Underway from Dare Marina for our trip South, first leg of the journey to New Bern, NC.
We were able to make all our departure arrangements, food and supplies storage aboard and house secured for our absence by noon on Monday. That gave us a half a day to start making progress south and we get to our first anchorage at Fort Monroe, Hampton.
The weather was perfect for our first day with blue skies and moderate winds from the northwest that would push us southward.
It takes about an hour to motor out of Chisman Creek and down the Poquoson River to the Chesapeake Bay but soon we were able to unfurl the sails and start our sailing journey. We were able to sail most of the way down to Hampton as we made our way around the Poquoson Flats and ultimately southward.
As you approach the Norfolk Harbor, all the wind, water and traffic compress to flow through the Hampton Roads channel. The wind had wrapped around to on our nose and our favorable tidal current was now opposing us. Cargo ships coming into port and tugs and barges departing.
At the Hampton Roads entrance sits Fort Monroe, the 1800s protective fort guarding the entrance to Norfolk, Hampton and Newport News. The Fort is now a national monument and the grounds have been turned over to Hampton for tourism and recreation.
The former US Army Base marina has been privatized. The adjacent anchorage area, protected from the open Chesapeake Bay remains an ideal spot to spend a quiet night.
We were soon securely anchored and enjoying our successful first day cruising southward. Wind and sun kept the batteries charged and all was happy on Tides Inn.
