Scott Gaston's great sailing adventure
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From: sgastondesign@yahoo.com Ahoy. | |||
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We finally got out of Solomons Island, MD [N38 20 15.5 W76 27 36.6]! After three days of fog and rain we weighed anchor on 09 January and headed south. The Chesapeake Bay was beautiful and clear. Wind NE 8-10 kt. We motor sailed with all the canvas up to make speed. We are heading south ‘till the butter melts. As fast as we can! |
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This was the first time the new main sail was used. It is fully battened, slugged along the foot and has two reefing points. It was custom made by UK Sails in Annapolis. It pulled beautifully and maintained a great shape. By noon the wind had shifted to the SE 5-8 kt. We hardened up and maintained a good course until the mouth of the Rappahannock River, when the wind died. The bay was totaly glassy and the sky was clear so we decided to continue on to Norfolk and arrive at night. Approach into Norfolk went well. |
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It is amazing how fast a supertanker comes up on you in the dark. Suddenly you realize what the dark mass with the lights is. I was freezing cold standing in an open helm with a small GPS unit in front of me, gripping the steering wheel firmly as if the tighter I held it the faster I would get out of its way. The bridge of the ship must have been over 8 stories high. I am sure the pilot glanced down at us from the heated bridge with a cup of coffee in one hand before returning to his radar/GPS screen as he headed out to sea. |
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Traffic was light so we had only a few tankers and fishing vessels to dodge. We sailed into the Hampton River and by the Norfolk Navy Base [N36 56 35.1 W76 20 07.5] around 20:30 hours. The Navy ships were lit up and the sentries watched as we slipped by in the dark. We dropped anchor at Hospital Point, Norfolk, VA [N36 50 41.7 W76 18 02.4] at 22:18 hours. We traveled 100.32 nautical miles in 15.5 hours. |
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10 January was spent drying the ship out and making calls to the bridge operators to determine when we can pass through. There is this strange time in the morning and at evening that the landpeople refer to as rush hour. I wonder where they are all rushing to be. Must be a hell of a place if so many people are speeding to get there! | ||
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I am typing this update while sitting in the cockpit of the boat watching the tugs push their barges up and down the Hampton River. The weather is unusually warm and the city of Norfolk is lit up with thousands of lights that are playing over the surface of the water. With my computer on my lap, my camera to the left and a snort of Woodford’s Reserve on the right, I am thinking to myself; life is good. We plan to shoot the Great Dismal Swamp tomorrow and be in Elizabeth City, NC [N36 18 23.6 W76 12 12.3] tomorrow. All should go as scheduled unless we run aground in the Swamp. Scott Gaston |
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