We left Hampton on a damp, foggy morning and made our way through the busy stretch of water off Norfolk. You have to really pay attention here with all the Naval activity along with many tugs and barges. What a difference once we passed the Gilmerton bridge and turned into the Dismal Swamp. It’s beautiful and peaceful.
Foggy morning near Norfolk
Continue reading “Through the Dismal Swamp”
We left Portsmouth at dawn this morning to make the first lock opening at 8:30 am. What we didn’t count on was sunrise hitting us just as we approached the first bridge. We were both so blinded we couldn’t see the marks, the bridge or the chart plotter screen. Straying too far to the right we went aground. After getting off we saw 3 other boats behind us have the same problem.
Just as we got through the bridge our engine overheated–panic time! There was no place to tie up or anchor so we turned the engine off and started to drift. Luckily our friends on Dakota II were close by and offered to tow us until Skip sorted out the problem. Remembering Calypso’s towing story, I was a little leery but it worked out fine. Skip added a bunch of coolant and the engine temperature went right back to normal. We don’t know what happened but he assumed that a bubble formed when he flushed the cooling system and got forced out when we backed off the bottom. I’m just hoping that getting our first grounding and engine failure out of the way will lead to calmer days!
We made it to the first lock and were the only 2 boats to go through. A bunch of boats docked just after the lock joined us on the parade to the next lock. We got there early and the lockmaster opened the bridge right away and let us into the lock. Just as the gates closed the guy on the trawler opposite us went into a panic. He didn’t realize that the water was dropping and had cleated off his stern line (you’re supposed to play out the line as the water level drops about 6 feet.) I saw him run into the cabin and bring out a knife to cut the line. I bet he was hoping no one saw that happen!
By noon it was hot and sunny–my kind of cruising day! We motored into Elizabeth City and tied up at the free dock next to Spartina. We met Phil and Sarah in the Bahamas on our first cruise and enjoyed getting caught up with them. Drinks and stories on Moondance with our friends is the best part of cruising!
After a few gin & tonics I’m finally relaxed and ready to face another (hopefully less exciting) cruising day!
We left Hampton on Monday and dodged the traffic past Portsmouth and Norfolk, waited for 3 bridges to open and entered the Dismal Swamp canal. There are 2 locks in the canal with scheduled openings. Because we believed the guides and the information over the phone, we thought that the first lock would only open at 3pm. We loitered around and took our time getting there only to find out that they had an unscheduled opening at 2pm.
We were the only boat in the lock (somehow, everyone else found out about the earlier opening). The lock master, Robert, informed us that we wouldn’t make it to the North Carolina Visitor’s Center by dark so we stayed overnight at a free dock just past the lock. Robert promised us breakfast and coffee the next day so, with that kind of offer, we had to stay!
Having never been through a lock before, it wasn’t too bad. When the doors closed, the water raised about 5 feet. We just held onto a line as the boat rose – piece of cake!
We met the folks on the other 3 boats and planned a happy hour event. Bailey enjoyed chasing his frisbee at the park right off of the dock. At happy hour, we were joined by the people on the boats that anchored on the other side of the lock.
On Tuesday morning after breakfast, we joined the parade of boats that came through the lock to travel the Dismal Swamp canal. Now I know why they call it the ‘ditch’. I have never experienced anything like this! Coffee-colored water with ominous tree stumps and mysterious floating objects which we needed to avoid. Looking up, our mast passed through treetops – sometimes very closely!
We stopped at the NC Visitor’s Center which serves both vehicles on Rt. 17 and boats on the canal. With very limited dock space, boats ‘raft’ to each other. I think there around 15 boats….not sure because some arrived after dark. The location is very nice with parks, restrooms and a museum for the Dismal Swamp.
I’m amazed that we meet people each day who know some of our friends from the Chesapeake. Small world…
Beyond the Boat 
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