Day 353 - 354 June 8 - 9, 2023

 Day 353 Thursday, June 8, 2023

Portsmouth, Virginia

More work on the battery system today.  We had been told that the starting battery was the port side one.  After a bit of testing and replacing some bad connections it was confirmed that the starting battery is actually the starboard battery!  So, our old battery was put back and the new one installed.   Yeah, problem solved.  Mike and his staff were very knowledgeable and professional.  Techs were thorough and consulted with Mike to make sure they considered everything in their diagnosis.

All of the diagnosis work also revealed a potential fire hazard!  Tracing wires the technician found that the "fuse" for the bow thruster was actually a piece of copper metal stretched across.  There was also some black, char-like marks on the boat hull.  We now have a new 400 amp fuse and actual fuse holder in place.   We are so glad they found it! There have been a lot of short cuts we've found on the boat.....

We were able to extend our stay due to weather (of course) until Monday.  With our repairs done it was time to think about dinner.  We took Mike's suggestion and Ubered to dinner at Pizza and Pour.  Lots of beers to choose from and Detroit style gourmet pizza that was delicious.  It took forever to get an Uber but everyone at the marina cautioned us not to walk...

 

We sat at the bar and took the advice of the gentleman next to us -- get the meatball appetizer.  They were tender and tasty.  The Dinwiddie pizza had pepperoni, ricotta, cheese, red sauce and basil.  We ate half the meatballs as well as half our pizza and were full.  Guaranteed leftovers for dinner.

Tomorrow we are going to check out Harborfest in Norfolk.

Day 354 Friday, June 9, 2023

After checking the weather we decided to leave on Saturday instead of Monday.  We paid our bill and got ready to order another Uber.  Jerry mentioned our difficulty getting an Uber yesterday and Mike, the marina owner, offered to drive us to the ferry!  They are so friendly and helpful.  

  Warships in the harbor, escorted by tows.

Harborfest is an annual event in Norfolk that celebrates the harbor and boating.  Vendors and food stands as well as music and demonstrations are all part of the festivities.  We wanted to get there in time for the opening boat parade -- tall ships are escorted by boats from the local yacht clubs as well as other boats of interest.  The Tall Ships would be open for tours.  

Fire boats welcome the incoming ships 

 

 

 

After the parade and some lunch we headed to Nauticus Museum and Battleship Wisconsin.  Very interesting.  We wished we had more time on the battleship.  The Wisconsin was actually decommissioned twice and brought back into service.  

   

The deck of Battleship Wisconsin are covered with teak, protecting the the deck underneath and actually keeping the ship cool.

 Chapel in the warship.

 

Battleship tea set.

 

Live munition was removed from its victim.

After the museum and Battleship Wisconsin we toured the ships and watched as a tour ship was maneuvered by tug boats to get out of the harbor.  

     

Carnival  Cruise 

 

We listened to a live band and enjoyed people watching while we ate.  We were excited to see the drone show that was planned.   We found a good spot to watch the show and settled in to wait.  We didn't need to wait long -- it was announced that the show was postponed until Saturday due to technical difficulty.  The drone show would be right before the fireworks.  Unfortunately we planned to leave the next day so we would miss them both. 

We joined the rush of people headed back to the water taxi for the ride back across the channel.   The line was so long we were sure we would have to wait until the next one.  We were among the last to get on.  The 3 young, handsome Coast Guard in line behind us didn't make the cut and assured us saying "Miss you already"!  Once on the opposite shore we got an Uber and headed back to the boat.  We had a full day so we were pretty tired.

Tomorrow we head to Deltaville, Virginia.  No more mile markers since we won't be in the Intracoastal Waterway any longer.  We are headed to Chesapeake Bay.