sailboats.  I joined them for a while.  I had an opportunity to talk with another solo traveler who is riding in absolute luxury in his 30 foot power cruiser.  He gave me a through guided tour of the magnificent vessel.  He will not lack for comfort along the way.

Back at the boat I prepared a meal of beef cubes and noodles with green beans.  It was easy to get into bed at 9:00.