Monday morning and we returned south through all of those bridges and one lock to Chesapeake. It is a trip of 12 miles but with the bridges opening only on the hour or the half, it took 3.5 hours.

We do have a broken stabilizer and the part was ordered for it. This week dragged on because the wrong part was ordered, the next day the right part still didn’t come and when the right part came, the mechanic couldn’t get the old part off. When the work was completed, the mechanic still couldn’t get the stabilizer to work correctly and needed another part. It is Memorial weekend and no one is going to be back at work until Tuesday. What to do? The frustrating part is that we came in with both stabilizers working with one having an oil leak; we now have one not working at all!

There is a shopping center nearby and we have walked to it a lot over the last few days. There are also flocks of Canada geese here. Honking every morning!

We filled up with fuel at $4.20 a gallon. The next day the price was $4.50.

We have decided to leave for the Chesapeake and we will locate another Naiad service center. Kelley suggested that the broken part be ordered from California so that it would be here Tuesday when they all come back to work, but no one was interested in doing that. This is frustrating. I am glad we are going tomorrow.

Once we were tied up at the Waterside in Norfolk, I called Jack Skahen and left him a message. He called back instantly. There was a Beer Festival going on in the park near where we were and he and Jenny were there with friends. We agreed to meet after the festival was over, around 6, but, next thing we knew, there he was. It was so great to see him and hug him. What a great young man he is. It has been a pleasure to watch him grow up. A graduate of the Academy, the Navy and our country is lucky to have him.

Jack visited for a bit and then went back to the gathering. Kelley and I went for a quick walk and cleaned up the boat. Jack and Jenny showed up soon after 6. What a jewel she is. We shared a class of wine and then walked to their apartment.

They live right downtown and every place is within walking distance. We went to 456 Fish on Granby and had a delicious meal.

We met them the next morning for breakfast. We ate at Omar’s Carriage House. The places here are all so charming. Norfolk is user friendly!

Jack and Jenny then took us on a tour of the Norfolk Naval Base. It is huge. I can’t believe how many ships there are there and the support systems in place to keep them functional. It was a great afternoon. We know their parents are proud of those two. So are we. Jack has been Spencer’s best friend since pre-school and I taught him at Harbor Day School. Their families are great and I know that Jenny and Jack will create a strong and loving family.

Back at the boat we prepared to leave the next morning. Right on schedule it began pouring rain. Kelley and I ran into the shops nearby and got mongolian take out for dinner. It has been a great visit to Norfolk.