22 May - Day #80. Norfolk is 50nm north of us. First though we'll have to get through three bridges (and their respective bridge tenders) and a lock at Great Bridge, VA. This part of the ICW is like river cruising. Dead cypress stumps litter the shore line. The trees are so thick you can't see 50' into the forest. We transit the bridges and the lock without a problem. The commercial boat traffic really picks up as we approach Norfolk, but everyone is surprisingly well behaved. The number of Navy ships in Norfolk never ceases to impress--saw at least four aircraft carriers. Before heading up the Chesapeake we take on 93 gallons of diesel (for this leg Nellie burned 1.8 gph at 1850 rpm). The winds are from the SE as we head up the Chesapeake. We surf down the faces of the little rollers and at one point see out speed jump to 9.7kts (vs. 7kts ordinarily). The sun sets on us as we approach Gwynn's Island. At anchor in Gwynn's Island. 101nm today: 2607nm total. DBH
