Hampton, Va., - Crown Pointe Marina, Hayes, Va., - May 19, 2008

We left this morning a little before 7 with nice, blue skies and very calm water. We were in the shipping lane for awhile and met a Navy ship, large container ship, Coast Guard Cutter and a tug pulling a barge, all returning to Norfolk. We rounded the Thimble Island Shoal light and headed north. We saw many more large vessels on the horizon.












Shortly after turning north we were in the large, open water of the Chesapeake. The water became rougher, the wind started increasing. The forecast of a calm day was not accurate. This crossing was extremely rough, worse than the Albemarle Sound crossing. We were taking on spray for a large part of the trip, sometimes over the top of the bridge enclosure. The microwave fell off its stand and the TV, which had been laid down, fell off its shelf. It was a terribly rough and uncomfortable ride. We were extremely happy to get to the marina about 11 a.m. We felt like we had been traveling for 8 hours and it was lucky neither of us gets seasick very easily. Darrell says we’re having a good time.

Luckily the marina was very well protected. It was quite windy outside, but the boat hardly moved.

We saw the Goodyear Blimp go over us. Don’t know if it’s going to its home or to cover an event.