Hampton Pier

10-19 Hampton Pier

I had called yesterday to make a dock reservation a Hampton Public Pier. They could only guarantee one night. We wake up to a very foggy morning. Temperatures are in the low 40’s, but makes for some interesting pictures. 

 

Manana in the Mist

Sarah's Creek in the morning

I get to meet friends of Donna and Ken who have they same Catalina 350 that they have. Last summer when Ken and Donna was in Vermont I gave them our old helmsmen seat which we don’t use, to find someone who could use it. Well, this is the couple that now have our old seat and are quite happy with it and wanted to thank us. I thanked them for helping to empty out our attic, where it has been for the last 8 years. Ken had to do some modifications for them to make it fit.

The fog starts to lift and we push away from the dock and head out from Sarah’s Creek on to the York River. 


 

Leaving our dock

 

Heading down Sarah's Creek

Much calmer than when we came up the River a couple days ago. Luckily we are riding the current down the York River out to the Chesapeake. Looking at the AIS broadcasting ships on our iPad app, I notice two ships behind us “Government vessel” and a tug boat. I turn around and see War Ship “80” a mile or two behind us just going through the Coleman Memorial Bridge spanning the York River to Yorktown. This bridge with a closed center height of 70 feet is the only double span swing bridge in the USA. We quickly move to the south side of the channel they will be passing through. 
 

Coleman Memorial Bridge, opening for Warship "80"

Coleman Memorial Bridge, double spans swinging back to close

Coleman Memorial Bridge closed

 

Warship "80" gaining on us

 
As number “80” passes us to the north Linda asks why our VHF radio is on channel 83. I then notice that I had forgot to turn the volume backup from the other day. I change to channel 16 and immediately get called by name “Manana” from the escort tug boat. I then realized they had tried calling me on DSC, on the VHF radio which is like “direct dial” or “ring”, calling “Manana” directly. With the volume down I did not notice. They also politely inform me I should be on channel 13 in this harbor.

 

Warship "80" "giving" us a port side pass

We have a calm morning of motoring down to Hampton. As we start up the channel to the Hampton Public Pier, we pass “Purdy Suite” a Catalina 42 from Lake Champlain Yacht Club, heading south. This is the first that we have seen them up close. I saw them the last few days on AIS out on the Chesapeake. A minute later we get a call “Manana”, on the VHF radio, from the Hampton Public Pier, obviously they track AIS targets of boats with reservations and call them as they head up the channel.

Manana from top of parking garage

We pull into slip #4, not very gracefully, but with lots of help no damage is done. On the dock we get chatting with David, who I did not initially realize is Janice Roehr’s husband, “Obsession”, who I have been “corresponding” with on an ICW Facebook page. They had met up with “Purdy Suite”, both Catalina 42's and are currently traveling together. I still have not actually seen Janice.

People noticing we are Vermonter’s ask if we are here for the “Phish” concert. We had no idea they are at the Hampton Colosseum for three nights. We walk round the corner to Enterprise Rental Car, to see if we can get lucky and get a car without a reservation. As luck has it they have a return sitting out front that just became available. We plan on going to the Newport News Mariners Museum tomorrow.

Our new wind gauge