"2001 From Coinjock to Great Bridge the 1st time" Coinjock Travelogue by grandmaR

Bob pulled out the jib, and then the main (breaking a piece off the furler), and we sailed across Albemarle sound. Sailing makes him happy.

The front did come through, and Bob failed to take in the sails as we were going pretty fast. Then when we got across, it was hard to get them in because we didn't have enough leeway to turn into the wind.

It spit a little rain, but not much and there were some dark clouds, but the weather wasn't really too bad - none of the predicted thunderstorms. The wind was gusting up to 26 knots in the Albemarle Sound, but after we got across and into the upper reaches of the river it died down. I saw a (presumably) male osprey fly in and sit on top of a female osprey on top of a nest.

We got to Coinjock and tied up at the marina in front of SEA BONDS by about 12:30 after 36.4 miles at 6.4 mph. We had lunch at the restaurant with Judy and George from SEA BONDS.

The Coinjock marina was painting the ladies shower/bathroom, so none of us ladies could take a shower. Also if someone is taking a shower, no one else can use the bathroom.

Coinjock Marina 2004

That night we had dinner at the restaurant - I had the 32 oz. prime rib which is their signature dish. It was very good and I had plenty to take back to the boat for future lunches.

The Coinjock Marina gave us a fly swatter as a gift - a good heavy duty one. I was pleased with that.

While I was sitting at the desk they supply cruisers quietly doing email in the corner behind some racks, I overheard the owner talking about another marina (don't know which one but it probably, based on the fact that no one was staying there, it was the one opposite Coinjock (Harrison's?) - the 2nd one on the west going south) which was closing and he wasn't going to sell fuel anymore. I don't know the reason.

This same guy was also talking about being busted for selling cigarettes to an underage undercover state cop recruit - a woman described by the owner as "the little *** with big ***", who was taller than some mutual male acquaintance of the person he was talking to. He thought it was entrapment. I find that other men are sometimes of the same opinion. I think if they weren't doing anything wrong, they wouldn't be entrapped.

Power boats on the other side of the lock

We left about 7. Bob decided to have me drive, and he would push the bow out and then have me drive out into the channel while he cast off the stern lines. That way we'd just go out around the power boat ahead. SEA BONDS started his motor, and cast off before us, so the first glitch was that he was out in the channel where we were going. The second glitch was that Bob didn't need to push the bow out because the current pushed it away from the pier without him doing anything. So I yelled at him not to push it, and he yelled at me not to hit SEA BONDS.

In the Great Bridge Lock

Coinjock gave us a piece of paper with the mileage to the various bridges. The North Landing bridge was less than the 30 miles that the paper said. If we'd known the true distance we could have adjusted our speed and made an opening a half hour earlier.

The Centerville Turnpike Bridge was supposed to be 5 miles farther on, but was less than 4 on the GPS which I adjust to read in statute miles while we are on the ICW. Same problem. If we are going 5 mph, we make the opening in an hour. If we know it is only 3 miles, we can do 6 mph and make the half an hour opening.

Us behind CADENZA in the lock

The Great Bridge Lock and the Great Bridge Bridge coordinate the openings. The bridge only opens on the hour, but the lock does two lockings an hour - one southbound to coincide with the bridge opening, and one northbound after the bridge opening. This makes sense, but most guides only address southbound, and assume (wrongly in our case) that if you are coming north that you will have already done the southbound trip and will know the drill. There are free piers south of the bridge for boats to tie up to.

Leaving the Great Bridge Lock

There were 3 of us sailboats, a catamaran called CADENZA, us and SEA BONDS, who had caught up with us at the bridge (George of SEA BONDS said - the tortoise catches the hare to Bob and laughed). I wasn't quite able to see how the lock could just open once an hour and still do both south and northbound vessels.

The way it actually worked was that the bridge called the lock and told them what was coming north, and the lock told him who was coming south. When all the southbound vessels got there, the bridge opened. Then the northbound vessels went directly into the lock. CADENZA was in front, and then us and then SEA BONDS. All the various power boats were on the port side. The port side is the only side with fenders built in. This lock only goes up about 2-3 feet (less than the Dismal Swamp) though so the fenders weren't stressed that much. This is also a much longer lock than we have in the Dismal Swamp. The last 4 pictures in this travelogue are of the Great Bridge Lock.

Looking up the tower of a Lift Bridge in Norfolk

More pictures of the Great Bridge Lock from the 2002 visit under Great Bridge, Virginia

Next - Norfolk