ICW Mile Marker 0

I awoke on anchor to find that another boat had quietly slipped into the anchorage while I was sleeping.

I could not quite read the name of this vessel

A quick look around shows dense fog was blanketing the area outside the anchorage.

The day’s planned journey was to a marina about 36 NM or 6 hours away. It’s Friday and the marina closes at 5PM so I wanted to be there by 4PM to secure a spot. I figured a late 10AM start might allow some of the fog to burn off.

As I enjoy my morning coffee, I look up at see that the other boat in the anchorage was now leaving. I can finally read the name, MV Effervescence IV. I recall this boat. Effervescence IV was on the hard next to Simple Life in Warwick, RI, one month ago. Her owner and I had introduced ourselves and exchanged numbers just incase we should wind up near each other on our trips south this winter.

It’s now 10AM and as I pull out of the anchorage, I check the AIS (automatic Identification System) and see Effervescence IV is just a just a few miles ahead of me.

I use the MMSI # from her AIS info and program it into my VHF to place a DSC individual call to the boat and instruct their DSC radio to automatically switch to CH#69 as soon as they ACK my DSC call.

Moments later we are discussing plans to meet up at Top Rack Marina in Chesapeake, VA.

Norfolk harbor has non-stop large ship traffic transiting its entrance channel. On this day, the USCG had issued a warning over the VHF about an Ultra Large Container Vessel (ULCV) called the Maersk Edinburgh. The Maersk Edinburgh is 1201′ long and has 158′ of beam. It is certainly not hard to spot visually but I’m having trouble seeing much of anything out the pilothouse windows.

I will have to rely on radar & AIS. Radar just shows me a large target with position and speed data but no identifying info about the vessel. AIS however, shows me all kinds of vessel information.

It’s moving at 18.1kts! 3X faster than Simple Life

As I cruise on… the fog lifts for a moment to allow me to see this sexy girl passing me.

Then just as fast as it lifted, the fog closes around me again.

Dense fog outside of the pilothouse windows

Now passing Norfolk Navel Station, the that fog has lifted and I can once again see the boats around me.

Tug moving at hull speed

To get to the start of the ICW (InterCoastal Waterway), called mile marker 0, you must pass dozens of warships in port.

Now past the warships I see the ULCV Maersk Edinburgh being pushed into her berth by several large tugs.

The tugs look tiny compared to the 1201′ long ship

I saw this tug go by with it’s funny looking tall tower that allows it to see over whatever barge it is pushing.

If I ever get a change to go up in a tugboat’s tower I’m going to jump at that opportunity.

I heard several VHF marine warnings about a 950′ long dry dock called “Titan” that was being moved through Norfolk as well. As I glance over to shore I see it being pushed into place.

Right around the corner from this new one that arrived another dry dock that has a large warship in it.

I need to be at Top Rack Marina before 5PM to get a slip. So when this huge barge swings out blocking the channel, I find a safe way around it and under the bridge.

I was aware of the time as I know I needed to get to Top Rack Marina before 5PM and as I turn the next bend in the Elizabeth River, I see that the Norfolk Southern #7 Rail Bridge is in the down position. I watch as was seems to be the longest slowest freight trains slowly passes.

After what seemed like forever, the bridge when back up and within 20 minutes I was fueled up and in my slip at Top Rack Marina.

Simple life. can almost turn sideways the slip is so wide.

Siting in my slip, I’m aware that it’s Mike Spinney’s birthday. I think… I’m sure him and his friends are celebrating. Then this photo comes in and I can only smile.

Glen, Debbie and I had planned to visit the local restaurant but it was closed. What to do? I invited Glen and Debbie over to Simple Life for a cocktail. They obliged and bought drinks and snacks. Glen makes his own beef jerky. Jerky & IPA goes well together.

We decided to do a captain’s brief where I brought up the charts on the big screen and we walked through the next days route which would run from sun up to sun down.

Today’s 38NM leg of my journey looked something like this…

Slipping into Venus

The sunset before we went to bed was beautiful in Godfrey Bay

We had woken up at 4AM and decided to get underway. It was pitch black but I wanted to arrive at Top Rack Marina before they closed without having to burn more than 2.5 gals/hour. So as we twisted and turned our way out of the Piankatank River we had to rely on the lighted buoys and cans. Recall that buoys or “nuns” are red, even numbered and have pointy “nun hat” tops, cans are green cylinders with odd numbers and flat tops.

MV Simple Life in the center passed Red lighted beacon #8 and approaching Green lighted beacon #7

Directly above the red beacon light you can see Venus. I think the halo effect making it look even bigger in the photo

As we headed East the planet Venus was brilliantly lit up and acting as a perfect aiming target to stay on course. We were slipping our way past shoals and straight into Venus.

At times I would run with the searchlight lit to attempt to view and steer around crab pots and unlit fish weirs. This is the hazard of running at night that you can wrap a crab pot line around your propeller or become ensnared in a fish weir.

I have a project to install LED lights under the bow to light crab pots without reflecting off the foredeck

Two hours passed and first light was upon us. Sunrise was a coming…

6:04AM – First Light
6:19AM
6:47AM
6:50AM Sun Peaking Above the Horizon
6:52AM
6:54AM

Danger Area… If you go to lower zoom levels to see what chart note is attached to the Danger Area you only get an annoying note that says to read NOAA’s US Coast Pilot Vol #3. That’s not very helpful as I used to keep all the Coast Pilot books printed and stored aboard but I found that I was using the online versions linked above.

Danger Area, Why? Have to look in the US Coast Pilot Vol #2

Coast Pilot is a FREE, online pdf, navigation book published by NOAA.

Coast PIlot 3
Chapters vs. Areas Covered

It’s a lot like the Maptech Embassy or Waterway Guide books that I used when I first started boating.

2018 $45
Also $45

The trip down to the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay was easy smooth going.

However, as we approached the inlet to Norfolk, VA the current was quickly ebbing.

Green Marker being pushed over by current
Speed dropped from 6kts to only 4.2kts
It necks down going into Norfolk, VA

Soon we were surrounded by military gun boats and helicopters buzzing overhead. On the VHF you can hear Virginia Pilots calling ships preparing to enter the harbor. They are landing on a cargo ship via helicopter for inspection of the vessel. All hatches must be open except the one the helicopter is landing on. Specific instructions were given not to have crew approach the helicopter on landing.

Warships were everywhere to see in port but we let those boys do their work and stay clear of them.

If you click on any of the AIS targets they come up as “military” or “US Govt”

The shipyard has some amazing mega-sized structures.

it’s looks like it climbed onto the building

As you proceed further down the Elizabeth River you are reminded that much of what’s on the shore is off-limits to anyone other than the US Government and military.

Watch Tower
Keep Out
Floating Gate Barrier
Navy Police gave me a 2 whistle pass rather than a 1 whistle so as to keep us away from the shore

At one point in our journey down the channel I noticed that the gigantic MSC Silvana container ship had black diesel smoke coming out of it’s stack. OMG. it’s underway and blocking the entire channel!

Blocking our path down the channel
MSC Silvana AIS info
Tug on port and stern

https://youtu.be/f7xwTYWq-mA

We had to get out of the channel to get past her

Soon we were passing this lifeboat that looked like it had lost it’s ship. These fellows were just riding around in the life boat. Maybe they are on shore leave and wanted find a restaurant 😉

I just think these are the coolest. I’m jealous of this woman getting to launch one of these free-fall lifeboats.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGuLXLTWiCA

How cool is she?

Soon we made our way to Top Rack Marina.

A Marina, Deli and Store all-in-one
She’s just happy we are going to eat at the Amber Lantern
Filet & Tips
Morning Fog @TopRackMarina
54′ Sabre Pretty but at about $1.8M a bit too pricey
I love a SP Cruiser Motorsailer
Kelly made me breakfast in the AM with the leftovers.

We love this stop for several reasons.

Amber Lantern Restaurant
Great fuel prices
1. $2.74/gal Diesel – we took on 306 gallons.
Great slip prices
1. $35/night any length boat (includes power)

People often ask us how cheap can you live aboard? It’s a great question and the answer is “it depends”. It depends on the life-style you want to live. Sometimes we hit marinas and restaurants every day and money seems to disappear. However, other times we spend cruising on anchor every night and spend nothing but diesel. We left Warwick, RI on Sunday, Nov 11th at around 3PM. It’s now 10 days later, Nov 21st we are at Top Rack Marina in Chesapeake, VA. Being a fan of science I believe people would rather see a data-driven answer where they can draw their own conclusion. If we “Do the Math”.

We have completed 9 legs of our journey over 10 days.
We put 89 Hours on the diesel
86 hours / 8 legs = 10.75 hours a leg. (skipping the first short 3 hour day)
10 hours on the genset (4 because I forgot to shut it off while underway)
$242 on 2 nights dinner & drinks (I don’t recall getting back to the boat on 1 of them)
306 Gallons of diesel (main engine, genset & forced-hot-air diesel heat)
$838 on diesel
$150 for 3 nights at marinas

I hope that sheds some light on budget.

Our 9th leg looked something like this…

Apple Maps screen capture with hand-drawn finger route

New Haven CT & Gale Warnings

PtJudithSunrise2 — Pt. Judith, RI – Harbor of Refuge @ Sunrise

We departed Harbor of Refuge @ sunrise this morning. We felt a sense of urgency due to a gale warning (gusts to 35 knots) which is in effect beginning Thursday afternoon. The cause is two separate low pressures that are having a complex interaction West of our current location.

Below is a rough depiction of our second leg of our journey South. Our course took us from Pt. Judith’s Harbor of Refuge, outside Fishers Island to Morris Cove Anchorage in New Haven, CT.

Today’s cruise was long but relaxing. The sun was streaming in windows making the pilothouse warm as we made way @ 8.5kts West down Long Island Sound.

We saw only a few sport fishing boats and had to dodge the occasional ferry crossing our path.

Every captain knows it’s better to take the stern of larger vessels rather than attempt to cross her bow. Ten or so years ago I had a close with a US battleship @3AM in pea-soup fog in Norfolk, Virginia’s entrance channel. Our close call was not a crossing issue but instead the warship was inbound in the channel and was not basting fog signals. After they suddenly appeared on radar from under the Chesapeake Bay bridge/tunnel we quickly blasted our horn. When they responded with their horn I swear my ears blew out. The warship quickly passed us not 100′ off our port beam (frightening in the fog). A shout out to that day’s offshore crew – Eddie, Sean and Amy who can attest to this poop-your-pants experience.

After this harrowing experience, we installed Kahlenberg triple trumpet air horns as well as AIS (Automatic Identification System) in Simple Life.

AIS equipped vessels can each view on their chart plotter the other’s vessel name, size, speed, heading and course-magnetic. AIS works by sending & receiving digital data over VHF channel 70 so that two ships can see each other on their chartplotter screens even without radar. I have also learned to that programming your marine VHF with a MMSI # make ship2ship communications easier when it’s dark or foggy.

Tomorrow our plan is to push west down the coast of Connecticut with hopes of catching the 4.8kt ebb tide through the East River (where the dead bodies are found on many Law & Order episodes). Kelly & I always enjoy the East River’s Hell’s Gate (where the Harlem River meets the East River). Hell’s Gate is infamous due to the strong currents that mix in the way a washing machine mixes water.

We hope to make the Liberty Island Marina in Jersey City by sunset on Thursday. We’ll spend two nights at the marina while we wait for more favorable weather for our trip down the Jersey coast. Until then we’ll just sit on anchor watching the lights from New Haven.