The Nor-Easter Blow Has Arrived

May 7, 2022

We left the Alligator River gas station aka "marina" in the morning. It was calm and very different from the blowing wind and waves of the evening before. We had another reasonably long travel day ahead to make it to Top Rack Marina, where we planned to tie up and wait out the forecasted wind.

During the day, the kids had some fun spending time on the bow of Holy Cow. We passed through the smallest swing bridge we'd seen so far on the route. I thought Holy Cow might need to suck it in as we threaded the needle on our way through.

During this run, we also experienced our first lock with Holy Cow. The Great Bridge Lock raise/drop is only about two feet, and the lock itself is huge. It made for an easy practice drill in preparation for the 70+ locks in our future. As we made our way through successfully, the Jopling team gave high five's all around. Our final destination for the day was just around the bend.

There is nothing within walking distance of Top Rack Marina, Chesapeake VA. We anticipated getting some work done in the days ahead while we were locked in because of weather.

When we arrived, we had assistance at the dock. Once our port side was tied, Gord immediately got to work securing us from the starboard side as well. We looked a little like we'd been caught in a spider web with the six lines tied to the docks, but we were going to need these to keep us off the dock once the wind started to blow. There were only three other boats on the docks in the marina. Some of the available slips are reserved for the restaurant on site, and the others are for boat owners that keep their boats in the massive warehouse. Those owners call in advance to have their boats put in the water by a huge fork lift before they arrive. The docks are almost empty, there are no boaters coming and going. We will have a quiet few days.

Once we are tied, I head into the dockmaster's office to get the lay of the land. The people here are extremely nice, and the facilities are clean and welcoming. We ordered in pizza for dinner to make things easy. We had put almost 300 miles behind us in three days which, in the boating world, is a long way. We cozied in for the night and discussed our plans for the coming days.

The wind, as forecasted for a week prior, picked up and we twisted and turned in our slip the whole night. Actually, pretty much for the whole 4-5 days we were there. It was cold, rainy and windy. We couldn't find it in ourselves to complain though, this was the first junky weather we'd had on this whole adventure. It reminded us of a miserable week of weather in springtime back home, and it did not make us homesick.

We decided to rent a car so we could get some errands done and pick up some provisions. Gord had also decided that he would drive to Quebec to see a very important customer. He'd been trying to get a meeting set up for months, and when we were planning this trip, we knew travel to Quebec was probable for Gord.

Now that we had wheels, we looked for some nearby attractions. We saw the Cape Henry Lighthouse in Fort Story. It looked like a great day trip, so we loaded up and headed over. As we followed the directions on the GPS, we started to enter a military zone which threw us off and was a little unnerving. We hesitated for a moment and then approached the security building. We were asked to wind down all of our windows and to provide our ID. We asked if we were in the correct place to see the Cape Henry Lighthouse and they assured us we were.

We needed to pull through and head to the left to register. We were escorted to a small tent where my purse was searched and we were scanned for any metal devices. The service member provided us with a map of the grounds. She pointed out the areas we were permitted to walk and what areas were restricted. She also advised us of the things we could and could not take photos of. She let us know that if we did not adhere to these rules, we would be subject to a fine. As she filed our ID's into a small bin, she also advised us that if we did not return the map she had provided, we would be fined and our IDs would be confiscated. Alright then, off we go.

We hopped on the shuttle and headed out to the lighthouse. The area here is known as The First Landing. In April 1607, the first permanent English settlers landed here before moving on and settling into Jamestown. The lighthouse guided travelers for almost 100 years before the Cape Henry Lighthouse was built in 1881. To get to the lighthouse, you must enter the giftshop. We paid for our tickets and headed up the lovely stone staircase to the base of lighthouse. The wind was whipping and the ocean was roaring and crashing on shore. The marine website estimated the waves were 10 feet on the Virginia Beach shore. What a perfect day to visit a lighthouse on the coast.

It was cold though, and we all wished we had worn one more layer of clothes. As we entered the light house, the guide tells us the history of this particular site. There are a total of 191 steps to get to the top of Cape Henry. We didn't' hesitate to walk up the corkscrew like stairs. Around and around we went until we reached the top. The view was spectacular. Looking over the military grounds and watching the raging sea from this vantage point was incredible. We could see the boardwalk that we were permitted to walk on to lookout over the ocean near the beach. When we were finished gazing out at the top of the lighthouse, we made our way down the spiraling staircase and out into the howling wind. As we exited the door, the wind whipped my hair straight up, and it took Gord's hat off his head and into the top of a nearby tree. His brand new hat then blew out of the tree and into some thick bushes below. Recovery was not successful.

We walked out to the ocean lookout and learned some historical facts along the way. When we got to the end of the boardwalk, the wind was fierce and the sea was roaring with waves. There were some boats out in the ocean, and we watched the waves pound against their hulls and then watched as they disappeared behind the white spray that followed. We were all getting a little cold, so after watching the spectacular sight for a few minutes, we made our way beck to the gift shop so the kids could pick out a souvenir. Jaxon has been getting key chains at our significant stops and it's been really fun to see what he picks each time. Brooklyn picked a wooden flute like thing - we knew we were going to LOVE that! As soon as we piled into the car, Jaxon showed us his key chain and Brooklyn tooted that flute. Gord laughed, because tomorrow he will leave for Canada, and I'll be left with the pied piper.

The next morning, we headed out to the nearby Costco and Walmart to get some provisions. We needed to be back in the early afternoon so Gord could be on his way. Once we were back and unloaded, Gord double checked all the lines on the boat, packed his bag and left for Quebec. I spent the next few hours repacking and putting things away. Gord had a 12 hour road trip ahead of him and he filled the time with business call after call after call. At some point, he was notified by a light on the dash of the car, that he needed fuel. With one call after another, he lost track of time and didn't realize he was literally running on fumes. As the car lost power, he pulled over to the side of the road. He was completely out of gas. He was ten kilometers from the Canadian border and 1/2 a kilometer passed the last exit. Gord got out of the car and walked back to the exit. Fortunately, there was a construction site close by and they had a gas can they used for fuel for their generator. One of the men drove Gord back to the car on the side of the road and Gord used what gas was in the can to get to the nearest gas station. Gord had given his phone to the man to take a picture of him filling the car with the can to document how stupid he was. The man put Gord's phone on the car and returned to his vehicle to follow Gord to the gas station. It was when Gord was exiting at the next exit, he realized he had driven away but didn't have his phone. It was likely somewhere on the side of the road where he had run out of fuel.

When Gord got to the gas station, he filled the rental car and the jerry can and sent the kind man on his way. Gord hopped in the rental to go on the hunt for his, what I failed to mention before, almost brand new phone which may now be lost forever. It was quite the change of luck when he found his phone close to where he had run out of gas and only about two feet onto the highway, not quite in the tire tracks of the oncoming traffic. When he retrieved it, it seemed to be in working order, although the screen appeared to be smashed. After all of this, he crossed the border with ease and made it to his 3:00pm meeting on time. The meeting ran until 5:00pm at which time, Gord hopped in the rental car and turned around to make the 12 hour trek back to his family at the marina in Chesapeake, Virginia.

Meanwhile, back at Holy Cow, the weather was absolute junk. It is cold, rainy and windy. We learn that parts of the ICW are closed and that some bridges won't open in this wind, so boat traffic has all but come to a screeching halt. As promised, the winds have been blowing steady 40 knots (46 miles/74 kilometers) for days. On one of these days, the marina staff headed home early because the "wind tide" was flooding roads and people were concerned if they didn't head out early, they wouldn't get home. Holy Cow twisted and turned and rocked in the slip, but we were safe and sound - and warm! For the first time, we were able to find out if and how the heat worked on Holy Cow.

As Gord travelled, making his way back to us, we made the best of things. The kids busied themselves with throwing a bottle up and down huge pavement area to see if they could make it explode. They played corn hole and a spy game outside when it wasn't rainy - but it was ALWAYS windy. There was some school work catch up, reading and a movie or two. I worked and also made progress on some draft blogs that needed finishing.

There were people on the other boats, apparently, but we didn't see them. I thought they had all left and gone to a hotel. As it turns out, everyone had hunkered down in their boats waiting out the wind and hadn't left the marina at all. On one day, a fellow boater popped out onto the dock to say they had binge watched the entire last season of Ozark while tucked inside and had also enjoyed watching the kids play outside because they could see them from their windows.

The massive warehouse on the property is surrounded by a totally fenced in area. Because no one was walking around, with the exception of the employees of the marina, I was able to take the dogs off leash a few times a day. Brodie took full advantage of the free rein and bolted at the Canadian Geese and other birds bouncing around.

When Gord returned from his trip north, we learned that a fellow Canadian was close by. He too had purchased an Oceans Yacht, so we loaded up to go see the beauty he is taking back to Canada as well. We are running on completely different schedules, so this will be the only time we will see him south of the Canadian border.

It was our goal was to be off the dock the next morning in decent time. The wind had settled down as predicted and the boat traffic had picked up. Many had passed by Top Rack this particular afternoon. There were now complaints of congestion because so many vessels were on the move after having been held back due to the weather. In the morning, it took us forever to get off the dock. We filled up with fuel, pumped out, and filled the fresh water tanks but none of the hoses were long enough to fit when we stern in for fuel. It took so long to fuel up, that Gord left to return the rental car and I was still filling the boat with diesel when he returned. When he arrived, we untied, turned around, docked in a different finger and continued with the pump out and the fresh water fill. By the time we were off the dock, we felt like we had put in a full day's work.

Gord had an anchorage in mind for that evening. We were headed to Kiptopeke anchorage and it's a really cool spot. Stay tuned for the next post.

Voyage Log

Alligator Marina Gas Station to Top Rack Marina travel log here.