Lower Chesapeake Bay advice needed

[OrientalNCSailor]

Hi all,

I just bought a Catalina 320 in Deale, MD I'm sailing down to my home port in Oriental, NC. I'm getting a friend to help me get the boat from Herrington Bay to Norfolk. Switching crews in Norfolk, and from there, of course, we'll take ICW/Virginia Cut. Just 2 questions for those of you who know those lower Chesapeake waters:
1. Is it realistic we can sail straight through to Norfolk in about 21 hours? That C-320 seems to do 5.5 - 6kts under power. I plan on keeping that pace.
2. Once we get to Norfolk, where's the best place to pick up a transient slip for a night before we head S into the ICW?

Thanks for any advice on this.

 

[dlochner]

If the weather is with you, 21 hours sounds about right. The times I've done that route I've taken 3 days of about 8 hours each including the time to go into an anchorage.

There are 2 marinas at Mile 0 in Norfolk, Waterside on the east side of the river and Tidewater. I've stayed at Waterside a couple of times. It's a fairly new marina with nice docks located within walking distance of downtown. I've not stayed at Tidewater. Tidewater should have a pump out and diesel. Waterside, has a pump out, but it is difficult to access. Maneuvering in Waterside is tight.

Use Dockwa.com to reserve and pay for a slip at both locations and to search for other nearby marinas. If you are a Prime Rib fan, stop at Coinjock marina, call ahead to reserve a spot and to order dinner.

 

[rgranger]

I haven’t done the cut through from the Chesapeake to the Albemarle, but I’ve sailed extensively in both waters and as far south as Oriental.

Good overnight options:
Kilmarnock has a very nice marina with fuel, pool, bathhouse, and a courtesy car to a nearby grocery store. I’ve also anchored behind the sunken battleships at Kiptopeke, with easy dinghy access to the state park.

In the Albemarle, I’ve stayed at:
• Edenton – Very comfortable and close to restaurants, though it adds some time to the trip.
• Columbia, NC (city dock) – Free dockage and bathhouse with laundry, right downtown. Slightly out of the way, but one of my favorites: nature preserve, shops, and diners.
• Alligator River Marina – Convenient if you want to minimize travel time, but there’s nothing to do. Lots of road noise and bugs. The gas station burgers are good, though.
Heading south, I like to stop in Manteo to do the tourist thing. They have a nice marina, though I’ve only visited during the day. I then anchor at Stumpy Point before an early run to Ocracoke, which I love and usually spend a few days in.

From there it’s on to Oriental. (I’ve also anchored many times in the South River near Oriental, though that likely wouldn’t make sense since you’d be close to home.)

If you stay in the Alligator River heading south, you’ll come out of the ICW near Dowry Creek Marina. I haven’t stayed there, but the reviews look good. I’ve also had pleasant nights anchored in coves near Swan Quarter.

Disclaimer: I sail a swing‑keel boat, so skinny water doesn’t concern me.

 

[dlochner]

• Alligator River Marina – Convenient if you want to minimize travel time, but there’s nothing to do. Lots of road noise and bugs. The gas station burgers are good, though.

The Alligator River Bridge is being replaced, last I heard the Marina is the staging ground for the construction.

Check with WaterwayGuide.com for updated information.

 

[OrientalNCSailor]

Thanks for the reply. If we can't get to Norfolk in one shot, we'll stop and check out Kilmarnock. Yes, all the places you mentioned in NC, I've sailed to. South River is right across the Neuse from Broad Creek where I'm keeping the boat.

I haven’t done the cut through from the Chesapeake to the Albemarle, but I’ve sailed extensively in both waters and as far south as Oriental.

Good overnight options:
Kilmarnock has a very nice marina with fuel, pool, bathhouse, and a courtesy car to a nearby grocery store. I’ve also anchored behind the sunken battleships at Kiptopeke, with easy dinghy access to the state park.

In the Albemarle, I’ve stayed at:
• Edenton – Very comfortable and close to restaurants, though it adds some time to the trip.
• Columbia, NC (city dock) – Free dockage and bathhouse with laundry, right downtown. Slightly out of the way, but one of my favorites: nature preserve, shops, and diners.
• Alligator River Marina – Convenient if you want to minimize travel time, but there’s nothing to do. Lots of road noise and bugs. The gas station burgers are good, though.
Heading south, I like to stop in Manteo to do the tourist thing. They have a nice marina, though I’ve only visited during the day. I then anchor at Stumpy Point before an early run to Ocracoke, which I love and usually spend a few days in.

From there it’s on to Oriental. (I’ve also anchored many times in the South River near Oriental, though that likely wouldn’t make sense since you’d be close to home.)

If you stay in the Alligator River heading south, you’ll come out of the ICW near Dowry Creek Marina. I haven’t stayed there, but the reviews look good. I’ve also had pleasant nights anchored in coves near Swan Quarter.

Disclaimer: I sail a swing‑keel boat, so skinny water doesn’t concern me.

 

[OrientalNCSailor]

This is the info I was looking for. I'll start contacting Waterside and Tidewater.
Thank you!

If the weather is with you, 21 hours sounds about right. The times I've done that route I've taken 3 days of about 8 hours each including the time to go into an anchorage.

There are 2 marinas at Mile O in Norfolk, Waterside on the east side of the river and Tidewater. I've stayed at Waterside a couple of times. It's a fairly new marina with nice docks located within walking distance of downtown. I've not stayed at Tidewater. Tidewater should have a pump out and diesel. Waterside, has a pump out, but it is difficult to access. Maneuvering in Waterside is tight.

Use Dockwa.com to reserve and pay for a slip at both locations and to search for other nearby marinas. If you are a Prime Rib fan, stop at Coinjock marina, call ahead to reserve a spot and to order dinner.

 

[jssailem]

1. Is it realistic we can sail straight through to Norfolk in about 21 hours? That C-320 seems to do 5.5 - 6kts under power. I plan on keeping that pace.

I would think, NO.

It is approximately 140nm from Herrington on the Bay YC to Norfolk, VA. Based on today's weather conditions, it would take you 28 hours on the water and about 49 tacks to travel to Norfolk on a boat that cruises at 6 knots. If the weather were more favorable, you might catch a westerly and be able to reach most of the way. This might save a couple of hours on the trip. If you were to travel under power the whole distance, I would plan for 5knots SOG. As you move south, you may find you can not hug the western shoreline, as the rivers have a nasty habit of depositing their silt as they open on the bay. I have been out to the main channel off Rappahannock Spit and Wolf Trap to avoid shoaling. It adds a couple of miles to the cruise but avoids the shallow silted waters.

 

[jssailem]

Here is the data developed. I used my 35ft boat that has a cruising speed of 6 knots in the rough estimate model.

Weather Routing solution details created at: Sun Apr 12, 2026 7:46am PDT

Vessel name: Default Vessel
Solution name: wind
Sailing polar: CAL 35 @ 100%, night scale: 80%
Wind file: GFS.20260412.06.grb2 @ 100%

Sailing angle limits: upwind: 35° true, downwind: 165° true
Avoid wind speeds greater than: 30.0 kn apparent
Avoid wind speeds less than: no limit set.
The vessel is not allowed to heave to.
Tack/Jibe penalty: none.
Land clearance distance: 0.0 nm

Constraint sequence:
38°46.2'N, 76°33.6'W. Start point.
36°56.2'N, 76°21.3'W. Target point.

Route start date: Sun Apr 12, 2026 7:46am PDT
Arrival date: Mon Apr 13, 2026 11:35am PDT
Local arrival time: 1 hr 20 min after noon
Duration: 1 day 3.8 hrs
Distance traveled: 139.9 nm
Motoring time: none
Vessel speed: max: 6.1 kn, min: 3.1 kn, average: 5.0 kn
True wind: max: 18.9 kn, min: 6.5 kn
Apparent wind: max: 23.5 kn, min: 6.6 kn

True wind angles: 0° 45° 67° 90° 112° 135° 157° 180°
% time: 93% 7% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%
min true wind: 6.6 6.5
max true wind: 18.9 16.7
min app wind: 9.2 9.4
max app wind: 23.5 20.2

Wind speeds: 0 8 20 25 30 35 40 kn
% time true wind: 2% 98% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%
% time app wind: 0% 53% 47% 0% 0% 0% 0%

 

[thinwater]

Technically possible ... but I wouldn't. I've sailed it many times in 3 days in my PDQ 34 (fast catamaran), stopping typically in Solomon's Island, Tangier, and Cape Charles. I could motor that in about 24 hours ... but why would I? Also, depending on the weather, that could be an in-to-the-wind pounding.

Take two days. Take PTO if you need to. Even motoring an unfamiliar boat is basically boring. Also, the boat is new-to-you, and even though it passed survey, expect touble and take tools, a few blocks, and extra rope. I've never been on a delivery where a few things did not fail. Even something minor can blow your schedule. The last thing you want to do is rush in an unknown boat.

And then there is the weather. You should always have the latitude to delay.

Your trip.

 

[rgranger]

And then there is the weather. You should always have the latitude to delay.

Many years ago, I was on a three-day weekend trip to Ocracoke in a 22-foot sailboat with two of my children. I woke up Sunday morning to heavy fog—but they had school on Monday, so I felt pressure to get back.

The dockhand clearly read my face (and likely noticed the handheld GPS in my hand). He knew I was calculating my odds. He walked over and said, “Every major marine accident I’ve witnessed had one thing in common—a schedule.”

That comment has stayed with me ever since, ...