Hello from Virginia Beach

[Scofvb]

What a great resource! I'm an old codger who learned to sail at Annapolis in 1965, sailed rentals at Naval bases off and on during my career. My offspring got the fever and organized three BVI cruises over the years. We're going again next June on a 44' cat that sleeps ten (hope that's true, as there are ten of us going--incluing four children under 12 )

My son is also a USNA grad and a USMC Lieutenant Colonel who yearns to sail. He recently bought an old clunker (27' sleep aboard something-or-other). He'll be transferred from Jacksonville, NC (Camp Le Jeune) to Quantico (USMC Heaven) in Virginia next summer and wants me to help him sail his boat up there. I'm hoping to get some advice from you old (just a figure of speech!) salts on the ICW, marinas along the way, advisability of an open-ocean track instead, etc.

[Mr Mac]

Welcome from Missouri! Thanks to you both for your service from a retired Airman!

Mac

[ohdrinkboy]

Welcome to the board. Lots of good sailing on the bay. Stick to the west side of the Ches. Bay and you can try york river yacht haven, horn harbor, mobjack bay, deltaville. Lots of great day trips to hop up the bay.

[Khagan1227]

Welcome to CF!

Should be an intresting trip north, you'll have a couple of different routes, but if neither of you are experienced sailors, you might want to stick to the ICW.

On the other hand if your sea goin' bellhop son is looking for some adventure... off shore might be interesting and fun.

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Scofvb.

[Ti' Punch]

Welcome aboard Scofvb. We bought our boat in New Bern, NC and brought her home to Virginia Beach in December of 2007. The trip took about 2 1/2 days and was very easy. Day one was New Bern to Belhaven. Day 2 was Belhaven to Coinjock, and the last half day was Coinjock to home. We stopped at dusk each day because the channel markers are far apart on some stretches and the water is shallow outside the channel. Being December, the days were short and cold, but overall the trip was enjoyable. I'd say that with your experience, you wouldn't have any trouble at all on the ICW. I've never done the trip on the outside, so maybe somebody else will weigh in on that.

[Waterway Guide]

Welcome aboard!

[scof25]

Mr MAC, KHagan, and Ti' Punch, et alii,

Thanks for the great posts and encouragement. Particularly got a kick out of the Bell Hop comment!

Scof25

[Khagan1227]

@scof, couldn't help it, 20 years as a mop jockey engrained my love of the Marines.

[oldragbaggers]

Welcome to the board, and thanks to you and your son for your service. I can't advise you on routes or places to stay, as we sail in the northern Bay, but I will wish you and your son a wonderful voyage.

[SkiprJohn]

Aloha and welcome aboard!
Yes on the Naval Station marinas and sailing clubs. Really enjoyed them when I was living close. Thanks for your service.
In the mid 70s I got to sail aboard the old wood Luders 44 yawls that the Coronado Sailing Club inherited from the Naval Academy. Do you remember those?
kind regards,

[Scofvb]

JohhL,
We were trained on the Luder yawls at Navy, but I just looked up some history. They started replacing the wooden ones with fiberglass models in 1963, two years before I arrived. If I sailed in any, it was probably a fiberglass one. We sailed with our dates in the "knock-abouts", day sailers which any of us who had qualified could check out. The yawls were for the high-falutin' sailing team ;o) I never got to sail any in San Diego. When I was there, the sailing center was 'up river' from a bridge. I could barely get under it in a dingy. Don't know where they berthed the yawls. In my early years as an Ensign, USN, with no children and nurse wife who had to work weekends, I spent many a beautiful Saturday sailing the dingy's in Long Beach harbor, though. Thanks for reviving all the wonderful memories.

[rabbidoninoz]

Dear Scofvb,

One more echo of the welcome to CF and thanks for your (and your son's) service from another military retiree (14 yrs USN, 12 yrs USAF), in my case now living in the Land of Oz.

About your pending cruise up the AICW I can't help, but your post - and the replies so far - made me a bit nostalgic for the days when, a lifetime and a half ago, as an SN right out of Boot Camp and stationed at Ft Meade, I occasionally sailed out of Naval Station Annapolis. Later in my career, it was the rental fleet at NAS P'cola that got me out on the water from time to time.

Nu, welcome and hope you enjoy the fellowship and the collective wisdom here!

Don
Chaplain, Major, USAF, Retired

[westsail374]

Welcome, Scofvb-

Enjoy yourself and the new friends you make here. Take their advice with a grain of salt - and their stories with a bit more than a grain!

Smooth sailing

Bill