"ICW April 15, Virginia Cut to Norfolk 2002" Top 5 Page for this destination Norfolk Travelogue by grandmaR

We had to get from sm 49.5 to the Jordan Bridge at about sm 3.0 a total of 46.5 miles in 9.5 hours, which, even in a sailboat doing 5 mph isn't bad except that we had to go through 6 opening bridges with restrictive schedules, and one lock(ditto).

Trawler VENTURE waiting for opening

We got to the Great Bridge swing bridge at about noon, with a trawler named VENTURE ahead of us and a tug with a barge on the hip pretty far back under the fixed bridge. On the hip means that the tug was beside the barge rather than towing the barge or pushing the barge. I heard the bridge tender on the radio to him advising him that there was a semi-permanent barge on the dock next to the bridge, and that he might not have room in the channel with the barge on the hip like that.

Great Bridge Swing Bridge

I always get a kick out of the name Great Bridge Bridge. But the name of the town is Great Bridge, and there is a lock there with a bridge just south of it, so there is a Great Bridge Bridge and a Great Bridge Lock. I was afraid the barge would catch up, but he did not. If he had, we would have had to wait while he went through because there would not have been room for us in the lock.

Great Bridge Lockmaster's building

Went through the Great Bridge Bridge and into the Great Bridge Lock for the noon locking.

Bob on the deck handling lines

VENTURE was the only other boat in the lock with us. so we were able to be on the side of the lock with the permanent fenders. We put our own out anyway.

Steel Bridge

Now there were 3 bridges to get through before 3:30 pm. We went through Steel Bridge (bascule) by 12:44 after about 40 sm.

Venture waiting for the train

Got to the Gilmerton Bridge, which is a combination bridge - two bridges next to each other, one a RR bridge, one a highway bridge. VENTURE was waiting for us there, but just as Gilmerton highway bridge was ready to go up, the RR bridge came down. After the train, the bridge didn't go right up again, and it took some time for the traffic to clear off the highway bridge, as it was being held up by toll booths on the east side. After we both went through, the RR bridge went back down - maybe they were working on it as I didn't see any more trains.

Training ship

The Jordan Bridge is a lift bridge (the only highway lift bridge on the ICW, and we went through it about 1:45 pm, well in advance of the restrictions.

We passed the old training ship for stewards tied up and apparently abandoned by the Navy and then we tied up at Waterside by 2:10 after 48.9 sm. Our total nm trip since 1 January was 1555 nm. Also in the marina with us was BEDOUIN (which we saw at the Alligator River) WIND WALKER and ARCTURUS.

Next stop: Stingray Point