Princess F6566'7"
View Specs & ReviewICW Mile Zero — where the East Coast fleet turns south
Yachting in Norfolk & Hampton Roads
A Minted Location · Norfolk & Hampton Roads, Virginia
Run the East Coast and you pass through this water twice a year, and both times the same four bridges and one lock decide what kind of day you have. Norfolk is Mile Zero: the Intracoastal Waterway's mileage begins in the Elizabeth River between downtown Norfolk and Portsmouth, and every mile south of you is counted from here. Twelve miles down, Atlantic Yacht Basin gives its own position as "Mile 12 of the ICW… just below Great Bridge Locks".
Read the berthing numbers and the town tells you exactly what it is. Waterside Marina downtown publishes 300 ft on its Otter Berth with 480V three-phase 200 amp service, and it takes reservations for overnight dockage only — no permanent slips. Every resident facility in Norfolk caps far lower: Cobb's Marina at 60 ft, Bay Point at 55 ft, the Hampton River dry-stack at 44 ft. The two places that could plausibly home a large yacht — 200 ft at Safe Harbor Bluewater, 110 ft at Salt Ponds — are both across Hampton Roads in Hampton, not in Norfolk.
Norfolk is where big boats stop, not where they live. That is not a knock on the place; it is the reason to use it well. Plan the passage around the bridge schedules below, stage here for a night or three on 200 amp service, and do your haul-out and refit thinking somewhere else — because the biggest yacht haul-out in the region is 110 ft, and the Portsmouth yard that once ran a 1,250-ton syncrolift for yachts to 235 ft is gone.
Where to keep a yacht in Norfolk & Hampton Roads
Downtown Norfolk is one berth, and it is a good one. Waterside Marina publishes 300 ft on the Otter Berth, 250 ft on the Wisky Dock and 200 ft at the Wave Screen, with the Otter Berth now carrying 480V three-phase 200 amp service. Two lines of its own policy tell you what kind of marina it is: reservations are accepted for overnight dockage only, and there is no temporary dockage after 10pm. There are no permanent slips. This is a stop, not an address.
Across the river in Portsmouth are the two largest operations in the market, and each publishes two different length figures — both are printed here, and both are worth a phone call before you plan around either. Tidewater Yacht Marina gives "over 300 slips for vessels up to 130 feet" with a 10 ft draft on one page, and transient slips taking "boats as small as 20′ to mega yachts up to 300'" on another; it also states six megayacht slips, ValvTect gasoline and diesel with assisted fuelling from 08:30 to 16:30, and shore power to 100 amp single-phase, three-phase and 480V. Ocean Yacht Marina gives wet slips "up to 250′" and transient space for "mega yachts over 250'" on its slips page, and "122 all-floating slips accommodating boats to 65′ as well as 150′ of alongside dockage" on its attractions page. Confirm by phone before either marina's length is quoted to a buyer.
Then the ladder drops, and it drops hard. Cobb's Marina at Little Creek takes vessels up to 60 feet with a 12-foot draft across 70 new floating slips plus 325 feet of side-tie dockage, and welcomes "a quick overnight stay or a permanent home". Bay Point Marina, also at Little Creek, runs 314 slips from 15 feet to upward of 55 feet, with transient stays up to two weeks at $2.50 per foot per day. Sunset Boating Center on the Hampton River is a 44 ft dry-stack with over 500 dry slips. That is the resident fleet: 44 to 60 feet, and nothing larger on the Norfolk side of the water.
The large-yacht home berths are in Hampton. Safe Harbor Bluewater on the Hampton River publishes 40 ft to 200 ft with a 10 ft maximum draft, hoists and lifts to 100 tons, and both gasoline and diesel. Salt Ponds Marina Resort takes 110 ft, welcomes "both transient and long-term tenants", and runs a floating fuel dock with mid-grade gasoline and diesel. The Docks at Downtown Hampton offer permanent and transient dockage and were the first marina in Virginia to receive Virginia Clean Marina certification — with winter hours from the last week of December to the end of February, weekends on call only.
On refit, the honest answer is that this region tops out at about 110 ft. Atlantic Yacht Basin at Great Bridge runs a 300-ton railway "capable of hauling yachts and commercial vessels up to 110 feet", plus 60-ton and 15-ton travelifts, a 70-ton railway and a 35-ton stiff-leg crane. Colonna's Shipyard on the Eastern Branch advertises 31,000 tons of total lift capacity across three dry docks and a 1,000-metric-ton Marine Travelift, but serves military, private and commercial ships — it is not a yacht refit yard, and reading it as one will mislead you. And the Portsmouth megayacht yard that once ran a 1,250-ton syncrolift for yachts to 235 ft has gone; the successor routes service work to a partner over an hour away by road. A 130 ft owner staging here gets hauled somewhere else.
Marinas
| Name | Where | Max yacht | Slips | Fuel |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waterside MarinaThe market's headline berth: 300 ft on the Otter Berth, 250 ft on the Wisky Dock and 200 ft at the Wave Screen, with the Otter Berth now carrying 480V three-phase 200 amp service. Transient by design — there are no permanent slips, and no fuel on the dock; the nearest fuel is across the river at Tidewater Yacht Marina. It sits at Mile Marker Zero on the ICW, a short walk from Town Point Park and the downtown waterfront. | Downtown Norfolk — Elizabeth River, at Mile Zero | 300 ft | — | — |
| Tidewater Yacht MarinaThe slips page gives "over 300 slips for vessels up to 130 feet" with a 10 ft draft, and describes transient slips accommodating "boats as small as 20′ to mega yachts up to 300'". Both figures are the operator's own, and both are printed here — phone before either is quoted to a buyer. What is not in dispute: 300 slips including six megayacht slips, and shore power to 100 amp single-phase, three-phase and 480V. | Crawford Bay, Portsmouth — across the river from downtown Norfolk | — | 300 | Gasoline and diesel, ValvTect certified — assisted fuelling 08:30–16:30 |
| Ocean Yacht MarinaThe slips page gives wet slips "up to 250′" and transient space for "mega yachts over 250'", while the attractions page on the same site describes "122 all-floating slips accommodating boats to 65′ as well as 150′ of alongside dockage". Both figures are the operator's own — confirm your length by phone before you plan around either. It lies about 0.7 nm south of Waterside, on the Portsmouth side. | Crawford Circle, Portsmouth — "deep-water access to Mile Marker Zero" | — | 122 | Gasoline and diesel — "Bunker and Truck Fueling services are available on request" |
| Safe Harbor BluewaterPublishes 40 ft to 200 ft with a 10 ft maximum draft, and hoists and lifts to a maximum weight of 100 tons. If you want to keep a large yacht in this market, this is where it lives — on the Hampton River, across Hampton Roads from Norfolk. That geography is the single most useful thing to understand about berthing here. | Hampton River, Hampton — across Hampton Roads from Norfolk | 200 ft | — | Gasoline and diesel — "Regular Gas", "Regular Diesel" |
| Salt Ponds Marina ResortTakes yachts to 110 ft on the Hampton side of the water, and states plainly that it wants long-term tenants as well as transients. A floating fuel dock carries mid-grade gasoline and diesel. | Salt Ponds, Hampton | 110 ft | — | Gasoline and diesel — floating fuel dock with mid-grade gasoline and diesel |
| Cobb's MarinaTakes vessels up to 60 feet with a 12-foot draft across 70 new floating slips plus 325 feet of side-tie dockage, with complete haul-out facilities on site — agree lift capacity with the yard when you book. Read alongside the 300 ft berth downtown: this is closer to what the Norfolk resident fleet actually looks like. | Little Creek, Norfolk | 60 ft | 70 | Diesel, priced on site |
| Bay Point Marina314 slips running from 15 feet to upward of 55 feet, at Little Creek — the clearest statement of the market's real size band. No fuel here; take it on at Top Rack or Tidewater. | Little Creek, Norfolk | 55 ft | 314 | — |
| The Docks at Downtown HamptonThe first marina in Virginia to receive Virginia Clean Marina certification, and a berth that puts you straight onto a walkable waterfront. Winter hours run from the last week of December to the end of February, weekends on call only. Settle length, depth and fuel with the dockmaster when you book. | Downtown Hampton — public piers | — | — | — |
| Sunset Boating CenterA dry-stack operation on the Hampton River with over 500 dry slips, storing boats to 44 ft. | Hampton River, Hampton | 44 ft | — | — |
Yacht clubs
| Name | Where | Max yacht | Slips | Fuel |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Norfolk Yacht & Country ClubSlips for 200 boats plus lift slips and dry storage, with refuelling at the end of pier A. Private, with reciprocal arrangements worldwide — approach through your own club, and settle maximum length on that call. | Lafayette River, Norfolk | — | 200 | Gasoline and diesel — "refueling (unleaded and diesel)… at the end of pier A" |
| Hampton Yacht ClubPrivate, established 1907, with 200 slips and the Thomas Brady Sailing Center on site. Approach through your own club and agree length and berth on the call. | Downtown Hampton | — | 200 | — |
Fuel docks
| Name | Where | Max yacht | Slips | Fuel |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top Rack MarinaA fuel dock with a depth on it: 32 ft by 60 ft, carrying 6 to 15 ft at low tide, on the South Branch of the Elizabeth River. States a 45,000 lb maximum yacht size. Summer schedule runs Memorial Day to Labor Day and winter Labor Day to Memorial Day at 08:00–17:00. The Amber Lantern restaurant is on site, which makes this the market's dock-and-dine as well as its best-specified fuel stop. | South Branch of the Elizabeth River, Chesapeake — on the run south from Mile Zero | — | 22 | Gasoline and diesel — "Ethanol Free RFG, 87-Octane", "90-Octane" and "Dyed Diesel, 40-Cetane"; fuel dock 32 ft by 60 ft, 6 to 15 ft deep at low tide |
Figures are as each facility publishes them on its own site; blank cells mean the facility doesn't state a number. Confirm slip availability and current rates directly — or ask us to make the calls.
Cruising from Norfolk & Hampton Roads
Mile Zero is a stretch of river rather than a mark you can steer to. The Intracoastal's mile numbering originates in the Elizabeth River between downtown Norfolk and Portsmouth, and the count is easiest to confirm downstream: Atlantic Yacht Basin gives its position as "Mile 12 of the ICW… just below Great Bridge Locks", and 33 CFR 117.997 puts the Great Bridge span at mile 12.
What matters far more than the pin is the timetable. The first twenty miles south of Norfolk carry two railroad bridges, four highway bridges and a lock, and their opening schedules are federally documented in 33 CFR 117.997. Get the sequence right and you clear it in a morning; get it wrong and you sit through a rush-hour closure watching the tide turn.
| ICW mile | Structure | Published opening schedule |
|---|---|---|
| 2.6 | Belt Line Railroad | Left in the open position at all times; warnings broadcast on VHF 13 at 30 minutes, 15 minutes and immediately before a closing |
| 3.6 | Norfolk & Western Railroad | Maintained open; opens on signal when closed |
| 5.8 | Gilmerton (US 13/460) | On signal except 6:30–8:30 a.m. and 3:30–5:30 p.m., Monday to Friday, federal holidays excepted |
| 5.8 | Norfolk Southern No. 7 Railroad | Left open and remotely controlled; delays capped at 10 minutes |
| 7.1 | I-64 | Opens on signal with 24 hours notice |
| 8.8 | Dominion Boulevard (US 17) | Need not open 7–9 a.m. and 4–6 p.m., Monday to Friday. Opens on the hour only 6–7 a.m. and 9 a.m.–4 p.m. Monday to Friday, and 6 a.m.–6 p.m. weekends and holidays |
| 12 | Great Bridge (SR 168) | On signal except 6 a.m.–7 p.m., when it opens on the hour only; the drawtender may hold up to 10 minutes past |
| 12 | Great Bridge Lock | Hourly on the hour, 365 days a year — confirm it on the day if your schedule is tight |
| 13.9 | Albemarle & Chesapeake Railroad | Maintained open; closes only for trains |
| 15.2 | Centerville Turnpike (SR 170) | Need not open 6:30–8:30 a.m. and 4–6 p.m., Monday to Friday. Opens on the hour and half hour only 8:30 a.m.–4 p.m., Monday to Friday |
| 20.2 | North Landing | Call ahead before you commit to the run |
⚠️ Work your air draft from a current NOAA chart, not from that table. 33 CFR 117.997 regulates openings, not heights, and no vertical clearance for this sequence comes from an authority — a sailing yacht plans the rig against the chart and the tide, every time.
The Dismal Swamp Canal is the alternative route south. Its lock times are set by the canal's own operator rather than by the regulation above, so check them directly before you choose that fork.
The practical read on all of it: the two rush-hour closures at Gilmerton and Centerville, plus Great Bridge and Dominion Boulevard both restricting to hourly openings through the working day, mean the twenty-mile run rewards an early start and punishes a late one. Atlantic Yacht Basin sits at Mile 12 just below the lock if the day turns against you, and Top Rack Marina on the South Branch of the Elizabeth River publishes 22 transient slips and a fuel dock 32 ft by 60 ft carrying 6 to 15 ft at low tide.
Service, refit & supplies
Shipyards & refit
| Name | Where | Max yacht | Dockage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atlantic Yacht BasinThe biggest yacht haul-out in Hampton Roads, and it is 110 ft. A 300-ton railway "capable of hauling yachts and commercial vessels up to 110 feet", plus 60-ton and 15-ton travelifts, a 70-ton railway and a 35-ton stiff-leg crane. It sits at Mile 12 just below Great Bridge Locks — the same mile 33 CFR 117.997 gives for the Great Bridge span — which makes it the natural bolt-hole when the bridge schedule beats you. | Great Bridge, Chesapeake — "Mile 12 of the ICW… just below Great Bridge Locks" | 110 ft | — |
| Colonna's ShipyardAdvertises "31K tons total lift capacity" across three dry docks and a 1,000-metric-ton Marine Travelift, serving military, private and commercial ships. It is not a yacht refit yard — reading the tonnage as yacht capability is the easiest mistake to make about this market. For yacht work the answer is Atlantic Yacht Basin at Great Bridge, up to 110 ft. | Eastern Branch of the Elizabeth River, Norfolk | — | — |
Chandleries & specialty suppliers
- Long Bay Pointe Bait & Tackle — Lynnhaven Inlet, Virginia BeachShop open 05:00–21:00 with a fuel dock at the inlet. The eastern option if you are working the Chesapeake Bay side rather than the river.
On the Norfolk & Hampton Roads calendar
Norfolk's public calendar runs through Norfolk Festevents, the official operator of Town Point Park on the downtown waterfront — a short walk from the Waterside berths. Its 2026 schedule: Spring Wine Festival May 2–3, Bayou Bon Vivant May 15–17, Norfolk Harborfest June 19–21, Juneteenth June 19–21, July 4th, the Latino Music Festival July 18, the VSO Concert in the Park July 26, Waterfront Jazz August 21–22, NashFest 757 September 12, the Children's Festival October 3, the Fall Wine Festival October 17–18 and the Yule Log Bonfire December 5.
Harborfest in mid-June is the one that fills the harbour with boats rather than only with people, and it is the weekend to book a berth early or plan to be somewhere else.
Two operating calendars set the season on the water. Top Rack Marina runs a summer schedule from Memorial Day to Labor Day and a winter schedule from Labor Day to Memorial Day at 08:00–17:00, and The Docks at Downtown Hampton keep winter hours from the last week of December to the end of February with weekends on call only. Read together, that is a market running roughly April to October with a hard off-season in January and February.
The one date nobody sets is the snowbird migration. The twice-yearly transit through Mile Zero is the reason this page exists, and it does not run to a published calendar — watch the marinas' own booking pages and reserve early either side of it.
Yachts we'd shortlist for Norfolk & Hampton Roads
Reviewed the same way as everything on this site — specifications verified against the builder's own numbers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you refit or haul out a large yacht in Norfolk?
Not above about 110 ft. The largest yacht haul-out in the region is Atlantic Yacht Basin's 300-ton railway at Great Bridge, rated for yachts and commercial vessels up to 110 feet. Colonna's Shipyard on the Eastern Branch advertises 31,000 tons of total lift capacity, but it serves military, private and commercial ships rather than yachts. The Portsmouth megayacht yard that once ran a 1,250-ton syncrolift for vessels to 235 ft has gone, and the successor routes service work to a partner over an hour away by road. Staging here is straightforward; refitting here is not — plan the yard period around Florida or the Chesapeake's larger commercial facilities instead.
What size boat do people actually keep in Norfolk?
Between about 44 and 60 ft. Every resident facility on the Norfolk side sits in that band: Cobb's Marina takes 60 ft on a 12 ft draft, Bay Point runs 314 slips from 15 ft to upward of 55 ft, and the Hampton River dry-stack tops out at 44 ft. The 300 ft downtown berth is transient capacity, at a marina that accepts reservations for overnight dockage only and has no permanent slips. The two facilities that could home a genuinely large yacht — 200 ft at Safe Harbor Bluewater and 110 ft at Salt Ponds — are both in Hampton, across the water.
Where is ICW Mile Zero, and why does it matter?
ICW Mile Zero is in the Elizabeth River between downtown Norfolk and Portsmouth, where the Intracoastal Waterway's mile numbering begins — every mile south is counted from there. It matters because it is the gate: essentially every yacht working the US East Coast passes through this water twice a year. It is a stretch of river rather than a mark you can steer to, and the count is easiest to confirm downstream — Atlantic Yacht Basin gives its own position as Mile 12 of the ICW, just below Great Bridge Locks, and 33 CFR 117.997 puts the Great Bridge span at mile 12.
What are the bridge and lock opening times south of Norfolk?
They are set by 33 CFR 117.997, and four structures govern the run. Gilmerton at Mile 5.8 opens on signal except 6:30–8:30 a.m. and 3:30–5:30 p.m. Monday to Friday. Dominion Boulevard at Mile 8.8 need not open 7–9 a.m. or 4–6 p.m. on weekdays and otherwise opens on the hour only. Great Bridge at Mile 12 opens on the hour between 6 a.m. and 7 p.m. Centerville Turnpike at Mile 15.2 opens on the hour and half hour from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and need not open at rush hour. The Great Bridge Lock runs hourly on the hour year-round; confirm it on the day if your schedule is tight, and call ahead for North Landing at Mile 20.2. The regulation sets opening times and not heights, so work your air draft from a current NOAA chart.
What is the largest yacht that can dock in Norfolk?
Waterside Marina downtown publishes 300 ft on its Otter Berth, with 480V three-phase 200 amp service, plus 250 ft on the Wisky Dock and 200 ft at the Wave Screen. That is the largest berth in Hampton Roads. Two Portsmouth marinas may go further, and each publishes two figures: Tidewater gives 130 ft in prose and mega yachts up to 300 ft for transients, and Ocean Yacht gives up to 250 ft on one page and boats to 65 ft with 150 ft of alongside dockage on another. Confirm either by phone before you plan around it.