Sailing to the Rappahannock and Corrotoman Rivers VA USA

The Onancock anchorage

The morning of Thursday 24 May was totally windless at Onancock and the anchorage was like a mirror. It was beautiful sight to wake up to in the morning and it almost felt like a crime to break the mirrorlike surface. But break the mirror we did as we took the dinghy ashore to meet up with the others for an excellent breakfast at the café in what had been the town’s General Store.

Heading out through the Onancock Channel

Delightful as it was, we had couldn’t stay all day because we needed to head back across Chesapeake Bay towards the Rappahannock River.

Dragon Run

The forecast was for very light winds and so we were very pleasantly surprised when we cleared the channel and found 8-10 knots of wind in the bay. We were heading the same way as Dragon Run and the sail in company provided a great opportunity to get some photographs. Messing about in close formation we managed to get some worthwhile shots from most angles.

The Rappahannock River Bridge ahead

However, once we got into the Rappahannock River the wind died away. Progress was further reduced by the current and so we motored for the rest of the passage. The Rappahannock River Bridge or, more accurately, the Robert O. Norris Jr Bridge spans the river between Lancaster and Middlesex counties [Ed: Sound familiar?].

The bridge was opened in 1957 to replace the steamship service and today more than 8,000 vehicles cross it each day. We were more interested in whether or not we could pass safely underneath the bridge. As we approached, despite the 110ft/34metre vertical height at the centre span, it still looked tight as we looked up the mast. Previously, I had done some calculations in case we needed to travel up the Intra-Coastal Waterway (ICW). The ICW has some fixed bridges with a 65ft clearance and, by my calculations we have a 63ft air draft (distance from the top of the instruments on the top of the mast to the waterline). So, the ICW is a possible routing for us, but if this bridge across the Rappahannock felt tight, a 2ft clearance above the mast would be very stressful to watch. Perhaps we should get the tape measure out and double check my calculations!

Corrotoman River

Once under the bridge we turned right into the Corrotoman River for the last part of our journey. This is wider than the Onancock River but we saw some equally impressive mansions lining the waterfront.

Following Dragon Run, we crept slowly into the bay where they have their dock. Positioning to reverse into their slings mooring position was made a lot trickier by the slalom course of crab pot markers laid out across their mooring area by a local fisherman. It was neatly done though, and with Dragon Run secure we were given a green light to position Blue Velvet on the end of the dock.

Blue Velvet’s home for a few days, moored on Bill and Lydia’s dock

With the boats moored securely to the dock, Nicky and Lydia took a trip out to the supermarket to get the makings for dinner whilst Bill and I tinkered with the yachts to put them to bed. In our case that meant starting to shut down everything on board so that we could leave BV to travel to Washington DC.

Nicky and Lydia returned from their brief shopping trip which prompted the start of a lovely evening with Bill and Lydia in their beautiful home. Great company, great food and all in fabulous surroundings.

For the next stage in our travels, Bill and Lydia will be keeping an eye on BV for us whilst we visit Phil and Lesley in Great Falls near Washington DC. Phil was our best man at our wedding and we haven’t seen Phil or Lesley since they moved to the USA 10 years ago. That’s far too long and so we are really glad that it’s all come together so that we can meet up. We are, of course, indebted to Bill and Lydia for their part in the plan.

Corrotoman River, VA, USA