On the move again
April 17, 2025
Last night Mike and Caroline of Valhalla came by for a visit. They have been in Portsmouth for 6 months and are planning on leaving within the month to travel the Great Loop. Mike offered to stop by this morning at 7:30 to help with our lines in getting off the dock, but we ended up leaving about 7:00. After leaving the marina we went by several navy ships docked in Norfolk Naval Shipyard. Quite impressive.
Lauren needs more practice with the back and fill, tho we got off the dock safely. Brians says she’s too timid with the throttle. Our trip was rather uneventful; there was some waves that would have bounced us around a bit, but we had activated the Seakeeper. It made for a comfortable ride. Saw quite a few pelicans – love watching them glide just above the water’s surface.
Traveled to Yorktown and successfully on the first try, picked up a mooring ball. The most current information about the mooring balls was from 2019 and the article stated they were steel balls full of barnacles. We were pleasantly surprised to see that they appear to be brand new and made of polyurethane so that they do not damage boat hulls if they get bumped. On top of the balls are huge mooring cleats which were so easy to lasso a mooring line onto it. Also, they are free (as far as we could ascertain).
Once our notes for the travel were documented, we noted that it was rather rolly. What a great time to try out our flopper-stoppers. On either side of the boat, there are aluminum poles that drop down to about 45 degrees from each side. There are 3 lines that hold the poles in place. A fourth line is attached to large aluminum plates that are placed 4 – to 6 feet below the surface. They provide a counter balance to slow any roll of the boat; they work great – what a huge difference!
Decided to have a late lunch/early dinner; finally got around to having the spaghetti and marinara sauce with hot Italian sausage and mixed greens.
It is so quiet here; Portsmouth was constant noise 24/7. Should be a nice quiet peaceful sleep tonight.
Hope all is well and stay safe out there.