On to Portsmouth, VA at North Street Basin

I am too impatient it seems when I arise at 7:20 thinking we are leaving to make a railroad bridge that only opens at 9, 12 and 3 each day because of repairs.  Every boat must  arrange their schedule around this one bridge's openings.  The bridge is about 2 and half hours from Hampton.  Drew had other plans that he makes as he goes - first clean the transom, emails to the office.  I read most of the day with a walk to the post office.
  We left Hampton at 2 today, crossing Hampton Roads. Tomorrow we'll start for the 9 am bridge opening in the morning.  At 4:15 we tied up here FREE, a perfect place in downtown historic Portsmouth, the North Street Basin.  Mazu is looking on.  She now stays in the aft cabin while we move on the water.

This is another beautiful boat, Light Reign about 50'+.  Shawnee is in the background along the dock.

We went below to plan for tomorrow and have some appetizers while looking over charts, maps, and reading the extremely helpful mile by mile descriptions from On the Water Chartguides  by Mark and Diana Doyle.  Oops, my kindle is in the picture with my Bernie sticker.

We walked a few blocks down High Street to the historic Commodore Movie Theatre where we watched "The Bridge of Spies" with Tom Hanks.  It's a dinner movie theatre with painted murals, tables and a huge screen.

 

Nice early night and we'll be well rested for tomorrow.
  We are sailing a different way from the last 2 times we've done this.  Instead of the Virginia Cut past Coinjock we are motoring down the Dismal Swamp, past Elizabeth City, VA into NC.  It's a 50 mile canal dug by slaves that is only open to non-commercial traffic, -- very narrow and has 2 locks.  Pictures to follow tomorrow.