Hampton Roads, VA

Spinnaker run off Cape Hatteras

The storms passed Beaufort sooner than we had expected, so we got up Tuesday morning thinking we were waiting till that evening to leave, only to have our weather router tell us we could leave at any time. We washed down a quick breakfast and got underway. We knew it was going to be a fair amount of motoring to get around Cape Lookout before we hit any wind in our favor, but it was more than expected. We weren’t able to set sail till we got up to Cape Hatteras. Luckily, when we finally did get wind, we were finally able to fly the spinnaker! It had only been a year since we had the fateful run to Block Island where it tore and we had not had a chance to use it since it had been repaired! Cape Hatteras is known for experiencing dicey weather (many people choose to go inside the ICW at this point), we found it to be a great irony that not only did we choose the outside run, but we were doing a spinnaker run to boot!

Full moon overnight sails are magical

It was back to motoring as we got close to the south of the Chesapeake Bay. We had to be careful because of the number of cargo ships moving around in the area, but it’s an easy radio call to any of them or the Virginia Pilots (think FAA for ships, managing the traffic) to steer clear of them. We talked a couple of times to a dredge that was operating outside of the channel – once to adjust course to allow him a straight shot to the dumping site, and once for him to let us know he was passing us again to head back for more dredging. All this in the middle of the night toward dawn makes for a surreal run.

Old Point Comfort anchorage

Last November we stayed on the docks of local OCC Port Commanders Greta & Gary Gustavson. They were having their docks repaired, so it wasn’t an option this time. However, we also didn’t intend to stay in the area long (and they’re seven miles down the Elizabeth River), so we opted for the Old Point Comfort anchorage just inside Hampton Roads. It’s a practical rather than a pretty anchorage (causeway on one side), but it was close to a marina where we could replenish fuel and water and use their dinghy dock. They even had a great restaurant called the Deadrise, where I had a fabulous crabcake sandwich and Trip got crab stuffed flounder.

Beautiful squalls

We were in the middle of a heatwave, but we wandered into the town of Phoebus the next day anyway. After stocking up on the few provisions we needed to make it home and a beer at Stuft (slogan: Restaurant, Food truck, Hot sauce), then we continued our trend of Mexican food at El Diablo. The hostess was kind enough to make sure we could watch the World Cup soccer matches from our table before she seated us. A few margaritas and chicarrones later, we were feeling good despite the heat.

We went back to the boat and checked on the sailing progress of new friends Lauren and Trey. They had been anchored at Cape Lookout while we were in Beaufort and had been hit by the same storms that we were experiencing. Lauren and I bonded over the Women Who Sail FaceBook group when I posted storm pictures and she added hers. Having just cut loose from Charleston on their own cruising adventure, they had already had some serious off-shore tests, including having to heave-to outside Cape Lookout for several hours rather than enter an unknown anchorage in the middle of the night in the middle of squalls. They had left several hours behind us to round Hatteras and head up to Hampton, and she and I were staying in touch whenever we had cell phone coverage.

Can’t go wrong with pancakes and bacon

It was a long slog for them, having to motor and getting caught by outgoing tides, but they finally made it in that night. I told her not to bother with their dinghy, and Trip motored over to collect them. They came aboard and we got them settled with showers and beers, in that order (because NOTHING feels as good as a shower or tastes as good as a beer after a long passage that seems like it will never end). After a good night sleep, they came back for breakfast – I made banana pancakes and they supplied the Nutella & coffee – yum! We sat in the cockpit for several hours, trading stories (despite being newbies at cruising they already had a fair share of stories, like the one above) and talking all things boats. I was rather envious listening to them – I don’t think I was nearly as adventurous in my twenties – but then again Trip and I are doing the ‘better late than never’ approach…. ?

Best thing to see when entering a restaurant