looking for Sunfish sailing near Norfolk VA?

S

SteveMaz

New Member
I am moving from northern New Jersey to Norfolk VA in the middle of this year and I'm debating whether to bring my 'fish (really an AmFLite 14 but that's another story) to Norfolk or whether I should sell it and perhaps step up to something a bit bigger (I know, I know...it will never be the same or as much fun). Can anyone tell me what the interest is in Sunfish sailing/racing in the Norfolk area? I would think it is too open to the Atlantic for casual dinghy sailing but with that said perhaps I need to trailer the fish further west/northwest towards the many harbors inlets the Chesapeake offers (I read somewhere that the Chesapeake has 11,000 miles of coastline!).
Some photos of the boat tucked away in its blanket while we prepare for the snowstorm in New Jersey....along with some other photos...

peace
 

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Grandview Sailing?

They're members here.

VIPER’s First Cruise

I’m usually on the Capri 14.2 side of this site but I just got done throwing this post up on Book of Faces for folks who know us and I figure it was worthwhile as an introduction to the Sunfish side of SailingForums. I’m not new to the Sunfish class, used to race on the Chesapeake with the...
sailingforums.com sailingforums.com
 
We live in the Tidewater area with our fleet of Alcorts, 4 Sunfish, 2 Sailfish and a Catfish plus 8 other support boats. Bring your AMFlite, there are not a many Sunfish for sale here, usually project boats or very expensive. Or a good selection of trailers. There is a very active Sunfish group on Grandview Island (Hampton) that sail year round, especially holidays. (GVI Sunfish Fleet) There are a lot of fun places to launch in the area and and in addition to the Chesapeake you can check out the James or different branches of the Elizabeth, or trailer down to the Outer Banks and sail the Pamlico Sound or beach launch on a nice Atlantic day.

Trivia: Did you know that Norfolk is actually an island? You can't get to it from the mainland without crossing a bridge or going through a tunnel.

Have you found a spot to live yet? We're in Smithfield.
 
Well thank you both for the timely responses from longtime members...definitely good news so I will likely bring the AmFlite 14 down. Now I just have to come up with the explanation for rationalizing a second bigger boat to my wife;) along with the AmFLite...hmmmm

Interesting factoid about Norfolk...my wife made a visit last week and was wondering that exact question
SC I have your book and am a fan of your YT channel and the Small Boat Restoration blog...visited your site many times...who could've thought we would be neighbors (you probably are feeling particularly fortunate:). We likely will be renting in Norfolk as my wife will be a school administrator for a school there. Our two sons are grown and gone so it is just us. Will reach out on FB or email as well especially when I have more info.

again thanks both of you
 
When you go to rent in Norfolk ask specifically if the streets around a rental get any king tide flooding. It's becoming more of an issue.

The AMFlite is a very nice boat, it was kind of a test bed for improvements that were later incorporated into the late 80s Sunfush, rolled edges and elimination of eyestrap holes into the deck. The molded coaming is very nice as are the handrails/hiking rails. Does the boat have the new style or old style rudder? I know on our 1972 Windflite it still had the old style, which we didn't mind. It also had a bronze grommet through the bow lip for a bow line.

See if the Missus will let you spring for a 26 foot C-Dory. It has HVAC, an enclosed head, berth etc...

When you get to Norfolk you will have a blast visiting the Mariners Museum in Newport News and Nauticus in downtown Norfolk, home to the USS Wisconsin and the Nauticus' sail training program. The schooner Virginia is also homeported there. For a small fee you can join the sailing program there and rent a Harbor 20 keelboat.
 
Thanks for the guidance re: rental properties.

My AmFlite had the the old style rudder but I upgraded (used your video as a guide for opening the port on the rear deck). The boat was a bit of a barn find as it did not need much effort to dry it out and bring it back to at least a serviceable level. Some upgrades to that molded deck and cockpit were a bit difficult (ratchet block, hiking strap) and required inspection ports that I might have avoided with a genuine Sunfish. WIth that said - I'm happy with the AmFlite and the uniqueness of the boat and its features, and it sails perfectly fine.

The wife has been pretty patient and I hesitate to push my luck with further acquisitions...but Cape Dories are great boats; I was thinking I might get a Typhoon if I was selling the AmFlite.;)

When the wife visited last week she did a walkaround of downtown and saw some of the sights incl the Wisconsin.

Seven inches of snow today in Northern NJ - sailing season seems so far away...

best rgds
 
What caught our eye when we were looking at neighborhoods was that there were marinas everywhere and lots of sailboats. At least two of the Universities have sailing programs, Hampton and CNU, and Poquoson has a High School/Rec program where they use some Sunfish. We have one friend who day sails out of Nauticus on the Elizabeth River, he knows the Staff there and they let him tie up his Welsford Pathfinder SPARTINA there. He ramp launches a mile or so down river. It's a very busy area with lots to see, populated with recreational, military and commercial ship traffic.

Steve Earley and SPARTINA blog: The Log of Spartina

You may want a dolly if you don't have one, there are a few spots where beach launching would be an option, some around First Landing Beach I believe. Broad Bay and Lynnhaven Bay might be good spots as well, and Kitty Hawk/Outer Banks is a short drive with Atlantic and Pamlico Sound access.

On our bucket list is to do a circumnavigation of Jamestown Island, we have been told that the Back River portion of that looks like it did 400 years ago. There's one low bridge on Sandy Bay. Speaking of bridges, here's a fun website to look at, Active Captain: https://activecaptain.garmin.com/en-US/pois/31799
 
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