Tuesday, December 6, 1994 - Great Bridge, VA

Heavy fog was forecast for this morning, but in Little Creek where we were, the sky was perfectly clear, so we cast off. As soon as we exited the harbor, however, there was the fog, and it kept getting thicker. At times, we could scarcely see 100 feet. If the radar hadn't been functioning, we'd have dropped anchor and waited for the fog to lift, but with the radar, we were able to reach the Elizabeth River. It was pretty nerve-wracking even so. I'd go up to the bow and try to see buoys while Roy steered towards them. When it was my turn at the wheel, I realized we'd been following the wrong line of buoys and were half a mile off course, so I turned due east and found the right channel markers. After that, it was relatively easy. The fog began lifting, and by ten o'clock, we could see where we were.
This turned out to be an "It's a Small World" type of day. We passed a small sailboat that was being single-handed. Later, the boat caught up with us while we were waiting for a bridge to open. The guy on it struck up a conversation. He said he'd seen us before, perhaps on the west coast of Mexico at Puerto Madero, or maybe in Maine. He was from Los Angeles and had left there two or three years ago. During the summer, he had worked in Maine. We didn't remember him, but Roy remembered the name of his boat, "Sea Aura". He even recalled that Roy had invented the Royaks.
When we reached the Great Bridge Lock, one of the lock attendants came over and said something about the Royaks. Turned out he was a friend of Roy's from way back. They hadn't seen each other since 1976. His name is Chuck Haywood, and he's a very enthusiastic fan of Royaks. He had two of them, and they were both stolen. He's been trying ever since to get another one, but didn't know where to buy one. Roy gave him a brochure, so maybe he'll contact Steve and order one. Chuck is the guy who gave Roy the board with all the fancy knots on it. Roy invited him on the boat and showed him that the knot board was still hanging on the wall.
After we got through the bridge, we tied up at the fuel dock and filled the tank and five jerry cans. Then we crossed the channel and tied to the free dock for the night. Walked over to Farm Fresh and bought some groceries. After we'd taken them back to the boat and relaxed for a while, we walked to the Chinese restaurant and ate a buffet supper.