May 21st, 2011
Leaving Goat Island at 6 a.m. we were a little early for the 08:30 lock opening at South Mills which is the southern entrance of the Dismal Swamp. It was a perfectly calm morning with no sign of clouds. The reflection of the trees in the water made driving through the upper reaches of the Pasquotank amazing difficult. It was almost impossible to tell where the middle of the river was in all the green.
Safely in the Dismal we motored along quietly at 4 knots through the woods with the air perfumed by honeysuckle for 20 miles. We tied up at the north end of the canal for the night as we often do before braving the ships of Norfolk.
Beside us was another Bayfield "Spring Moon" who is about ¾ of the way through the Circle Loop. We chatted with them for a while ended up joining them and another couple from "Eleanor Tarr," for dinner at the Mexican place down the road. We had assisted "Eleanor Tarr" in docking on the Megadock a few weeks ago in Charleston but really didn't get a chance to talk to them. We had a great time remembering some of our favorite anchorages in the North Channel and Georgian Bay, while eating some tasty Mexican food. After a short stop at Food Lion, we walked back to the boat.