Virginia Cut

Norfolk Harbor

Leaving Sunday morning, we hoped to get as far as Norfolk and expected the weather to be soggy and Chesapeake bay to be choppy. With the wind on our nose, we plowed through and after 8 hours arrived in Norfolk harbor and decided to keep going. This time we opted for the Virginia Cut on the ICW since we did the Dismal Swamp on the way up. The Virginia Cut only has 1 lock but a few more draw bridges to coordinate so our timing might work out better.

Great Bridge, VA

We made it all the way to Great Bridge, Va, mooring at the city dock just past the lock. Being that it was 6:00, there were a couple boats already there who had info on the lay of the land. The best part was they knew where a good Mexican restaurant was...and a grocery store. We had 4 boats who all thought dinner together sounded good. One of which was Jerry and Melissa on Drake's Dream who are from New Bern and live in Breckenridge when they're not on the water. After indulging at dinner, we picked up a few provisions at Farm Fresh Market and stopped at Dairy Queen for a dipped cone before going back to the boat. Needless to say, everyone went to sleep happy.

The Virginia Cut was a slog. With - you guessed it - the wind on our nose we channel marked our way through it. Between the two routes, I definitely preferred the Dismal Swamp but every adventure offers something rewarding and the marshy wetlands had a simple serenity to them.

We found a nice creek to anchor in with Chandara and Drake's Dream, had a beer together and enjoyed a beautiful NC sunset.

NC sunset at the end of the Virginia Cut, ICW