Today is our first lock. There were several sail boats with us waiting on the 1st lock of our Loop. The Great Bridge Lock was within view of our dock so we but we had to wait for the Battlefield Bridge to open at 0800. We entered the lock with hopes of not embarrassing ourselves in front of veteran lock boaters. We had a plan, we stuck to the plan and went through the lock that only raised a whopping 1 and a half feet.
We proceeded towards the Southern Branch Elizabeth River and stopped at the Top Rack Marina and topped off our tanks and a well needed pump out. Top Rack Marina has finger slips extending into the river. The dock hands were great and we were in and out in 25 minutes. As we approached the Gilmerton Bridge we observed the sailboats that locked through with us. The bridge has a clearance of 35 feet when closed but due to construction there were notices that the bridge was on a limited schedule on the weekend. We called the bridge last night and were informed it would open for the sailboats but the day shift guy had a different story. We continued towards Norfolk winding through the river passing the NSA Norfolk Shipyards where a lot of Navy vessels were getting repairs.
It was a short run to the Waterside Marina in Norfolk where we bowed into our slip on the west end of the basin. It was a great slip with a beautiful view of all the other Loop boats from our cockpit. The dock hands were super busy but were able to set us up quickly so they could move on to help all the other incoming Loopers. Waterside Marina is the host for the America’s Great Loop Cruisers Association Spring Rendezvous where future, past and current Loopers meet to learn about the Loop, which boats might suit their needs, what equipment they may need and generally a way to join people with a common interest in this great adventure. We stayed at Waterside Marina for 8 days meeting great people and hopefully life long friends. While at the marina we were greeted by my oldest friend Arty who made the trek from NY. We had a great time breaking bread enjoying cold beverages and touring Norfolk.
The rendezvous consisted of numerous seminars hosted by past loopers, harbor hosts and experts in the boating industry. Kim Russo did an incredible job with the event, as we all know how hard it is to herd 300 cats.
While in Norfolk We were able to see the USS Wisconsin up close where it is docked within walking distance of the marina. The Wisconsin was built in the 1944 It was assigned to the Pacific Theater during WWII where she participated in the Battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa. She served in the Korean War and was decommissioned but later recommissioned after a refit and served in Operation Desert Storm
Now we feel we are fully invested in the Loop and we were given great knowledge and resourced to go forward and safely enjoy this great adventure.