Voyage 2007-2008: Chapter 2

18 Oct 2007, Heading for the Dismal, 36 50.790 N/ 076 17.993 W

Anchors up at 0700 and out the serpentine path out of Jackson Creek we go. No winds except 5 knots on the nose. It is still quite warm but Samantha Jane is loving life. In past trips when it was colder, we would find her under the bed covers. Life is good for Sammy. The trip to Norfolk was uneventful other than the tidal current gods were very kind this day. We had a favorable current for all except 45 minutes. We arrived at Hospital Point at 1520.

The next day we ventured off to the local dinghy dock at Waterside Marina. Nice and secure facilities at a reasonable price ($3.30). Moony discovered the facility when they were in Norfolk last Spring. Wolfgang and Denise became our tour guide once again. We discovered that the free dinghy dock behind the battleship has disappeared. For lunch we went to Hooter's. This was Wolfgang's and Denise's first Hooter experience. Not bad! Later we headed back to our boats, and weighed anchor and headed for the Dismal Swamp Canal.

20 Oct 2007, The Dismal Swamp Canal, 36 26.331 N/ 076 19.396 W

We anchored north of the Deep Creek lock to wait for the next day's opening. This area is suffering from a severe drought and the canal is operating on a reduced number of openings; from 4 a day to 2. Moony is nervous of the depth but everyone has reassured us that the level of the canal has not dropped since last year. However, the lock master (Robert peering through the window) warns of the duckweed plant clogging engine strainers. The duckweed is not too bad from Deep Creek to the Welcome Center where we spent the night. However, we felt the level was nearly a foot lower than last year. Moony has bumping the bottom.

At the Welcome Center, we talked to the staff about canal conditions. They indicated that the level was normal but the canal could close any day due the level at the feeder lake. Good seeing them again, especially Judy. The next day we had a flotilla head for the South Mills bridge and lock. We were going very slow as the duckweed was very thick and the depths getting lower. We arrived at the bridge at 0845 and we were all in the lock by 0900. The lock tender confirmed our suspicions that the level was indeed 12 inches lower than normal. He reminded us to check our strainers as they would almost certainly have a lot of duckweed in them. By 0930 we left South Mills and headed for Elizabeth City down the Pasquotank River.