Today we sail into the Dismal Swamp! And it’s fabulously foggy!
Within the first hundred yards of our trip we need a bridge opened, a mild concern because late afternoon the previous day, it broke down. Happily, the people who fix things had done their magic and we proceeded without issue.
The fog lifted but the grey remained. The water was green until we cut it open, then it resembled weak coffee.
Wide at the start, the river begged for full cruise. I obliged. After many meandering miles the river had lulled me into a mild morning stupor while becoming more and more narrow. Racing around one particularly tight turn I had to panic off-throttle because of a poorly timed oncoming sailor. He seemed to think the episode was funny giving me a big happy wave for slowing down. Seems he wasn’t aware I almost ran him over…proof that ignorance is bliss!
There is a lock to get into the canal. Two boats were already waiting for the opening. Strangely, there are no docks or moorings for north bound travelers. Thankfully, there wasn’t any wind or current to make hoovering in place challenge.
The lock lifted us about 6 feet. Our lockmaster was helpful, pleasant and funny. They say the Dismal Swamp Canal operators are the hardest workers on the lock system. They work solo and also operate a bridge! So they open the lock and then hop in their car and drive a short distance to operate the bridge. Fun!
We opted to stay overnight at the Dismal Swamp Canal Visitor Center which is about half way through. It’s also a rest area for folks traveling by car. They have a nature center with lots of interesting information and displays about the history of the Canal and its inhabitants. Amazingly, one of the advocates for the creation of the Canal was George Washington. The nasty work of digging it began in 1793 and was performed mostly by rented slaves. The objective was to improve commerce by connecting the Chesapeake Bay and the Albemarle Sound.
There was a single sailboat at the Visitor Center dock when we arrived. By late afternoon there were 7 boats in a space comfortable for three! We had two 50 footers rafted to us :-0! But, the canal is very well sheltered from weather and thankfully, it was a calm, quiet night.
Tomorrow, with any kind of luck, we finish the swamp and arrive at Norfolk in time for the AGLCA Rendezvous!! Woot!!
