Portsmouth to Deltaville Marina, Deltaville, VA (docked)
June 18, 2022
While John was getting Lailia ready to push off, I was able to bird watch on the docks. There’s a flock of mallards who eat the stuff growing on the pilings and floating docks here. I also saw my first juvenile night heron – night herons are all over our home dock where they hunt every night, but I have never seen a juvenile one.
The Portsmouth/Norfolk area is really busy with really big ships. We passed numerous cargo ships and a cruise ship. Most of the cargo ships have tugboats meeting them to help them navigate the area. To me, it feels like being on a scooter passing by tractor-trailers.
It’s no secret that I admire Snow White and her ability to call animals. Today I had a dragon fly land on my outstretched hand and stay for a while. I am ready to sing and have more animals come to me!
We managed to get our headsail up for a bit today. We’re looking for just a little bit more wind so we can get some speed when we sail.
Deltaville has a many, many boatyards and marinas. We chose a marina on the southern part of Deltaville that had a courtesy vehicle we could use to get us to a hardware store and a grocery store. The hardware store did not have the t-connector we need but it was good to get some more groceries. Having a vehicle means that we don’t have to think about the weight of our groceries; when we have to walk or take public transportation, weight and bulk of what we buy are factors to consider.
There’s a nice trail from the marina to the Deltaville Maritime Museum and Holly Point Nature Park. The museum was closed when I got there but there was a lot to see in the park including a displays on oyster farming and Chesapeake “buy” boats. The grounds of the museum were lushly landscaped, too.
While we were waiting for our laundry, I walked the trail again and was rewarded by seeing a herd of deer, including a buck with velvet covered antlers. His antlers will continue to grow; when the antlers are fully grown, the velvet will dry up and the antlers will harden. (Yep, another Snow White moment – two in a day!).
Tomorrow we will head further north and dock up in the Potomac River.
Life on Lailia 