We were the first boat.
We left the Welcome Center dock in the Great Dismal Swamp at 7:00 am. Three boats followed. We went only 4 mph, leaving no wake and appreciating the beauty of the early morning birds' calls. As we moved, a duck would land in front of the boat, wait for us to get close and then take off and fly about 50 feet before landing again right in the middle of the canal. There was sporadic light rain but no wind.
We passed into Virginia, our 8th state on the loop. We also saw this ramshackle house by the canal. The funny part was that the sign beside the house says, "Superintendent's House."
We may be going overboard with government cutbacks.
As we approached the Deep Creek Lock, 17 miles away, we asked the Lockmaster if we could enter early. He said yes because we were early enough for him to lock us through and be ready for south bound boats at 11:00 am. That was lucky! Wind had picked up to 20 mph and was expected to increase in the afternoon, so we were eager to finish the day's travel. The Lockmaster, Robert, was charming and knowledgeable. I'm sorry we couldn't spend more time with him. He blew a conch shell before and after using the lock.
Sue and Dan on Tranquility are tied behind us in the lock.
Wet and windy weather as we locked through.
We traveled another 45 minutes to Chesapeake, VA, and docked with a lot of help at Top Rack Marina. The wind was really pushing us, and two guys on the dock had to work hard to pull us in. Thank you!! The wind this afternoon has been up to 30 mph, and the rain will keep up all evening. However, we are going off the boat for dinner at the Amber Lantern Restaurant onsite. If you eat at the restaurant, you can stay on the dock for free. It's supposed to have really good food too. Such a deal. Our clothes are pretty soggy, so I hope this place is full of wet boaters.
Here's one more look at the Great Dismal Swamp. The water was glassy, and the trees were reflected.
It was a green world. I hope we can visit again on a sunny day.
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