The Waterside Marina is located in the heart of “tourist trap” downtown Norfolk. We love being tourists – and this is becoming one of our favorite layover stops. There is no shortage of restaurants, easy access to grocery and the weekends are filled with free concerts, wine tasting festivals and art vendors.

It doesn’t seem to matter that the winds are blowing 30 knots from the north east, and we can’t make any headway traveling north. We’re not going anywhere. At the moment.

So we enjoy some cruising downtime. This includes:

– jogging and more jogging. catching up on a severe lack of endorphins

– eating fabulous salads at Jillians Restaurant – a whopping 20 footsteps from our dockage

– sharing winter boating stories with fellow cruisers at the marina

– working….yep…we still need to make a living!

– turning on the propane heater. The warm air from southern Florida is just a memory

– provisioning…for what may be a 3-day sail up the Chesapeake Bay