Mobjack Bay to Norfolk

We woke to a beautiful sunny day. The East River was serene. We took advantage of the calm conditions to swap the chain on our anchors making the Fortress the primary anchor. We feel the Fortress will work better than the Rocna in the mud we will encounter going down the ICW. It worked well for us in the past and never dragged. The Rocna dragged through soft mud while we were in heavy winds and waves off Rock Hall. We suspect it dragged some when we were anchored in soft mud off Reedville. We decided to make the switch trusting the Fortress will serve us better on the ICW. The Rocna is a fine anchor and we like it; however, the Fortress seems better in mud. Exciting, eh?

Fortress Anchor on Left - Rocna Anchor on Right

US Naval Ships in Norfolk

We were able to set sail as soon as we left the East River. The wind was generally from the north which put us on a beam or broad reach all day. Waves were averaging 4 feet and pushing us along. We could see five other sailboats were headed south with one flying a spinnaker for a while on a dead run. It was a real sleigh ride all the way to Hampton. We dropped our sails shortly after passing Fort Monroe. It was much calmer in the lea of the fort. We headed up the channel to Hampton and refueled at the Bluewater Yachting Center. It was only 1500 when we completed refueling. We decided to cross Hampton Roads and head to ICW Mile Marker 0 to anchor for the evening.

STV Unicorn - Hampton,VA

It was getting a little choppy as we crossed Hampton Roads. A large container ship preceded us down the channel past the naval fleet. We moved to the channel's edge as we met one container ship outbound. We really feel small among aircraft carriers, cruisers and container ships. We dropped anchor just before dark. Two other sailboats were anchored with us for the night. It is supposed to blow pretty hard tonight. We laid out plenty of anchor chain. The wind was howling through the rigging by 2200 and we were starting to get some wave action in the anchorage.