Docked at High Street Basin then motored to Happy Hampton - Gray days

Another 7 am start to reach Portsmouth, VA.  High Street Basin.  Calm as could be.  Several lift and bascule bridges and several boats moving together on the ICW.  We all wait for the hour or half hour bridge openings.  In this windless day it was easy to hold still and wait a half an hour. Windy days the pilot at the wheel wrestles with the wind to stay in one space and keep away from other boats.  This is Great Bridge Bridge, a bascule bridge.

 A few hundred feet and we go through Great Bridge Lock.  It's nice that the port side is all rubber otherwise we'd have to put down fenders.  There were about 6 ships in here.

Power boats radio frequently, "SV Shawnee, I'd like a slow pass on your port."
Most do slow pass but others zoom by causing a wake to rock the boat.  This boat slowed so there is very little wake.

Mazu as usual ducked into her dark cubby in the aft cabin for most of the day.  Occasionally she'd poke her head up and look around at the land then quickly return - sort of , "Are we there yet?"

On every marker  we saw a bird and most with osprey nests.  It's the season.

We entered the Elizabeth River.  This is the US Navy's home port.  The ships are overwhelmingly large.  There are many marinas to choose from, but we like the free dock at High Street Basin right in the middle of downtown Portsmouth.

We came into the basin passed the Elizabeth River Ferry that goes back and forth to Norfolk from this basin.  Drew was doing lines and I was at the wheel.  Shawnee glided into the dockside corner, but later they put  a ferry right next to our bow.  And Isle de France docked right behind us.  I was sure we would have a hard time getting out.

That night we walked 2 blocks to the historic Commodore Theater built in 1945, renovated in 1980s with beautiful, large murals.  It is a dinner theater with a phone on each table to call in food orders.  We watched the Avengers on the huge screen.

 

Before the movie we went to a bar to catch the pre-race TV coverage of the Kentucky Derby.  Everyone wore fun hats.

It poured all night, clears off the salt.  Sunday we took the Elizabeth River Ferry over to the Norfolk side (5 minute ride) to Waterside.  So many warships around.  Are all the ships with large cannons now obsolete since they use missiles instead?

View from the ferry dock.

Aircraft Carrier #78 with one jet.

We hopped on Shawnee on this cloudy day.  Hemmed in, we shoved out the stern, backed Shawnee to the middle of the basin and were clear of all the boats - amazing.  Forward throttle and off we went to Hampton.
  On the way we passed the boat that I aspire to own -- a jump on and go kind of boat.  It was sailing with practically no wind on glassy waters.

 After the US Navy part of Norfolk there is a huge commercial operation that looks like China holds a large area to transport goods.  It says China Shipping Line.  Even on Sunday cranes were in operation.

You can see how flat the water was.

We arrived at Hampton Public Piers to see a wonderful vegetable garden produced by the dock master, Tom.  We harvested some red lettuce.

 Cucumbers planted in a hay bale.

We are here for a few days while we await ideal weather (low waves and south winds) to sail/motor 3 days up to Buzzards Bay and Cape Cod.
  The Air and Space Museum is next door to this marina where an Imax theater has 3 different short movies.   Loaner bikes are available to get groceries and RX.  We'll rent a car Wednesday.  We can visit nearby Fort Comfort, a Union fort during the Civil War in the heart of Confederate country.
  It's 58 degrees here in Virginia and 65+ in Bangor, Maine.  I like the idea of getting home to nice weather and real spring.