Alligator River to Nortfolk

On the 18th I sailed to the Alligator River Marina, on the 19th to Midway Marina, and on the 20th to Tidewater Marina in Norfolk (ICW MM 0). It took me 31 days to move 1014 miles up the ICW. Eight of those days were "rest" days so I really spent 23 days sailing and motoring alone on Summer Snow. Many people have asked "would you do it again?" The answer is Yes, I would do it again because it was a very interesting and challenging experience but I would change a few things. It would have been a lot easier with a "shoal keel" of less than 5 ft. and it would have been more fun with another person (Bev) on board. On the other hand I have gained great experience by "single handing" Summer Snow so that docking and anchoring in new or strange conditions are not big issues anymore. My confidence in handing the sails alone and navigating has increased so that I can relax and enjoy sailing in "new waters".

The Alligator River is part man made and part natural river. There was regular barge traffic and debris such as this tree (second picture) floating in the middle of the channel. I stayed at the Alligator River Marina which was a combination truck stop and marina. The food was good and the people very friendly.


Next was the Midway Marina which is an older facility but had everything I needed such as ice and a nice shower. The on site restaurant (third picture) looked a little "iffy" but was OK when you got inside.

After leaving Midway Marina I only had 49.5 miles of ICW to go. I planned on staying over night at Tidewater Marina when I got to Norfolk so I could rest up and get organized. Then the next day I sailed to Ocean View Fishing Harbor where Randy (Bev's cousin) and Christina keep their boat, Miss Molly. There I waited for Bev who arrived on the 22nd.

Nortfolk is a huge harbor (worlds largest naval shipyard) with tugs, container ships, US Navy ships, Coast Guard ships, harbor tours, and all kinds of private boats. It was said that you could put every ship in the world in the harbor (Hampton Roads) and still have room for more.

The whole region has a large military presence including the largest and oldest VA hospital in the US. The last picture is Hospital Point with the main building of the VA hospital which was built in the early 1800's.

As soon as Bev arrives we will spend a week visiting with Randy and Christina and seeing the sites in Southern Virginia and Northern North Carolina, particularly Yorktown, Williamsburg, and the Outer Banks of North Carolina.