Getting up at 06:00 for the radio session isn’t worth it, the reception here in the marina amidst the other masts is very bad so I couldn’t hear a thing (again). But I did manage to do some work looking for my water leak and managed to hurt my back while doing so. Now I’m resting up and I should head out and do my laundry prior to departing but it is now raining outside so I will wait for a bit before leaving.
I did get out the label maker and make some labels, if that counts as work…
The day started with a long drive to the VW dealership to pick up the manifold pressure sensor at 10:00, from there I went to downtown Norfolk to the Customs & Border Protection office to clear out of the USA. I was quite surprised to find the office unchanged from 9 years ago and that the officer had no questions with issuing the outbound clearance for the Caribbean. We chatted for a bit after he asked about my ROAM status and I commented that “I thought that was for U.S. citizens only” and he responded by asking, in a very surprised tone of voice, if I wasn’t a citizen. I suppose the traces of Virginia accent got stronger from my time here. I was finished quickly and returned to the boat to install the new part and check the engine.
Then came the laundry and final provisioning at a grocery incongruously named Harris Teeter. I managed to get a shower ashore before they closed at 19:00 and joined Michael and Ellen for dinner at a great burger joint in Norfolk called 80-20 Burger Bar. From there we joined another of his crew members at a yet another cool place called for some more local beverage before returning to the boat for a restful night of sleep.
