Great Loop: On the Road Again! Bennett’s Creek

Days 104-108: May 1-5, 2023

After our jaunt back to Seattle, we’re back to the boat and ready to continue the loop! The original plan was to do a short road trip to Philly, Baltimore, Hershey, etc. However, the crew decided it was time to get back to the boats. Tonia and I flew back to Dulles as it made the flights a whole lot cheaper doing a round trip. On the drive back we stopped at a rest stop that was decked out with the Virginia Is For Lovers signs, the state slogan. Tonia also saw a Fredericksburg sign reminding her of family in Iowa.

Marker 12 Great Bridge Pop-Up Happy Hour

We returned to find our boat in a covered slip, which explained why it wasn’t online when we were gone – Starlink doesn’t like a roof! While we were waiting for the Hodaks to get back, we provisioned before returning the rental car and then joined other Loopers at the Atlantic Yacht Basin for a pop-up happy hour. We had a great time chatting with some former Loopers from Catsaway (notice their onboard pup). Another former Looper caught us in one of their pics too! *The last photo is from the Great Bridge of a covert-looking military vessel.

Waiting, Waiting, Waiting

The time arrived to fire up the boats and start heading north. The first stop for the day was the Great Bridge Lock. The lock had been on a reduced schedule because of an electrical issue. That made the 10 am locking pretty packed, which also means lots of impatient boaters. We learned when we got to the locks that railway bridge 7, which had a clearance of only 7 feet, was broken as well. All the boats rushed out of the locks and up a few miles to find themselves stuck before the bridge. Some turned around; Saga anchored and we rafted to them to wait it out. After an hour Boris dinghied over to get the first-hand update. The controller for the lift was out and would be repaired within the hour. Overall, we had a nice relaxing couple hours.

Cruise by Norfolk

The trip up past Norfolk takes you by many shipyards. It was fun to see the big ships and the variety of machinery needed to build and maintain them.

Bennett’s Creek

Once safely at a slip at the Bennett’s Creek Marina and rejoined with Steve on Coda, we decided to hang out an extra day. That allowed a necessary grocery store run and a couple actual morning jogs. It also gave us time to get out the kayaks and putt around the creek. The marina had a nice restaurant that was celebrating Cinco de Mayo and we had to join in and sip a few drinks.