I sat at the laundry room at Tidewater Marina, doing last minute laundry and grabbing a shower. And writing a journal entry on my phone. I was enjoying last bits of civilization. The next day, I’d return the laundry room key, which always seemed a bit symbolic, and continue my way down south.
I’ve been having too much fun in Norfolk and Portsmouth. The hospitality from my Hampton roads friends give me, I do not deserve. It makes me want to stay here a lot longer. Stay here long enough to be a part of the city. Yet this feeling is tugging at my coat tails — I need to eventually get to the Bahamas. I need to get out of here before I get any more comfortable.
I met Ed and Aimee about four or five years ago in this exact place. I had gotten in touch with him over the internet when I was asking questions for my virst cruise to Portsmouth. We had spent a little bit of time on his beautiful Tartan. Ever since then, at every cruise that involved a stop there, he was there to save my ass. The two most important things in this stop– fuel and propane– all solved in a day. And that isn’t all. The super fun rides all over the river, complete with tid bits of guided sightseeing that rival what I do for my paying guests in the Potomac, and super fun company. It is always there whenever I visit Norfolk. In recent years since I’d become a professional mariner myself, he has even taken on a but of a mentor role as well. I am so indebted to him that I am not sure if I can ever pay it back. Thanks for being there for me Ed. And inspiring me in so many ways. M y other friends also extended a helping hand. Jim, Jon, Ben and Christina. Everyone asked if I needed anything and everyone made time to see me. And it was really great seeing everyone.
Back in high school, I was one of the few Asians at the school, though most of the Asians happened to be also Korean. One of my classmates was a thin, tall and gentle underclassman named Danny. I hadn’t talked to him in over a decade, but on a prior visit, I found out he had joined the Navy and was stationed in Norfolk. He always makes it a point to make time to see me while I am there, even if it is brief. Earlier today, Danny gave me a tour of his ship– a state of the art Aleigh-Burke class destroyer. It was such a treat for me, as I’m a huge nerd when it comes to naval technology. Ed came with us too. We snooped around the busy, crowded ship. I stared slack jawed at the weaponry and sensors. Ed loved seeing the boatswain stuff on the boat — the things that moved and controlled the boat. Ed works every day around these ships, driving the navy tugs. I hope it was as cool of an experience for him as it was for me.
We also spent some time seeing the work boats that Ed used at the Navy base. The work boat that his company owns is the Aimee Marie. She’s a former navy tug from the fifties, well maintained and still strong. What a history that boat has, and all the charms imbued in that history. I hope one day I can get a ride on that boat!
It’s no mystery that there’s a baseline anxiety at work, holding me to this place and telling me not to go. Because this place makes me feel like home. There is even a wonderful Salsa dance scene here.* But I’ll be finally leaving familiar waters. And when I do, it’ll be the furthest South I’ll have been in my own boat. Even though this is supposed to be the easy part of the trip, I can’t help feel a bit of apprehensiveness of leaving this place. And I can finally stop being a burden on my friends.
I’m really looking forward to the next portion of the trip. I’ll be taking the Intracoastal Waterway** out to Beufort. This portion of the trip is extremely charming. The word I would use to describe some of the sights is ‘enchanted.’
I am supposed to meet a guy named Dallace in Beaufort. I found him through a Sailing chat room, and he plans on joining me and heading as far South as his schedule allows. I’m really looking forward to having him aboard. I’ve never had crewmembers for a long trip like this. After all, the biggest thing I was looking forward to on this trip is the offshore legs, which would be really difficult to do by myself.
*I used to be a huge Salsa nut, dancing at least three nights of the week
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** The intracoastal waterway is a 3000 mile long waterway that extends from Massachusetts to the gulf coast of Texas. Parts of it are man-made, and other parts of it are natural bodies of water. The Chesapeake Bay itself is a part of it.