It’s Wednesday afternoon and we are motoring along on our way toward Norfolk, our destination for the day. Last night we were in a little harbor/cove, our first in VA on this trip.
The harbor was barely big enough for us and the two catamarans that were anchored with us. Both were larger than Pandora, one 44’ and the other 47’ and I was happy to have passed each of them as I sailed down the bay.
Our spot for the night, Ashley’s Cove, was very well protected with a really tight entrance. There was barely enough water for us to make it in but then it opened up into a nice little peaceful spot. Holding was good in soft mud. Ashley’s is off of Fleet Bay just north of the Rappahannock River in VA. Try saying Rappahannock three times fast. Rapp….
This is a shot of the area surrounding Ashley’s Cove. The number of small harbors available in the Chesapeake is quite amazing. No wonder that waterfront property is less expensive than in the NE. 
This is a closeup of the cove. You can see how small it is. To look at it on the chart did make me wonder if I would be able to make it in. However, the guide book said. “Go for it Bob! You can do it.” So I did it.
The cove was surrounded by some very pretty homes, each more impressive than the last. I particularly liked this one with a steel roof on the barn. 
This one had an interesting structure on the cabana. I am not sure if it was a wind generator or a kinetic sculpture. I have seen generators that look like this. And, what an amazing use of windows. I’ll bet the local window store was thrilled to get this order. 
How about this palatial spot? Pretty amazing. And, I’ll bet that this is only used on weekends. 
I mentioned in yesterday’s post that we saw our first pelicans of the trip. This photo was taken way off so it’s not to crisp. However, behold, a (fuzzy) pelican. 
So, as we continue along under power, we are making nearly 8kts with the tide. That’s good. We should be at anchor in time for cocktails. That’s double good.
Our plan will be to stay in the Hampton/Norfolk area through the weekend and then begin to make our way down the ICW, Dismal Swamp Canal and on to Beaufort NC. That part of the “ditch” was our favorite and we are looking forward to doing it again.