Waiting to leave

Well, we are now in Portsmouth, just across the river from Norfolk, Virginia. We are here to pick up our two crew members, Yan and Karla, send Gesa and the kids off to the airport and on to California then sail Ty Dewi south to the Virgin Islands, a 10-14 day trip.

Right now, the weather is grim, it's going to rain for three days, blow a hoolie (technical yachting term) and generally make us happier to be in harbour. Especially as we are alongside a dock, for free, with cafes and other useful stores around.

It looks as if this weather will pass and let us leave at first light on Sunday, then give us a week of good winds and weather to speed us on our way, so it's worth the wait.

Meanwhile we have had fun exploring the area. Norfolk is the largest navel base in the world, full of enormous warships, and the USS Wisconsin is now a museum, the largest battleship the US ever built. Capable of hurling a 900kg shell some twenty one miles, this was a fearsome ship. It is part of a superb maritime museum called Nauticus, and the day we went we spent so long in the exhibits we didn't even get to the battleship. Thankfully the ship itself is free to visit so we'll try to go back.

Norfolk is also a town full of mermaids - sculptures of these lovely folk decorate many spaces around town as a type of public art. Issie loved it. Here in Portsmouth is yet another children's museum, which the kids have visited today. So we're not short of activities.

Anyway, it's time to head back aboard for dinner and get the kids to bed, so I'll keep everyone informed on our expected departure.