This week was not very active because of the heat wave. Temperatures were running in the upper 90s with heat indices well over 100. We anchored in Mill Creek just outside of Hampton and next to the entrance to the Hampton Roads tunnel. The heat was terrible the whole time we were there. We were there to wait until Thursday, when we would head to a marina in Virginia Beach for the wedding of Teresa’s son Bradley. We were hoping there would be a bit more of a breeze in this anchorage, but it was not enough to stay cool with the temperatures in the upper 90.

I found that we could run our larger air conditioner unit off our little Honda generator. This was a fundamental change for our comfort. We now could run the air conditioner in the hottest part of the afternoon, a real luxury out at anchor, and made the stay at anchor tolerable.  

On Tuesday, we went ashore to get more gas for the generator and to pick up a few supplies at the grocery store. This gave us a chance to check out the little town of Phebus which was close to Fort Monroe. The town has a dinghy dock for public use, which is convenient. Phebus is a pleasant little town to explore. It has some nice old houses and stores in a quaint downtown. If we get here when it is cooler, it would be fun to spend some more time exploring and visiting some shops.

On Wednesday, the wind picked up, and the little bay got a bit bouncy. It looked like we might have dragged anchor a hundred feet or so when the wind picked up overnight. As we had to reset the anchor anyway, we decided to move into the lee of the Hampton tunnel island. As it was a bit rough out in the little harbor, we stayed aboard the whole day just doing chores and relaxing.

Thursday morning, we upped anchor and headed south across the Chesapeake Bay entrance to a marina in Virgina Beach, where we would stay for Bradley and Peggy’s wedding. The three-hour trip across the bay was easy with calm seas. We checked into the marina and with shore power plugged in, we finally had full-time air conditioning. Unfortunately, once again, the air conditioner shut down because of poor water flow. A quick inspection found seaweed clogging the inlet lines. Using a garden hose, I was able to backflush the system and get cool air flowing again.

That afternoon we accompanied Teresa’s son, Bradley, and new daughter-in-law, Peggy, to the courthouse to be legally married. The full ceremony and reception would be on the fifth. The courthouse wedding was just to make things legal, as the person doing the ceremony could not legally marry them.

The rest of the weekend was spent on wedding festivities. We were able to borrow Bradley’s car for the weekend, which allowed us to do a little shopping while on land. We also were able to do some laundry while at the marina. Sailors always have laundry to do when the opportunity arises.

With most of the wedding celebrations over, on Sunday we had some time to show off our new to us boat. Bradley and Peggy stopped by with Peggy’s parents to check the boat out. This was also a good chance for Teresa and I to get to know Peggy’s parents a little better. We had an enjoyable time chatting and sharing stories. On Monday we return to Hampton for a night and then off to explore the Chesapeake.