Top Rack - Marina

Tuesday September 29, 2015
36 44.374 N
76 17.773 W

The forecast is not great so we want to get out of the Chesapeake ASAP, so another long day today. After a very peaceful night we were underway soon after 7 AM. Target was the Top Rack marina where we can get fuel and stay overnight. Top Rack is 15 miles into the ICW in the Norfolk area,

The sea conditions started a bit lumpy and the wind started to build as the day progressed. Unlike Monday we seemed to have a current against us most of the day. Tide Hiker was making a lot of spray.  On a whim Deidre decided to check below, and found that I had left the forward head porthole open and the room was "swimming".

About lunch time we stumbled over a couple of US hovercraft doing their thing. I took lots of photos and a video that I will show below. You could hardly see them because of the rough weatther and consequent spray.

As we approached Norfolk the Coast Guard warned boaters that an aircraft carrier was underway - it was not really an aircraft carrier - just a large "Amphibious Landing Craft" called the "Wasp". We were into Hampton Roads by about 2 PM and started to benefit from the protection, although the scene was pretty bleak. - grey clouds, grey water and grey war ships. And it was raining on and off.

We had to pass two lifting bridges to make it to Top Rack - both N&S railway bridges. (There has been an enormous effort over the last 10 years to replace all the lifting and swinging road bridges over the ICW, which saves time and money for everyone. But not so with the railway bridges.) We made it thru N&W #5 OK but not N&W #7. We waited for two trains, but then it broke down. All in all we waited for an hour.

Top Rack has a great deal - if you spend your slip fee at their restaurant, dinner is on them. And its a nice restaurant. So after we settled in (we were so late that there was no-one there to help) we took a shower and headed in for dinner. This is a "proper restaurant" - no pub food here.

Back on Tide Hiker we had cranked up the AC and it was cool and dry on board when we returned. We even slept with a blanker.

Bob: "How does the captain see where he is going?"
Deidre: "Keep out of his way!"

The "WASP"

Another one.